Exploring Search Intent for SEO

What is Search Intent?

Search intent focuses on the current needs, wants, behaviors, and feelings of the user as they use search engines. Businesses can anticipate the user’s search intent based on search queries, which indicate their position in the buyer journey. For example, the search query “how do you create a spreadsheet” reveals the user is looking for information; whereas the search query “buy [brand] spreadsheet software” shows the user is ready to make a purchase.

Search intent is organized into three categories:

• Informational, such as “how-to” searches
• Transactional, such as “buy [product]”
• Navigational, such as “[brand]”

Why Does Search Intent Matter for SEO Purposes?

Businesses leveraging SEO want their web pages to show up first for specific search terms in search results. Optimizing website pages is important, but unless your target audience is searching for that content, then all your hard work goes unnoticed.

However, by understanding which search terms, your audience is using and how this aligns with search intent, you can create content that puts you in front of consumers at all stages of the purchasing cycle.

No matter where users are at in their journey, your content shows up in search results because it most accurately answers their search queries.

Exploring Search Intent Categories

Now that you know why search intent is critical for SEO let’s look at each of the three categories to get a better understanding of how they fit in with your search strategy.

Informational

Searchers in this group are at the beginning stages of their search journey. They may be researching topics, looking for inspiration, or trying to get instructions.

Search terms are more generic, non-branded, and geared toward discovery.

Remember, users may not even be aware of your brand at this point, or that your business offers a solution for them.

When you write content for informational searches, consider how you can best answer the searcher’s question or need. Conversions at this stage are minimal, so you won’t need to use strong language.

The critical step here is to get ranked in search engines for these generic search terms so that you can stay in front of searchers at this early stage.

By providing helpful information, you can even earn a top spot in search results with a Featured Snippet, as HubSpot did with “how to write a blog post”:

Source: Google Search Results

Transactional

Once a searcher is in the transactional stage of the buyer journey, he or she is ready to make a purchase. They have finished their research, looked at reviews and recommendations, and now it’s just a matter of the final transaction.

Whether that means placing an order or signing up for the free trial depends on your business goals, but your keyword research will reveal which search terms you should be targeting.

Examples could be “hubspot subscription” or “buy hubspot membership.” Search terms are often branded, but not always, and are much more specific than terms used in the informational stage.

As you write content for users in the transactional stage of the journey, keep in mind the ultimate goal is conversions. Page content may be shorter and more concise with strong calls-to-action (CTAs). You may want to include testimonials or reviews to remind consumers why they chose your brand.

HubSpot is ready for consumers who are ready to sign up:

Source: Google Search Results

Navigational

Searchers in the navigational stage of the buyer journey are aware of your brand and have a destination in mind: your website.

Their search terms show it, too, because they are direct, branded, and highly specific.

For example (and maintaining our examples), “hubspot” helps Google serve up the most accurate search results:

Source: Google Search Results

With navigational search intent, we don’t have to worry about brand awareness. It’s all about occupying as much real estate as possible in search results – including paid ads, organic search, knowledge graphs, and social media profiles – so that consumers have no trouble finding you when they’re looking for you.

Next Steps

Now that you are familiar with search intent and how it affects SEO, your next task is keyword research. In this phase, you’ll want to consider how many people are searching for specific keywords, what the competition is like, and how these align with the intent of users.

Once you have chosen keywords, you can “bucket” them into the three search intent categories, and start writing your optimized content, so you show up at every single stage of that valuable journey to conversion. 

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