Search intent, also known as keyword intent or user intent, is the driving force behind any search query entered into a search engine. It refers to the reason why a user types a specific search term or phrase, and understanding this intent is crucial for creating SEO-friendly content that ranks highly on search engine results pages (SERPs). In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the concept of search intent, its importance in SEO, the different types of search intent, and how to determine and leverage search intent to create high-ranking, relevant content.
What is Search Intent?
Search intent is the underlying motivation behind a user's search query. It represents the goal they want to achieve or the information they wish to obtain by typing a specific keyword or phrase into a search engine. For example, if someone searches for "best dog food," their intent is likely to find information and recommendations on the top dog food brands to make an informed purchase decision.
Understanding the search intent behind a keyword is essential for creating content that effectively addresses user needs and ranks highly on SERPs. By aligning your content with search intent, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in search results and attracting more relevant traffic to your site.
Why is Search Intent Important in SEO?
The primary goal of search engines like Google is to provide users with the most relevant and useful results for their search queries. As a result, search intent plays a significant role in determining how well your content ranks on SERPs.
Google has invested considerable effort into understanding and interpreting the intent behind search queries, as evidenced by its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. These guidelines include a section dedicated to user intent and how to identify different types of intent.
To rank highly in Google, your content must satisfy the search intent behind the keywords you're targeting. A thorough understanding of search intent can help you:
Develop a more effective content strategy: By targeting keywords that align with your target audience's needs and goals.
Create relevant content: By understanding user needs and crafting content that addresses those needs.
Rank higher in search results: By demonstrating to search engines that your content is valuable and relevant to their users.
The Four Types of Search Intent
There are generally four types of search intent:
Navigational intent: Users want to find a specific page (e.g., "reddit login").
Informational intent: Users want to learn more about a topic or answer a question (e.g., "what is SEO").
Commercial intent: Users want to conduct research before making a purchase decision (e.g., "best coffee maker").
Transactional intent: Users want to complete a specific action, usually involving a purchase (e.g., "buy subaru forester").
Let's examine each type of search intent in more detail.
1. Navigational Search Intent
Navigational intent occurs when a user wants to find a specific page or website. In these cases, the searcher already knows the destination they're looking for and simply needs assistance navigating to it. Examples of navigational intent keywords include:
Starbucks
Gmail login
Ikea refund policy
Navigational keywords often involve branded terms and are focused on ensuring that your target audience can quickly and easily find your pages when they need them.
2. Informational Search Intent
Informational intent is driven by a user's desire to learn or gather information on a particular topic. These searches often take the form of questions and include words like who, what, where, why, and how. Examples of informational intent keywords include:
Bruce Willis movies
What is SEO
California time now
How to clean a dishwasher
In many cases, Google will provide direct answers to specific questions within the SERP itself. However, for most informational queries, blog posts remain the top content type for addressing user needs. As a result, blogging should be an integral part of your SEO strategy.
The benefits of targeting informational keywords include:
Visibility: Informational queries account for a significant number of searches on Google. To increase your online visibility, you cannot afford to ignore them.
Building trust: Providing useful information and educating your audience is an excellent way to establish trust in your expertise.
Targeting new leads: Content that targets informational keywords can attract new leads that you can convert later on.
While ranking for informational queries may not directly result in conversions, it can still provide valuable opportunities for growing your business.
3. Commercial Search Intent
Commercial search intent encompasses keywords used by your audience when conducting research before making a purchase decision. This type of intent falls somewhere between informational and transactional intent, as users are seeking information that is directly related to a purchase decision. Examples of commercial intent keywords include:
Best indoor plants for low light
Apple Watch Ultra review
Mailchimp alternatives
HBO Max vs Netflix
Search results for commercial queries often feature third-party pages with independent product reviews. As a result, it can be challenging (and sometimes impossible) to rank for certain commercial keywords relevant to your brand. However, there are marketing strategies and tools like Semrush's Surround Sound that can help you stay visible throughout your potential customers' decision-making process.
