User intent describes the nature of or reason behind searches or queries carried out by users on search engines such as Google. Users can have many reasons to carry out an online search, ranging from learning something new to looking for specific information within a website, buying a product, or researching a topic.
Let us look at some search queries:
All of these queries provide some kind of insight into the intent of the users raising them. Identifying, analyzing, and understanding user intent are essential steps in creating a memorable and satisfying user experience, and therefore, to crafting effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Let us understand why.
Google’s search algorithms are trained to identify the search intent of users from their queries and strive to provide them with the most relevant results. Google rewards websites targeting keywords that closely reflect user intent by ranking them high on SERPs, even showcasing their content in featured snippets, local packs (for local listings), image thumbnails, video carousels, knowledge panels, etc.
By accurately deciphering user intent, SEO strategists can help websites develop powerful strategies that provide informative, up-to-date, and relevant content to their target audiences, optimized with high-ranking user-centric keywords. This in turn, will provide them enhanced visibility in SERPs, leading to more click-throughs and resulting in higher conversions.
Identifying user intent is an art. While there are tools to help you gather user behavior data, understanding what the user really wants requires knowledge of human behavior, the experience to isolate one type of behavior from another, and a good bit of intuition to decipher its true purpose.
User intent is not static; it constitutes a (often non-linear) journey where the user starts from a certain point, gradually refining their search technique towards more tangible and specific ends. It can be broadly categorized into four types: informational, navigational, commercial and transactional.
Informational intent refers to the type of search queries that constitute the user’s need for information. These can include general or specific information on a variety of topics, ‘how to’ queries for guidance on how to do something, news and current affairs, and research-oriented questions. This type of query indicates that the user is probably at the beginning of their search journey.
Examples of queries indicating informational intent:
Search queries that deal with the user’s attempt to directly reach a specific website or web page show their navigational intent. These include searching for exact names of people, websites, brands, products, services, locations, applications, etc., and looking for specific web pages of a website such as ‘About Us’, ‘Customer Support’, or ‘Contact Us’. The nature of this query indicates that the user is quite advanced in their search journey and is not interested in generic information.
Examples of queries indicating navigational intent:
Commercial intent reflects the user’s desire to find out more information about a product or service that they are interested in buying. These could include research-oriented queries on product and price comparisons, user experience reviews, specific features, special offers, product release dates, etc. Commercial intent queries indicate that the user has progressed beyond basic information and is heading towards a transaction.
Examples of queries indicating commercial intent:
The user’s transactional intent is revealed through the types of queries that indicate that they are ready to initiate a transaction. These can include queries on product purchase options, service subscriptions or sign-ups, application downloads, booking or reservation, online orders, etc. This type of search query indicates the desire of the user to perform a specified action that may or may not involve a monetary component. Either way, it marks the end of the user’s search journey.
Examples of queries indicating transactional intent:
By studying the structure of the query and the type of keywords used (short-tailed, long-tailed, locational, etc.), SEO strategists can identify what type of information the user is looking for.
Apart from keyword research, SEO strategists need to study various other sources of information such as competitors, SERPs, social media conversations, and user behavior to gather insights into user intent.
Study how your high-ranking competitors have integrated user intent into their SEO strategy. Analyze the keywords that they have used, the kind of content that they have created and how they engage their audience.
The kind of results that search engines generate can reveal a lot about the nature of the queries and the keywords used in them. For example, if the keywords for a particular brand of smartphone triggers a list of results with prices and special deals, it indicates that the user is looking to purchase the phone.
Similarly, user-generated content such as reviews and feedback, and forum discussions and conversations around a particular topic on various social media platforms can point towards the kind of content and solutions that users are looking for.
Use tools like Google Analytics to analyze the data generated by various types of metrics that record user behavior such as click-through rate, engagement rate, conversion rate, session duration, downloads, etc. to create a map of how users interact with a particular website and its contents. Use Google Search Console to understand which queries bring users to your site and why.
By studying user behavior from as many sources as possible, SEO strategists can identify various patterns of user intent, which they can then integrate into their optimization strategies.
The next step is to incorporate user intent into your SEO design strategy. A few ways in which this can be done are:
Optimize your on-page elements such a URL structure, meta descriptions, titles, headings, internal linking, etc. with relevant keywords and phrases that reflect user intent. Build your off-page reputation and credibility with useful, high-quality backlinks, strong social media engagement, and a proactive review response system.
Create high-quality content according to the type of search intent shown by the user. You can provide relevant blogs and articles for informational intent, infographics, comparative tables, and videos for commercial intent, and product landing pages with clear CTAs for transactional intent.
Rather than providing just written content, if your users prefer information in the form of videos, images, infographics and podcasts, integrate those into your website’s content.
Study local intent qualifiers such as ‘near me’ or the name of a specific location in search terms and optimize your content with appropriate local keywords and phrases and updated business information.
Optimize content for voice queries with precise information and clear answers that make your users feel like they are having actual conversations with another person.
Leverage your knowledge of the user’s position in their search journey to craft enhanced, personalized, and compelling experiences for them. Combine intent-specific keywords with strategic internal linking and creative content to guide your users towards positive decision-making.
As an SEO strategist, when you listen to what the user wants, you are adding a very important human element to an otherwise technical exercise.
Provide your users with the precise information they want and in a format that they prefer to enrich their online search experience and help them to access information that boosts their knowledge, productivity, and satisfaction.
By continuously monitoring your strategy, being prepared for shifting user behavior, and prioritizing user experience, you can organically rank higher in SERPs, increase click-through rates, and grow conversions.
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