What is keyword intent?
When you are building your content plan, it can be tempting to just stop after keyword research. You have the keyword, the difficulty, and the expected, traffic, and that’s all you need, right?
Well, not quite.
Keywords and keyphrases are still the most important component to an SEO content plan, but something that’s equally important is the keyword intent? But exactly is the intent, and how do you determine it?
Intent is the why of the search
Keywords and keyphrases are what people are searching for, and the keyword intent is the why. Understanding why someone is searching for something gives you the knowledge you need to answer the searcher’s question in the best possible way.
If someone searches seafood on Google, they can get tons of varying search results. They could get seafood restaurants or recipes, but maybe they are trying to look up the health benefits of eating seafood.
If they are looking for health advice, they don’t care what seafood restaurants are nearby. They are going to click on and (importantly) stay on a site that answers their health concerns.
That’s the importance of understanding intent.
It’s also important to focus on very specific keyphrases. Seafood is an incredibly general search term. So when you plan your content, don’t try to rank for seafood, but rather best seafood restaurants or is seafood good for me?
Keyword intent is broken into four categories. These categories help SEO experts and content marketers broadly understand what someone is hoping to gain from their search. Here is a brief overview of the keyword intent categories, and some examples of content to build around them.
Informational
When a keyword has informational intent, the searcher is looking to learn more about the query. They aren’t necessarily looking to buy anything or find a new product. They are simply in the research phase at this moment. Informational keywords are great for targeting top-of-funnel (TOF) prospects because they draw them to your site and establish your brand as an authority on that topic.
Examples of informational keywords include:
best ways to grind coffee
how to clean a dishwasher
why is my phone so hot
Notice that these longtail phrases don’t even mention specific products. That’s because this keyword intent isn’t about finding a product or service, at least not yet. The prospect is gathering information to understand a problem and the best ways to solve it.
Commercial
People use keywords with commercial intent when they are doing research on products and services to help solve their needs. They have likely gathered information earlier and are ready to start looking into solutions. It’s important to note that commercial intent doesn’t mean they are ready to buy. Rather, they are shopping around for the best options.
Examples of commercial keywords include:
best laptops 2023
Samsung vs Apple phones
Air fryer reviews
Keywords with commercial intent are particularly important for affiliate websites, as they tend to have high traffic and conversion rates.
Transactional
Transactional keywords are searched by users ready to make a purchase. They can either include a company or website name, as well as any searches for promotions or discounts. This is the bottom of the funnel, and ranking high in these search results can help you convert leads.
Examples of transactional keywords include:
Plumber near me
Hulu free trial
Buy macbook air
It can be difficult to rank in transactional searches that specifically target competitor keywords. For example, if you search Hulu free trial, nearly every top result will be for Hulu. Netflix and Peacock will have a tough time ranking for that keyword because it is so highly targeted toward their competitor. However, if someone searches streaming service free trial, these competitors stand a much better chance of showing up with (and possibly above) Hulu.
Navigational
Navigational keywords are the most straightforward. A navigational keyword is used when a user wants to get to a specific site. According to Google, the most popular keywords are YouTube and Amazon. These are navigational keywords because the user is very clearly trying to get to that site.
Part of your SEO strategy should be making sure you rank for your brand name (and any minor variation) to make sure you show up at the top of the results every time. If your site isn’t well optimized for SEO, there’s a chance your competitor can show up in the search results before you do!
Why should I care about keyword intent?
When you understand keyword intent, you can optimize your content to be the most valuable resource to the user. Keyword intent also helps you understand where a lead is at in their buyer journey, and you can link specific content to lead them further down the funnel.
In the future, we will do some blog posts centered around how to write content around these intents and solidify the content funnel on your website. Having a clear content strategy for moving clients along the buyer journey will lead to higher conversions and a better ROI on your efforts.
If you’re ready to level up your content marketing strategy, fill out the form below and get a free consultation from GPS Media. We will provide you with a site audit and a clear action plan to improve your site, whether you choose to go with us or not. Fill out the form below and #findyourway today.
