ide to SEO and user intent

The user intent is the cornerstone of SEO strategies. It is the tool that will help you move from chasing your consumers to delighting your audience with your content.

This article explains what user intent is and why it’s so important in search. It also explains how to incorporate it into SEO strategies.

Understanding user intent

In SEO, the user’s intent is the goal that they have in mind when they enter a search query. It’s the “why”, behind the “what”.

It is this pain, need or desire that drives the user to enter a search query in the bar of the search engine, regardless of the platform.

There are different ways to understand user intent.

Leverage the user’s journey position

Understanding the search journey of users is crucial for SEO.

By aligning your content with their expectations, you can create positive experiences for your audience and increase engagement.

It’s not easy to identify journey stages, but search behavior provides a lot of information. These signals are crucial for content strategists and SEOs.

This example will help you to identify funnel position signals.

Pain conscious

A user will likely conduct a broad search, which is very short-tailed and top-level.

Users are aware of their need, desire, or pain but may not know what to do or who to contact for a solution. They search accordingly.

Gain conscious

The user now has a better understanding of what they need or want to do to relieve their pain.

They are still very open to all possibilities, but their searches have begun to narrow.

The problem is that they are aware of the solution but still remain unconvinced.

Product conscious

The user will continue to explore the site, trying to find a solution to their “pain.”

The user will be made aware of the product’s benefits and solutions.

This is a shift in the search behavior of the user as they move towards solving their original issue and researching the product that can help them ease their pain.

Searches become more narrow when they are specific and have a long tail.

Dollar conscious

Dollar consciousness is when a “product-conscious” query has a long tail and includes considerations about the price, cost or financial implications.

This stage signifies that the user is still exploring options and searching for a solution that matches their budget.

It is important to understand the impact of user intent on your content strategy.

By tailoring content for each stage of the user journey, you can build relationships and foster connections that will convert potential customers into loyal customers.

Dig deeper: Create and implement a buyer-journey-based content strategy

Improve your ability to spot user signals that can drive forward your strategy

How can we tell where the user is in their search journey and confirm it?

Users send clear messages through:

• They conduct their searches in a certain way.
• Search results are often based on the language they use.

It is important to recognize and act on these signals in your SEO strategy. It’s not enough to acknowledge the journey stages.

Understanding the content expectations of users and how they wish to receive information is essential. It is crucial to use these signals when creating content.

Users who include phrases like “who”, “what”, “learn” and “ideas” in their search tell us that they want to know more.

Your content should therefore focus on educating and sharing knowledge with your audience.

These signals are common among users who are seeking information about a problem they are experiencing.

As users become more product or gain-conscious, they tend to change their search terms.

The words “who”, “what” and “why” have been replaced with “best”, “compare” and “for”.

As users seek to alleviate the pain that they now recognize, they are searching for brands who can demonstrate their expertise.

As the journey continues, product-conscious search results begin to focus on specific categories and products.

At this stage, brand terms and product names are likely to appear in queries. Your content should reflect this.

Highlight specific brands, products and categories in your content when users search. It is helpful to users, particularly as their searches become more specific.

As users near the end of their search journey, and are ready to spend money on a product that will solve their problem, you can expect to see searches focusing on this purchase.

The key words at this stage are “buy”, “discount” and “price”. Content should be focused on these signals and guide users to “money” pages, such as product comparisons and money-related pages.

Keyword research and user intent: A strong bond

Keyword Research is a common source of information for SEO.

It should not be viewed as a solution in isolation. SEOs cannot rely on keywords to rank well on SERPs.

To be effective, keywords need to be used within the context of the user’s intent.

In the past, it appears that SEOs have focused their efforts on keywords with a high search volume or seasonality. As discussed above, we need to dig deeper into “why” and find out more.

Prioritize delivering value to the audience and meeting brand needs during the search journey when conducting keyword research.

The content should be based on a pain-conscious, dollar-conscious approach.

Instead of a random selection of search terms that have a high volume, focus on intent-based strategies.

You can then deliver a better content strategy for your brand and create a web of information that is more efficient.

Some brands will choose to concentrate their entire strategy on a weakness identified in the content that is product-conscious.

Another brand might notice the need for more content that is sensitive to pain.

A competitor may see gaps in the journey.

By adopting the user-intent focus as a fundamental piece of this puzzle, strategists can see a broader landscape for their brand to inform strategy.

Canva’s color palette ranking strategy is an example.

Canva, a design tool, uses user intent to boost image rankings on Google.

They realized that people searching for “color palate” were looking for inspiration and ideas, and not just keywords.

