05 May
Being a marketer means wearing several hats on the regular. But did you know that being a mind reader should be one of them? Yup, that’s what you’ll be doing if you want to take on efforts in line with user intent.
Without a doubt, understanding user intent is a crucial factor in SEO marketing. In this article, we’ll discuss the following:
- What is user intent?
- Types of user intent
- How to use user intent to your advantage
We’ll also throw in a few pro tips you can apply to drive more traffic to your blogs. So, pull out a chair and get ready to learn.
What is User Intent?
At its most basic, user intent pertains to what a person intends to find out when searching for a key term in a search engine.
Which leads us to the next question – why is it important to optimize for user intent? For one, knowing the context behind the search allows you to gear your content strategy better to satisfy searchers’ queries.
In addition to that, you also guide users throughout their customer journey. Are they simply looking for details about a product, or are they already prepared to click the checkout button? Customizing your content can immensely improve lead generation and conversion rates.
Types of User Intent
Here are three types of user intent you need to be familiar with. Take note that understanding user intent types requires knowing what our readers need as they type in the key terms on search engines.
1. Navigational Intent
Also called “go” intent, users search a term because they already have a specific website in mind that they want to visit. For example, if someone searches for the term “The New York Times,” you’ll know that they want to find the publication’s website.
Here’s one crucial thing to know about this intent – there’s little chance of swaying a user who’s already made up their minds. For instance, a person looking for “L’Oreal” most likely won’t be swayed to visit Maybelline’s website instead. After all, deciding which makeup brand website to visit has already been made, and the intent is very clear.
How to use this intent to your advantage
As mentioned above, there’s little chance of changing a searcher’s mind when they have navigational intent.
But here’s a pro tip marketers swear by: make sure that you’re ranking top not just on organic results but also on paid results. To do this, you need to own the navigational query for your brand. After all, you wouldn’t want your competitors to snag the top rank for searches for your brand name.
You can find navigational search terms on Google Analytics. And if people are searching for your brand name, take that as a great sign! That means they’ve heard of your brand and they want to know more.
2. Informational Intent
Next on our list is informational search intent. As the name suggests, this is when users search for a keyword because they’re looking for info regarding that topic. That said, they’re not looking for a certain website. Instead, they’re seeking more info that may lead to narrower searches down the road.
Let’s take the keyword “superfood,” for example. A person searching for this term might be looking for nutritious food to improve their health. Most likely, they wouldn’t want to know about the history of superfood. Instead, they’d be looking for its meaning, benefits, and the types of products that fall under that category.
How to use this intent to your advantage
This user intent is a crucial factor for planning your SEO blogs. Here are a few pro tips from marketers on how to use informational intent to your brand’s benefit:
- User intent keyword research. Keyword research doesn’t end in finding terms that rank. It’s also vital to create content that falls under the context users need info for. Otherwise, the result cannot satisfy user intent; you won’t get the clicks you want.
- Provide listicles and guides. Just as gaining backlinks to your website is important, creating valuable content is imperative. The only way to please people searching for info is to provide pieces that satisfy their needs. Going with the “superfood” keyword example, you may want to produce a listicle of the top superfoods in the market. In the same vein, you might also want to come up with step-by-step guides on how to prepare those items for maximum health benefits.
- Create other valuable content. Pair your blogs with other valuable content, such as videos or infographics. Not only will these provide value for your audience, but they can also pave the way to get free backlinks from reputable websites.
3. Transactional Intent
Last but not least is transactional intent. This user intent indicates that the searcher wants to complete a transaction, including buying a product or service. Usually, these queries include terms like “order,” “buy,” or “purchase.” This indicates that the searcher is ready to add-to-cart and checkout once they find what they’re looking for.
How to use this intent to your advantage
If you look at content marketing examples created with this user intent in mind, you’ll see that most of them come in the form of landing pages or product pages.
That said, most marketers offer this pro tip: use your pay-per-click (PPC) ad credits to target transactional queries. For one, Google allows features like product pictures on product listings and sponsored ads. This means you’ll have a bigger chance of sealing the deal just as the user is ready to make the purchase.
Conclusion
Optimizing for user intent will allow you to make your marketing writing more purposeful. By turning to user intent analysis right from the start, you won’t be creating your content blindly. Instead, you’ll be able to create sharper and more goal-oriented pieces geared for conversion.
Power up your marketing strategy with excellent pieces of content from our writers here at Content Fuel. We have the creative chops to write pieces that generate leads and increase conversion rates. Best of all, we offer unlimited articles at a flat monthly rate. So, you won’t be locked in a long-term contract.
