‘User Intent’ also called search intent, should be a major priority for all content marketers. To build organic traffic and conversion, your content has to serve a clear user intent. It goes beyond keywords and semantic SEO.
It means figuring out what searchers want.
Think about the main reasons why someone would search for a topic related to your website. If you provide content that aligns with their search intent, visitors stick around to read your content which could result in high rankings and conversion rates.
There is more to search engine optimization than technical considerations. It goes beyond keywords or even high-quality content.
Sometimes you need to forget about the company’s search goals and consider what the readers expect to get from engaging with your website.
Getting traffic that converts means providing exactly what your desired reader seeks, if not, your website gets a high bounce rate, and readers would click ‘back’ to the search engine result page (SERP) in search of better content.
Successfully aligning with User Intent means creating content and matching titles that satisfy the search query. It has become a necessary part of the SEO strategy needed to maximize click-through rates.
What is the Purpose of a Search Query?
A search query is a set of words or phrases a user enters into the search engine to find information, while a keyword is the set of words or phrases that search engine marketers use to optimize their website.
There are 4 basic types of User intent:
Informational intent:
In this case, the user wants to learn something about a particular product or seeking an article that covers the respective topic of the search.
For instance, if you want to explore easy ways to feed a cat for weight gain, you make a search query by entering ‘’how to feed a cat for weight gain ‘’
Since you intend to gain more information about a particular topic, you have just done an informational search.
Navigational intent:
In this case, the user is seeking a specific website. Let’s say you want to get to WhatsApp from the website. when you search by entering ‘’WhatsApp’’ into your search bar, its website shows right at the top. This search query shows your navigation intent.
Commercial intent:
In this case, you already have information about a product and want to consider a few more options before deciding where to purchase a product from. That is why, your intent will be – who sells the best YouTube camera?
This search query shows you want to compare products from different brands before buying.
For instance, if you type into the search bar, ‘’Who sells the best YouTube camera,’’ it shows you different brands and leaves you with an option to decide whom to choose.
Transactional intent:
In this case, the user is seeking a specific product or service, This search query shows that a user wants to make a purchase and can be said to have a transactional intent.
Users making these queries must have gone through the research phases, considered several options, and now want to purchase a product or service.
These searches can contain terms like buy, discount, deal, and so on.
How do we understand user intent?
Identifying user intent is all about understanding customer needs and their pain points. One of the key factors to achieve this is by conducting thorough audience research.
This process allows for a comprehensive understanding of your audience and their behavior.
Creating content intended for specific buyer personas and their web queries is an important part of defining your audience in an online marketing strategy,
When targeted toward searcher tasks, your content has a better chance of increasing conversion rates.
To be able to meet your user intent, you need to ask:
- “What are the goals of my audience, and what tasks do they want to accomplish?”
- “Why would my audience want this content?”
- “What stage of the funnel are they in?”
- “How does it relate to other topics my audience cares about?”
- “How explicit is the intent of this search query?”
Sometimes, you might ask Why User Intent Profiling is Like Buyer Personas
Every marketer should be familiar with buyer personas. User intent profiling will take you to the next level in understanding your audience and creating content that meets their needs.
It’s crucial now that search engines understand intent.
So, how can you succeed in meeting user intent?
Digital marketing works best when you cater to a host of different possible buyer intents. It ensures that, when you create content, it serves a specific purpose for all potential customers, irrespective of their level of interest or expertise.
This, in turn, maximizes your chance of success at inbound marketing. It’s a technique for conversion optimization that’s gaining popularity.
Does your page satisfy search intent?
The easiest way to answer this question is to examine the first page of results for the target keywords.
First, go to Google
Enter the target keyword
And ask what types of pages are ranking
If most ranking pages are informational content, you should create an informational asset, on the other hand, you might create transactional or commercial content if it’s ranking. This idea is to model the competitors on the first page of Google regarding user intent.
One of the most difficult aspects of content marketing is creating great content at scale. But there’s another obstacle that’s perhaps even more challenging.
Most content marketing teams use keyword volume and link metrics when making strategic and competitive content decisions. Typically, they look for keywords with high volume and little competition.
Conclusion
Understanding user intent is crucial to achieving effective content marketing. By gaining insights into the needs, interests, and behaviors of the target audience, you can create content that resonates with them and drives conversions.
Incorporating user intent insights into your content strategies can give value and relevance to your content marketing, helping your brand stand out in a crowded marketplace.
It’s important to constantly analyze user behavior needs and feedback to ensure that your content aligns with their needs and expectations.
Furthermore, investing in user intent research and optimizing your content accordingly can lead to tremendous returns in the long run.
Help you position your brand as a trusted authority and build lasting relationships with your customers.