Search Intent SEO Will Change the Game

Family therapy for communication issues near me,Family therapy for communication skills,Family therapy for communication issues online,Family therapy for communication difficulties,Family therapy for communication and trust,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD online,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD near me,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD children,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD adults,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD and depression,Therapy for depression and grief,Depression therapy near me,Grief counseling near me,Depression and grief therapy online,Depression and grief group therapy,Depression and grief therapy,Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques,Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy techniques,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for anxiety,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for depression,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for couples,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for groups,motionally-focused couples therapy near me,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for infidelity,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for communication,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for anxiety,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for depression,Online therapy sessions,Online counseling sessions,Online therapy video sessions,Online therapy chat sessions,Online therapy phone sessions,Online therapy group sessions,LGBTQ+ affirming therapy online,LGBT-sensitive therapy near me,LGBT-friendly therapy in my area,LGBTQ+ affirming psychotherapy,LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for couples,Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques,Evidence-based trauma-informed therapy,Trauma-focused therapy for children,Trauma-informed therapy for adults,Trauma-informed therapy for couples,Individual therapy for anxiety,Individual anxiety therapy online,Individual therapy for anxiety disorders,One-on-one anxiety therapy near me,Individualized anxiety therapy sessions,Individual anxiety therapy for adults,Couples therapy near me,Couples therapy in my area,Couples therapy near me today,Couples therapy close to me,Couples therapy in my city,Couples therapy in my zip code,Best PTSD therapy techniques,PTSD therapy near me,Effective PTSD therapy options,PTSD therapy for veterans,Affordable PTSD therapy services,PTSD therapy for children,Holistic PTSD therapy approaches,Online PTSD therapy sessions,Natural remedies for PTSD therapy,PTSD therapy for first responders,PTSD therapy for sexual assault survivors,EMDR therapy for PTSD,Group PTSD therapy sessions,PTSD therapy for caregivers,Military PTSD therapy options

Search intent (also referred to as user intent) is a critical component of SEO. In fact many people will say that getting top rankings for any website page is nearly impossible without taking search intent into consideration.

Google has published a paper describing how search intent (or user intent) is changing the marketing funnel. According to this paper, being able to understand a user’s internet when they are searching will assist in aligning marketing outcomes with business goals.

Search intent is that important.

What Is Search Intent

But what is search intent? Search intent, or user intent, describes the goals that a user has behind the words that they enter into a search engine. It is the reason behind their action.

Consider that every time someone performs a search, they are trying to find the answer to a question or they’re trying to find a specific website or they’re trying to purchase something.

There is an intent behind every search and by identifying that intent, the results that your company can gain from SEO can dramatically assist you in reaching your online marketing goals and objectives.

Types of Search Intent

There are four categories of user intent:

  • Informational Intent: The intent behind informational intent, as you can probably guess from the name, is people looking to gain general information. Maybe someone wants to find the weather information for a geographical area. People in this category could also be looking for information on a specific topic, or maybe they’re trying to remember who sang a favorite song they just heard.
  • Navigational Intent: This category is made up of people that are searching for a specific website. Someone might type “nike” into the search engine to get the link to Nike’s website. Or maybe they would type in 3Sixty Interactive to find our website. Essentially, this category is made up of people trying to navigate to a specific website.
  • Commercial Intent: This category is similar to the informational intent category in that it’s made up of people that are gathering information. It’s different from the informational intent category in that searches within the commercial intent have a transactional component. Commercial intent searches are made up of people researching products or services that they have an intention to purchase, at some time in the future.
  • Transactional Intent: This is the intent that most people focus on when they are trying to optimize the pages on their website. This intent is when people are searching to make a purchase.

Where Did This Intent Come From

With Google’s Hummingbird update, our search lives were literally changed.

The Hummingbird update went into effect on the fall of 2013 and focused on being able to produce search results based on a perception of what the user’s intent was, as opposed to just the words that they would type into the search engine.

This can be a game-changer for users.

With the Hummingbird update, Google introduced us to semantic search. Semantic search is built into Google’s algorithm and attempts to expand on individual keywords and take a broader context into account.

User Intent Examples

As an example, enter the phrase “chocolate chip cookies” into Google’s search box. The results that you will get are overwhelmingly focused on chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Google’s algorithm has determined that with this search term you are most likely looking for a recipe to make chocolate chip cookies even though you could be looking for chocolate chip cookie pictures or somewhere to purchase chocolate chip cookies.

Let’s take our chocolate chip cookie example one step further. Let’s say that you’re really hungry so this time you enter a search phrase that is “quick chocolate chip cookies”

This time the search results that you get show the time it takes to bake the cookies and ranks the results in order of how long it takes to bake the cookies.

