Behind every search, there is always a need or want regardless of whether it is a service, product, or solution. Therefore, no matter how well you have placed the most searched keywords in your content, you need to ensure that those keywords reach the right audience. To achieve this, you need to match the keywords with the intent of your audience. Just making use of the most searched keywords is not the most effective way to gain traffic. First, let us learn what user intent is.
How to Understand User Intent?
Certain things run in the mind of users just before they type a query in the search field. However, the thought would take a different perspective depending on whether the user is looking for a product, service, or solution. You need to identify these thoughts to ensure that the user makes a connection with your brand.
For instance, if I type “how to choose a printer’, the search engine will understand it as I need instruction rather than an online shop that sells printers. Therefore, it is ideal for implementing an intent-based SEO strategy. To achieve this, you need to understand the types of user intent that experts generally distinguish. There are three types of user intent which include informational, navigational, and transactional.
Informational intent is when a user seeks information such as tips, instructions, queries, etc. If a user intends to locate a specific website, webpage, or resource, the search queries would be brand names such as amazon login, Facebook, etc. Users with transactional intent would perform a web-mediated activity such as order something, so they would use words such as buy, purchase, or subscribe.
Why is it Important?
Intent-based research is essential as it helps you understand your target audience and know what they want on your website. For example, if you are running a blog with the same name as a film, book, or a popular TV show, you may get a high volume of traffic; however, you may not get many subscribers. This happens because most users would be looking to watch the TV show, film, or book. Bear in mind that intent is not just an organic SEO problem, but a pay per click campaign could also suffer from targeting the wrong audience.
How to Match Keywords with Intent
In order to switch from keyword research to intent research, you need to match keywords with intent. The journey the potential customer goes through on the way to purchase involves several touchpoints. Make sure to keep the types of user intents in mind before you proceed with matching the keywords with intent.
If the search term is branded, it means that the user shows a preference for your brand. However, if it is non-branded, then there is no brand preference yet. Under the product category, it shows that the searcher is interested in your product. This is further branched out into substitute product and upsell product. Search terms such as cheap flights, luxury watches, show that the searcher is focused on the business value or price point of the product. Search terms related to your competitors brand or product come under one category. Finally, search terms such as wedding rings, Christmas gifts are associated with a specific event or purpose, i.e. occasion.
You need to group keywords from each category and expand your keyword list with any of the keyword research tools. It will give you an idea of the click volume, search volume, CPC, SERP features, and other variables. Matching keywords with intent will help you gain a better understanding of your potential customers and estimate the opportunities you must interact with them.
Targeting the Right Intent
A pro tip is to not bother looking at what Google thinks is relevant content for a keyword while checking the search engine results page, especially if the keyword turns out to be simple. The best bet is to follow these quick tips, whether you are trying to pick the right keywords for an SEM or SEO campaign.
SEM keywords are quite expensive as every click costs you. Target the right keywords with high purchasing intent in SEM campaigns else it could burn a hole in your pocket. Cause if none of the results in the first page for a potential keyword indicates the purchasing intent it is probably not the right SEM keyword. It is not wise to spend money no matter how exemplary a keyword seems on blog posts as SERP is filled with links to Wikipedia pages and Q&A sites.
Customers who are looking for information do not want to buy right away, so paying them to get to your site is a waste of money. However, if the SERP is filled with links to competitors and businesses, you have discovered the right candidate for your SEM campaigns. So always be a step ahead while you are on the lookout.
On the contrary, SEO keywords are relatively cheap, so as long as the intent behind the search is relevant to your business. Keep in mind that ranking organically for high-intent keywords can be cumbersome and time-consuming so an SEO keyword need not be high-intent to remain profitable. Also, it is not ideal for targeting a wide range of keywords that indicate an interest in what your business offers with SEO keywords. Don’t get disappointed if those keywords don’t result in an immediate purchase as they help you build brand awareness with a relevant audience. Type in a keyword and check if several Q&A sites, and blog posts discussion topics related to your core business offering. If so, it is a great keyword.
Conclusion
Whenever you are picking keywords regardless of whether it is SEM, SEO, you need to pick keywords with the right intent to achieve a successful search marketing. It doesn’t matter how well the search volume of the keyword is. If they are not relevant to your business, it is not worth your time and money. Also, achieving high rankings through keyword targeting is a complex long, drawn-out process which is highly competitive.
Understanding the search intent, context, and providing the best-match is highly relevant. Technical SEO, high-quality content, and links are not enough to strike the right chord in search marketing. Don’t lose out on optimizing your website for user experience at every point in the customer journey. Also, encourage your customers to make the right actions that result in conversions.
Get the best search engine marketing solutions with high intent keywords from a wide range of services provided by Vajra Global. You can get in touch with us for a free consultation and bring more traffic to your business with our full tailor-made services.