What You Should Know About Search Intent While Doing SEO

With billions of users browsing the Internet today, there is cutthroat competition between web pages to find a higher spot in search results rankings. Search engine algorithms rigorously filter content to match the queries of web searchers. Consequently, search engine optimization, or SEO, and keyword optimization have become catchphrases in the digital age. SEO strategists formulate content strategy and work toward scaling up the search engine results page (SERP). Over time, search engine results have been immensely refined to better cater to search intent. SEO, too, has been redefined to focus on the intent of the web searchers.

Defining search intent

In simple terms, search intent is the user's goal or purpose behind entering a query into a given search engine. The user is usually expecting the search engine to return a specific set of responses that are most relevant to their search. Earlier, search engines would mechanically determine the search results rankings based on the number of times a keyword appeared on a web page. Search engine algorithms are now sharper and seek to delve deeper to gauge the keyword intent or the context in which the keyword is used.

A keyword can have different denotations: desert could mean "a barren land" and could also refer to "the act of abandoning." Search engines take into account the context of the keyword to display results that align with the search intent. Again, a keyword may have different connotations: the implications of the word. Search engines also attempt to consider the implicit meanings of a keyword rather than simply considering the explicit definition(s). Once the context of the keyword is taken into account, the search results usually satisfy the user search intent.

Types of search intent

The search intent, or the keyword intent, can be broken down into four broad categories.

• Navigational: The intent of these web searchers is to navigate to a given website. These users either do not know the exact URLs or simply find it cumbersome to type out entire URLs, so they run a search using a search engine. They could also be looking for a particular web page, such as the Twitter login page.
• Informational: The search intent of these searchers is to look for information. The information they are seeking could be simple and straightforward, such as a definition, or something detailed, such as a process or analysis.
• Transactional: The intent of these searchers is to purchase a service, product, or subscription. Transactional searchers usually have a fair idea of what they intend to purchase. These searchers have already researched the product or service and are now in buying mode. The keywords would probably be brand names or ecommerce site names.
• Commercial: Commercial searchers are usually in the investigative mode. They are looking to buy a certain product or service and have narrowed down their search to a few options. These searches could be looking for reviews and might want to compare a few similar products or services to arrive at a decision.

Search intent and SEO

Search engines endeavor to satisfy search intent, so SEO strategists focus on search intent to up their SEO game. Search intent optimization can help drive more qualified traffic to a website. Content that is specific to different types of search intent helps you widen your reach and increase your brand visibility. Keywords must be optimized to align with user search intent for a website to achieve SERP success. If your content strategy is failing to improve search results rankings, the culprit is usually inappropriate keywords.

The primary ranking factors include authority, relevance, and user satisfaction. A website's domain authority impacts its ranking—backlinks and internal links determine a website's authority. The website content must be relevant to the searches and must align with the various types of search or keyword intent, resulting in user satisfaction. When users get what they are looking for, bounce rates are reduced, which in turn increases page views. SERP features such as featured snippets and search engines map similar queries and display your optimized web page for multiple queries, increasing your site's visibility.

Determining search intent

Keyword modifiers are good indicators of the type of search intent—keyword tools also come in handy in determining the search intent. Analyze SERPs to determine the search intent—search engines frequently show certain SERP features, depending on the intent of the search. You can check the presence or absence of SERP features to infer the type of search intent of a given keyword. For instance, featured snippets usually indicate that the search intent is informational, while shopping results point to transactional intent.

Optimizing for search intent

To leverage keywords in SEO, you must optimize your content for user search intent. Search engine algorithms look into factors such as page links, web page headings, anchor text, and images to understand the context of a keyword. So, your content strategy must revolve around these focal points.

• External links to relevant web pages associated with your content helps search engines understand and map content based on user search intent.
• All on-page headings and sub-headings should be optimized to address the relevant topics and search intent the content should cater to.
• Anchor text helps search engines map content and establish connections and associations between related content, increasing visibility.
• Image alt text involves descriptive text about the images on your web page, which enables search engines to correctly index the page for web searches.
• Images offer secondary information about your content and help decipher the denotations and connotations of keywords. Search engines also use images to recognize the search intent.

A robust SEO optimization must begin with identifying and understanding the search intent of keywords. Optimizing your metadata and web content to align with the search intent will boost the authority and visibility of your content on search engines.