User intent matters in SEO; and it’s actually quite a hot topic at the moment. We’re going to outline exactly what it means, why it’s important, and how you can make sure you’re targeting it in the right way, Plus, we’ll also explain why it’s on everyone’s radar just now, in relation to a few key changes that we’ve seen in SERPs lately.
User intent definition
User intent (or search intent as it’s also often referred to) represents the goal of the person carrying out a search; it’s their ‘why’. Ordinary users carry out specific searches for certain purposes, and there’s a variety of different motivations to consider here. Take some of these examples to understand exactly what we mean:
- Searching to learn more about the rules of quantum physics.
- Searching to find your next car.
- Searching for directions to the place you’ve booked a fancy dinner at.
- Searching to buy tickets to go and see your favourite artist.
Already, you can imagine the diversity in the results that each query would create on search engine results pages. That’s exactly what user intent represents.
Why does user intent matter?
You won’t see results for the latest electric BMW while looking for an in-depth explainer on wave-particle duality (one of said quantum laws of physics). And that’s why user intent matters.
Historically, search engines have endeavoured to show you the correct ‘type’ of answer to your question. SERPs are constantly being refined by crawler agents, and these systems have, over time, refined their content to show results that they’re confident users will find the most value in. As part of this, searchers are shown specific kinds of content for a specific query; for example:
- Search for ‘best 30 minute pilates class’ and you’ll find links to Youtube videos.
- Search for ‘easy tiramisu recipe’ and you’ll find a recipe page.
- Search for ‘ladies wide leg jeans’ and you’ll find product categories (a page on a website with links to individual products).
Search engines choose to rank this high-value content, as it matches their interpretation of user intent. Conversely, content that doesn’t match user intent has a significantly lower chance of ranking. Imagine a piece of content that doesn’t match with user intent has somehow ended at the top of page 1 on Google – users may click through to the result, but it’s not answering their original query, so they will be quick to abandon the page. More on this later.
The four types of user intent
User intent is represented by different types of keywords, and there are four main categories to consider:
Informational
An informational query will often feature ‘question’ based terminology such as ‘why’, ‘how’, or ‘can’. It represents those who are looking for more context on a topic they’ve been exploring.
Commercial
Commercial keywords symbolise searchers that are doing their research, or weighing their options up before honing in on a specific webpage or business. They might include phrases such as ‘best’ or they could relate to reviews.
Transactional
A transactional keyword represents red-hot purchase intent! These searches usually include words like ‘buy’ or ‘for sale’.
Navigational
A navigational keyword is used when a searcher is looking to get to a specific website, brand, or other location.
User intent analysis: our top tip
When we’re putting a SEO content strategy together, one of the first steps we take is to conduct some thorough SERP landscape analysis. We’re able to build user intent analysis into this process by simply looking at the types of content that are ranking high for our most lucrative keywords, identified through keyword research. From here, we can be sure that we’re creating content that is aligned with user intent.
Sometimes, intents can overlap. In this instance, we’d suggest exploring how different content formats can be used to target both intent categories.
The AI Overviews effect
We’re seeing some confusion in terms of how well Google’s latest search feature, AI Overviews, is catering to user intent. In fact, a study by seoClarity recently determined that 96% of queries that the new feature links to are informational. While AI Overviews is still in its ‘experimental’ stage (we’ve seen a fair amount of other blunders), Google is creating disparity in its own ability to cater to user intent.
If it has been a while since you checked in with how well your own content caters to user intent, now is the time! We’re seeing noticeable to SERP landscape, with both organic and paid results being impacted. Creating content that is in tune with user intent could help you to secure the most valuable rankings for your business.
Cater to user intent by creating high quality content
We’re here so you don’t have to take a stab in the dark when it comes to navigating user intent, along with all of the other complexities that come with effective organic marketing. To find out more about how we can help you to build this into a broader SEO strategy approach, simply contact us today and we’ll be in touch!