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Search intent is one of the primary reasons we do SEO. After knowing what the people are searching for, focus on why they search for that particular content. Search engines detect the pages they want to rank according to the quality and relevance of the content, and this is where search intent comes in. Pages who rank the highest fit the search term well which is why it is essential for you to optimize your site’s content to cater to a specific search query.
Reviewing Search Intent
Using search intent for keywords alone would not be a wise decision on your part. Branching out to content using intent-based research can help you climb up the ranks simply because you are generating rich content based on specific queries. Search intent is the reason behind a query through a search engine. It is vital to optimize your site according to this because it is a way to know how customers can reach a particular business.
What good is an SEO provider if it does not deliver the right kind of answers to people, right? This can be answered simply with search intent. To know more about this, here are the types of search intent according to Yoast.
Informational Intent
Informational intent is from those who have a specific query that they want to learn from. For example, there are those who search for Virtual Office in Manila. In return, a Landing Page will supply them with the information on what it is and how it can help them in for their particular question. Content that is centered on informational intent would mostly consist of facts, significant benefits, history, overviews, summaries, etc.
Navigational Intent
Navigational content is the type of search intent wherein people use the search engine to go to a specific website. A navigational term would be great if you want clients to find your business instantly. If a broad keyword is from the navigational intent type, chances are that your competitors are also aiming to rank for it so you should generate content that can pull up your ranking and increase your organic traffic.
Transactional Intent
Transactional search intent is for people who are looking to find a site that can give them the best value for their money. Obviously, as the name suggests, this intent type is focused on the goal of the search query ending in a transaction with both the business and the buyer receiving a benefit from it.
Commercial Investigation
Similar to the transactional intent but with people looking into more options instead of focusing on one. They may not be ready to buy immediately, but they are investigating which are the best products or services they may purchase in the future. So keywords would be about finding the best plugin, an alternative to a current tool, or just a simple product comparison.
Importance of Audience Analysis for Search Intent
To go deeper into a viable content strategy centered on search intent, it would also be a big help if you look at the people who visit your site and how you can cater to their intent. By looking at users who are actively on your site and have a brief overview of your services, you can provide an analysis based on data from Google Analytics.
Audience Analysis Based on Age
It would be impossible for you to know each one of your site visitors so looking into a simple demographic based on their age would tell you that these are the people who intend to be on your website. It may seem stereotypical but look at their age to determine how your content could be of interest to them. Additionally, trends can help you set up a content strategy since the trend that is popular for a particular age group will also attract them to your content so you should consider reading up on what they would be interested in.
Interest Overview
Of course, your site has a particular niche in your industry but you should also consider that the site visitors have other interests aside from your own. Content should never be subjective, you will know that it passes a high standard of quality when you satisfy the needs of your audience. It pays to know a little more about them so why not use this data to make a solid audience analysis?
Intent-Based Research for Content Relevance
All in all, the main essence of focusing on search intent is for your content to stay relevant, not only for the SERPs but for users as well. Content relevance would go a long way in relating your site to a particular search term or topic. Churning out content would be a waste if you do not optimize it according to search intent.
A content strategy would be for nothing if it does not boost relevance and quality for SEO. Search intent keeps you relevant because it gives out the signal that you are well-optimized to provide answers and solutions to user query. Also, you should also keep in mind that content relevance is an important ranking factor and a way for you to establish authority. These are the reasons behind why you should consider doing intent-based research the next time you are planning around your blog or site content.
Key Takeaway
Search intent should always serve as a reminder to optimize your content. This will help a lot in providing value to your website, especially for SEO. Unfortunately, there are still bloggers who are struggling to keep up with this digital marketing initiative. With algorithm updates rolling out, it is critical that you stay on top of your game. How do you use search intent for your content? Let me know in the comments below!