Don’t ignore ‘Search Intent Optimization’​ !

Posted inSEO

As it gets harder and harder to engage web users, search intent as a marketing concept has become the to-go topic.

But where does the concept of search intent stand in content marketing context? Should you account for it in your content marketing strategy?

With mobile and voice search in action, your reader’s attention span is short because today’s consumer searches and decides on the go.

The faster your content answers the readers’ questions and satisfies their needs, the better the odds they will stick around instead of moving on to your competitor.

Search intent optimization is all about giving the best answer exactly the way your target customer needs it. In other words, it’s about meeting your customers’ immediate needs and hence winning their hearts.

What exactly is search intent?

Search intent basically quantifies why a user is performing a web search.

Wherever I go, i explain this concept using 3 major types of search intent:

Do (also known as “commercial” or “high” intent): The search user is ready to act (buy, join, etc.).

Know (also known as “informational” intent): A search user is looking for information.

Go (also known as “navigational” intent): Search users know which site or brand they want to go to.

For example, in some cases a search user expects to find a clear list (how to, list of tools, secrets etc.). Think about “best products” or “how to cook” type queries. These searchers don’t expect to see paragraphs of text. You need to provide a clear and concise list of items.

In other cases, searchers are looking for a clear number, e.g., “how much does it cost?”. Even if your product has a complicated pricing structure, let your content give estimates because that’s the searcher’s immediate need.

That said it is known that:

With Google always trying to match the needs of its users better and making successful attempts at understanding each search query on a deeper level, optimizing for search intent has become key to search visibility in modern digital marketing era.

How do you identify search intent ? – Question surrounding everyone’s mind

The first thing when you are trying to identify the search intent of your target query is to use common sense.

In many cases, it’s helpful to imagine what your target customer seeks to achieve by typing certain words in the search box.

This exercise also helps you relate to your customers on a more personal level because you tend to forget a human is behind each keyword.

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Remember how Google’s search results were once nothing but a list of 10 blue links with a short description for each? Google search results now are varied, visual, and even interactive. Google shows a unique selection of search features for each query, helping you guess which elements and content formats were found to help their users better.

Signals of informational search intent:

  1. Image and video carousels
  2. Featured snippets: Featured snippets can signal all those micro-intent types I mentioned. For example, if you see a bullet-point list featured for a search query, it’s a good sign Google found that this content format best satisfies its users.

Signs of commercial search intent:

  1. Google shopping
  2. Local pack
  3. Product carousel
  4. Brand carousel

Signs of navigational search intent:

  1. Google knowledge panel
  2. Google site links
  3. Google site search

How to optimize for search intent

The first step is coming up with the best way to answer the search query. This is the most obvious way and, like many content marketing tasks, it requires brainstorming and planning.

Few of the write-up ideas may look like:

  1. Add takeaways with clear steps
  2. Add bullet points listing related tools
  3. Add a graph (flow chart) explaining the process (add numbered list of steps to put that in words)
  4. Add Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness (EAT) signals (e.g, reviews, user-generated signals)

Plan your in-content call to action

Another important element of successful content is its call to action (converting your readers into your customers or your loyal followers). In-content CTAs should be unique for each content asset to better engage your community.

Few examples of unique CTAs :

  1. Promote a related lead magnet, e.g., a free checklist (here are nice plug-ins to build leads using a lead magnet).
  2. Include a link to the tool feature plus a screenshot (that helps solve the described problem).
  3. Host a survey or a quiz (any of these tools can help).
  4. Invite users to join a webinar (elaborating further on the topic), etc.

TIP: Use these action words to better phrase your in-content call to action:

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Now once the search intent is understood, I hope this makes the life of the digital marketeers easier.

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