Do you want to rank high in search engine results? Then you should get serious about search intent! Search intent is mentioned as a crucial factor for ranking by some of the experts of internet marketing in Atlanta. Search intent is becoming a solid foundation for content optimization and is becoming one of the most crucial factors for the SEO process. So, what exactly is search intent?
Also known as user intent, search intent is most commonly referred to as the purpose of a user’s search. With Google’s algorithmic updates such as Hummingbird, RankBrain, and BERT, the search engine can now clearly interpret the user intent and display results that meet the search intent. Often, the most prominent search results are through rich snippets such as knowledge panel, answer box, and more. So, understanding and optimizing search intent is crucial as people use search results differently based on their ultimate goal.
According to the experts of internet marketing in Atlanta, search intent is broadly classified into four categories.
Navigational search intent is dominated by branded keywords. For example, a user searching for amazon on Google’s search box instead of going to amazon.com. Here, the user wants to find a specific page or website. Ranking high for navigational intent is beneficial for you only if people are specifically looking for your website.
Transactional intent refers to searches in which people want to convert by buying a product, signing up for e-mail, submitting forms, making a store visit or phone call, and more. So, it’s evident that people use transactional intent when they are looking to buy a product or service. However, some of the conversions are hard to measure. Still, they matter for SEO.
If you are into internet marketing in Atlanta for a while, you must have come across searches beginning with ‘how to,’ ‘what is,’ ‘why do,’ and more. Here, the user wants an answer to a specific question. These informational searches could be for anything – weather, educating children, learning purpose, and more. However, there is one thing that you must aware of. The search engine’s understanding of intent is much further than simply showing a result for a search query. For instance, Google understands people looking for ‘pizza’ are searching for an online delivery rather than the history of pizza. In addition to this, it also understands that it’s essential to provide videos and images for some search results, for example – ‘how to build an aquarium.’
Unlike transactional intent, some people research about products and services they intend to buy in the near future. For example, if they are looking to buy an air conditioning system, they will make a search to learn about the best air conditioning system available in the market. Say, ‘What air conditioning system would be the best?’ The people making this type of search also have a commercial intent. But they need some time to decide. This intent is also called commercial investigating intents.
Search engines are intelligent! They not only understand what users are searching for but also know what they are thinking behind each keyword or key phrase. This is why it’s essential to integrate search intent analysis into your SEO marketing strategies. Also, the experts of internet marketing in Atlanta emphasizes that optimizing your product pages and website content for search intent is crucial to appear on search results. Here we’ve listed a few tips to optimize your webpage or website content for search intent.
Informational intent includes interrogative queries and phrases like ‘how to,’ ‘where to,’ ‘what do,’ and more. Some of these searches also include modifiers such as age, meaning of, product history, and more. One of the best ways to optimize your webpage for informational intent is to include the full search query in page title, header tags, and descriptions. How can you achieve it? Add FAQ sections at the end of your web pages which includes the user queries and the answers written directly below the questions.
Transactional intent is for people who are likely to buy a product or service. So, it’s crucial to understand how a user wants to convert. Your transactional landing page must contain a clear call to action, user-friendly and clean design, and legible text. The call-to-action you include on the landing page must be clear and eye-catching. It must stand out from the rest of the page and easily draw the attention of the visitor. Also, make it clear what clicking the button will do. For example, if there is a get started button, it takes you to a page where you can fill the form or ask for quotes, or a buy now button take you to the online shopping cart.
According to the experts of internet marketing in Atlanta, 95% of purchasing decision is made based on visual design. So, create a clear design with a few words and visuals that reflects the value you offer. Also, the product descriptions on your landing page must build trust, create an emotional connection, and compels the user to convert.
When a user is making a search query with commercial intent, it’s essential to give them precisely the right information they are looking for. Here we’ve listed a few tips to optimize webpage content for commercial intent.
The experts of internet marketing in Atlanta say, when optimizing content for commercial intent, it’s imperative to satisfy their goal in doing that research.
While optimizing for navigational intent, you must focus on your home page, contact page, or a login or signup page. As mentioned earlier, navigational intent is dominated by branded keywords. If nobody is searching by your name, you must work on your website’s internet marketing in Atlanta to build awareness. This includes updating your NAP and ensuring that it’s consistent, taking steps to get listed in Google’s Knowledge Graph, and more. Depending on your business, try ranking for company or product name paired with words like guide, tips, review, and more.
Search intent is a critical ranking factor identified by top SEOs. If you aren’t aligning your content with the user intent, you won’t rank high on search results. Moreover, if you don’t meet the needs of your visitors, all your efforts will go in vain. Ultimately, creating a content strategy is all about connecting with your audience and engaging them. So, optimizing your content for search intent is more like taking an audience-first approach, and Google loves it!
So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with our experts at Strategic Marketing Consultants, the leading provider of internet marketing in Atlanta, to help your business optimize content for search intent.