4. Transactional Search Intent
Transactional search intent occurs when users want to complete a specific action, often involving a purchase. However, transactional intent is not limited to purchases alone; it can also include actions such as signing up for a newsletter or downloading software. Examples of transactional intent keywords include:
iPhone 13 Pro Max price
Personality test online
MarketMuse trial
Watch Friends
Transactional keywords are your primary revenue-generating keywords, as they represent search terms used by future customers who are ready to convert.
How to Determine Search Intent
Search intent often corresponds with a user's position in the marketing funnel. In general, the relationship between search intent and the marketing funnel is as follows:
Awareness: Users search for informational keywords like "how to do keyword research."
Consideration: Users search for commercial keywords like "best keyword research tools."
Conversion: Users search for transactional or navigational keywords like "Ahrefs plans."
Determining search intent is a critical step in developing a content strategy. In many cases, you can identify a keyword's intent based on the keyword itself (e.g., question words like what, why, or how usually indicate informational intent). However, in some instances, the intent may not be immediately apparent.
Luckily, several tools like MarketMuse automatically calculate search intent for every keyword. For example, you can find the "Intent" metric in Keyword Overview, which is based on the words contained within the keyword phrase and the SERP features present in the search results for the analyzed keyword.
In the Keyword Magic Tool, there's a dedicated data column that displays the intent type of the keyword. This allows you to work with search intent during your keyword research without leaving the tool or having to guess the intent. You can also use a filter to display only keywords with a certain intent type.
For example, if you're conducting keyword research for a company blog, you might want to focus on informational intent keywords since a blog typically targets users in the "Awareness" stage of the marketing funnel. To do this, simply click the " Intent " filter and select the intent type you want to focus on.
Additionally, it's essential to analyze the actual SERP results for a keyword to determine user intent and gather inspiration from the top-ranking pages. In Keyword Overview, you can do this by scrolling down to the "SERP Analysis" section and clicking the search icon to view a snapshot of the actual search results for your keyword.
Proper analysis of the SERP ensures that you'll understand the intent behind a query and allows you to create content that meets user needs and outperforms the competition. To do this, study the SERP and identify:
What makes the top results the best
How thoroughly the top results cover the topic
The angle used by the top-ranking content
How you can create even better content (by providing better information, data, examples, media, or user experience)
Crafting Content That Aligns with Search Intent
Once you've determined the search intent behind a keyword, it's crucial to create content that satisfies that intent while also providing value to your audience. For example, if a user searches for "best air purifier," their intent is likely commercial. However, simply creating a standard top 10 review won't be enough to rank for this keyword.
One of the top results for this query, the 10 Best Air Purifiers review by Modern Castle, is an excellent example of commercial content that prioritizes user needs. The post begins with a photo of the author, Derek, alongside the air purifier models he has tested for the review. It then features a video summary and a detailed breakdown of each product, including technical specs, performance data, and other relevant information.
The post concludes with a comparison table of all the products and their ratings, as well as links to detailed reviews for each item. The information is well-organized, easy to digest, and tailored to address the user's search intent.
When creating content for your website, ask yourself what your audience is trying to find on the page and then build a well-structured, informative piece that addresses that need.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Important is Search Intent?
Understanding search intent is a critical component of keyword research for SEO. Properly optimizing your content for search intent can increase the likelihood of your page being displayed for relevant queries, ultimately driving more qualified traffic to your website.
What is Keyword Intent?
Keyword intent, or keyword search intent, is synonymous with search intent. It refers to the search intent behind a specific keyword. Some keywords may have a clear intent, while others may have a "mixed intent," which is less obvious from the keyword itself.
How Many Types of Search Intent Are There?
The most common categorization includes four types of search intent: navigational, informational, commercial, and transactional. Google uses a slightly different categorization in its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, distinguishing between "Know" queries, "Do" queries, "Website" queries, and "Visit-in-person" queries.
How Do I Find the Search Intent Behind a Keyword?
To determine the search intent of a keyword, you can use tools like MarketMuse, which automatically detects search intent for every keyword. Additionally, examining the search results for a keyword can provide valuable insights into the actual results and SERP features that Google deems most relevant to the query.