Family therapy for communication issues near me,Family therapy for communication skills,Family therapy for communication issues online,Family therapy for communication difficulties,Family therapy for communication and trust,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD online,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD near me,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD children,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD adults,Cognitive-behavioral therapy for OCD and depression,Therapy for depression and grief,Depression therapy near me,Grief counseling near me,Depression and grief therapy online,Depression and grief group therapy,Depression and grief therapy,Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques,Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy techniques,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for anxiety,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for depression,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for couples,Mindfulness-based stress reduction for groups,motionally-focused couples therapy near me,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for infidelity,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for communication,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for anxiety,Emotionally-focused couples therapy for depression,Online therapy sessions,Online counseling sessions,Online therapy video sessions,Online therapy chat sessions,Online therapy phone sessions,Online therapy group sessions,LGBTQ+ affirming therapy online,LGBT-sensitive therapy near me,LGBT-friendly therapy in my area,LGBTQ+ affirming psychotherapy,LGBTQ+ affirming therapy for couples,Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques,Evidence-based trauma-informed therapy,Trauma-focused therapy for children,Trauma-informed therapy for adults,Trauma-informed therapy for couples,Individual therapy for anxiety,Individual anxiety therapy online,Individual therapy for anxiety disorders,One-on-one anxiety therapy near me,Individualized anxiety therapy sessions,Individual anxiety therapy for adults,Couples therapy near me,Couples therapy in my area,Couples therapy near me today,Couples therapy close to me,Couples therapy in my city,Couples therapy in my zip code,Best PTSD therapy techniques,PTSD therapy near me,Effective PTSD therapy options,PTSD therapy for veterans,Affordable PTSD therapy services,PTSD therapy for children,Holistic PTSD therapy approaches,Online PTSD therapy sessions,Natural remedies for PTSD therapy,PTSD therapy for first responders,PTSD therapy for sexual assault survivors,EMDR therapy for PTSD,Group PTSD therapy sessions,PTSD therapy for caregivers,Military PTSD therapy options

Search Intent SEO (how to optimize for search intent)

By now I hope that I’ve made the case for the importance of optimizing for user intent as opposed to just a bunch of keywords. If I have, then the next question that you most likely have is “how do I optimize for user intent”.

The first step is to understand what types of “modifiers” are used to demonstrate intent. Modifiers are words that searchers enter into their search phrase that help indicate their intent. Here are some modifier examples by search intent category:

  • Transactional Intent
    • Sale
    • Deals
    • Coupon code
    • Quote
    • Pricing
    • Where to buy
  • Commercial Intent
    • Review
    • Best
    • VS
  • Informational Intent
    • How to
    • Why
    • How long
    • Where is
    • Articles
  • Navigational Intent
    • Company brand name
    • [brand name] hours
    • [brand name] location

Once you have a good understanding of the key-phrases and the modifiers that your audience of customers would use to find you or the products/services that you provide, now it’s time to map the appropriate key-phrase with its modifier to the most relevant page on your website.

As an example, informational intent key-phrases should point to a product category page if your company goes to marketing as a B2C. If your company goes to market as a B2B, then an informational intent search phrase could go to a services page, or possibly a landing page with a white paper for the user to download.

If you’re optimizing for a transactional intent search phrase then, if you’re a B2C company, you should optimize a product page. If you’re a B2B company in the example, you’ll want to optimize a service detail page.

Conclusion

Fully understanding user intent as it applies to people’s search queries on Google can have a dramatic impact on your digital marketing ROI, but you have to make sure that you start by getting user intent built into your digital marketing strategy.

RECOMMENDED POSTS

Find Out More

Marketing Tips You Need

Keep In Touch

Quick Subscribe

Client Reviews Tell The Tale.

Dan was a delight to work with. I needed a few headshots taken for my LinkedIn profile and Dan provided the easiest and most comfortable experience using state-of-the art equipment in a very professional setting. Also, the turn-around time on results was quick and I felt completely engaged and satisfied during the entire process. I highly recommend his services.Donny RitcharoenDecember 19, 2023
I got headshots taken and they turned out so well! The lighting was amazing.Tessa ChanMay 30, 2023
We used Appture to build a lodging website, and they were awesome! Dan went above and beyond to show us the functions and make all of our changes. Appture is our go to for web design from now on!Abigail HaleOctober 26, 2022
Dan did a fantastic job making me feel comfortable while shooting. He also made me look great! I don't photograph well, so I am very pleased with the results and speed at which I got the final product.Lily GostinSeptember 13, 2022
Appture knows their business and will go the extra mile for their customers. They do high quality work and provide great ongoing support.Chris McCorkindaleMay 24, 2022
Anita CauthornMay 24, 2022
It’s so rare in these times to find one man with so much wow factor and more rare to find men with similar interest and passion in their life journey as myself . Dan Elliott has been introduced to many in what is now considered as the Terror Dome , a place where many dreams are not deferred they are detoured to routes that lead to dead ends , he comes in full of optimism so infectious that he, maybe with out knowing is energizing those who have ventured where others would fear going with just the right jolt to forge on in the way of helping fallen humanity … His various fields of expertise has helped many in my region and I can only imagine the number he has effected beyond those I know … from day one I knew “ this was a man of kindred spirit “ Dan Elliott is a Gem and adds glimmer to things he touches … I’m a Witness ….and eternally grateful….L.Rashaan RichMay 21, 2022
Dan and his group are highly capable and knowledgeable. They work fast and get the job done. I highly recommend Appture.Justin FrankMarch 26, 2022
They are highly specialized in their work and constantly seek innovation.Ismail YenigulMarch 14, 2022
Dan is a marketing wizard. Honest, Experienced and a read deal. I am blessed to have him in my journey online :) Highly recommended.Sabbir HasanMarch 7, 2022
So much to say. Creative, Intelligent, Talented, Limitless, Affordable. It's amazing what these guys can do.Hack mackMay 17, 2019
We'd used some other agencies before, but man, they simply knocked us all over. After being in business for 30 years, I wonder how much more business we'd be doing if we'd hired them earlier.Rebecca HoneaMay 17, 2019