Whether performance is gauged in terms of user engagement with the content, search engine positions, or sales, optimizing for intent results in improved performance overall. It is a crucial component of an effective search engine optimization (SEO) plan.
However, many businesses take a flawed stance when it comes to comprehending intent. They miss the opportunity to examine terms’ deeper, more subtle meanings by focusing only on their surface meaning.
1. Build content on intent rather than keywords
Before delving into the precise intent of a keyword chosen for a post or landing page, it’s critical to comprehend a fundamental principle: content must always be tailored to the needs of searchers and not just on keyword sets or other technical scoring variables.
From an SEO viewpoint, this can be a small distinction. For instance, if a searcher types in “digital marketing agency Virginia Beach,” they are probably looking for a digital marketing agency based out in Virginia.
In this situation, length and keyword volume appears to conflict with a more conventional SEO strategy. However, these kinds of ranking indicators are becoming less and less important to search engines.
Another well-known example is Google’s EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) criteria, which measure how well content fits the precise informational and format expectations of the searcher behind the keywords.
2. Know the General Keyword Intent Categories
It’s crucial to comprehend the well-known intent classifications. Remember, though, that these are merely outlines. The subtlety of a keyword’s meaning is ascertained by examining various variables, such as past results, seasonality, and location.
Typically, keyword intent belongs to one of the following groups:
Learn and Understand: Requests for information on education. Informational expressions can be as brief as a definition or as detailed as academic dissertations. This group includes “How To” articles.
Browse and Think: Inquiries that are part of the pre-purchase research process. An example of content that serves this purpose is product reviews. It’s common to see words like ” IT support consultant ” and “Best microwaves 2022.”
Buy and Convert: Searcher requests from people who intend to make a certain purchase. They are occasionally referred to as “transactional” keywords.
Querying for navigation: When searchers use navigational keywords, they are requesting specific links from a website.
When you begin exploring more deeply, having knowledge of these categories can help you feel more at home. Knowing the general goal of a keyword phrase enables you to work inside an established framework to add more complexity and detail.
3. Develop procedures to identify deeper intent
The first step is to comprehend keywords in relation to the categories (“learn and understand,” “browse and consider,” “purchase and convert,” and “navigational”) listed above.
After this preliminary phase, you should widen your strategy to develop a complete insight into why users are using a specific query.
4. Intent Should Be Aligned With Each Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
Clarifying the intent underlying keywords will help you better understand your customer’s journey and will help you match content to the various sales funnel stages.
“Learn and Understand,” “Browse and Consider,” and “Buy and Convert” are three kinds of keyword intent that can also be thought of as stages. You can precisely give searchers the types of information, lead magnets, and purchase chances needed to take them through your sales funnel when you view keyword terms representing various stages of buyer interest and motivation. If it hasn’t already, the SEO team should align its plan with your business’s sales funnel.