Google now favors their page because it has created inspirational content that is aligned with the intent of this page.

Understanding and matching the user’s intent can result in higher SERP rankings.

Tips to help you understand the user’s intent

Identify your audience

You can get a better idea of your audience’s needs by knowing what they are searching for.

For the best results, dive deeper into psychographics.

SEO strategies are more effective when you know your audience. This includes their habits, lifestyles, interests and behaviors.

Analyze keywords

You can assess a keyword’s relevance to your audience by assessing their psychographics.

Create a list and analyze it in relation to the target audience and the stages that we have discussed (i.e. pain, gain and product conscious).

You will be able to better understand your audience by looking at how they search.

Understanding the Search Journey

You can then understand the user’s search journey and any potential deviations. Also, you will be able to see the different stages that they may be at.

You can use this to identify the stages that are most important for your brand.

Learn about SERPs

Analysis of the SERPs using your keywords as a target. Ranking content can give you insight into how the platform understands the user’s current intent.

If rankings change, monitor the SERPs as intent may evolve over time. The SERPs can help you understand the bigger picture, which is always helpful.

Take note of your competitors

Take a look at the content that your competitors are ranking well. What are their user-intent strategies?

Think about how you could improve it.

SEO is a race for the top where brands compete to achieve better results.

Creators are the best teachers

Content creators may be closer to your target audience than you are for many brands. Use this!

Investigate if the creators have created content to assist your brand. Develop relationships with them so that your SEO content will benefit.

Content creators often have valuable insight and expertise when it comes to speaking with your target audience. This makes them a great match.

The right tools

Here are some essential tool recommendations I use, with the user’s intent as my foundation for my strategies.

Google Trends

This tool measures the popularity of terms/topics over time and offers related queries. It also reveals trends in user intent and community.

This helps you to identify emerging trends, before search volumes change. It allows for better content iteration. This is what I call “proactive reactivity.”

Google Analytics

Google Analytics can be used to identify your website’s top keywords and areas that are struggling.

You can allocate resources and prioritize your efforts by mapping the data to the user’s intent.

Answer to the Public

This tool creates questions based on keywords, which reveals user queries. This is something that many tools do.

The SERP’s Users also ask function provides quick insight into user’s questions.

Semrush & Ahrefs

Ah! The OGs.

These SEO tools provide detailed keyword analysis and show the top pages ranking for specific keywords. They also give insights into user intent.

Content optimization based on the user’s intent

You can now optimize your content using the knowledge you have gained about your users’ minds. Consider these techniques:

Create content that matches intent

Provide valuable and comprehensive information if the intention is to cause pain or gain.

Make sure that the product description, images and CTAs are clear and persuasive if you’re aiming to sell products or dollars.

Prioritize user experience

Your SEO strategy must include content experiences.

To guide people on their journey, use internal links that lead to relevant content and not just product pages.

Focus on guiding your users through the available web of information on a particular topic, and link strategically to pages that are focused on products or dollars when appropriate. This is an art in and of itself!

Use keywords that are specific to your intent

Include keywords with long tails that are relevant to the user’s intent.

If the intention is to save money, phrases such as “buy online” and “free shipping” may be appropriate, but not if you are trying to reduce pain.

Update old content and make it more useful

If you want to improve a content that is not performing well, determine the user’s intent and update it accordingly.

Keep up with the latest trends in optimization of older content. This will help you to stay on top of your audience’s minds.

Avoiding the pitfalls of user intent

Avoid these common SEO mistakes made by brands and marketers when they incorporate user intent.

Recognizing the variable nature of user intent

You can’t assume that everyone has the same intention when they use similar terms.

The user’s intent can vary greatly depending on the context and subtle differences in the query.

How?

• To fully understand search behavior and the user’s intent, make it a habit to conduct ongoing keyword research.

Ignoring user journey

Brands can focus on the first stage of the user journey and ignore the other stages.

This approach to content can cause a mismatch in the intent of the user and what they see on your website.

You could, for instance, get a lot of traffic, but no conversions.

How?

• When creating and optimizing your content, always consider the user journey. Content should be tailored to the user’s needs at every stage of their journey.

Assuming that high traffic means high intent

It’s not enough that a keyword is popular to align it with your audience.

Keywords with high traffic can be vague or too broad, resulting in lower conversion rates as they don’t attract the right audience.

How?

• Focus on finding and using keywords with high intent that will attract users interested in your product or service. These keywords may bring in less traffic but they often result in higher conversion rates due to their targeted nature.

Long-tail keywords are often overlooked

It’s tempting to target the short, popular keyword phrases that bring in most of the traffic.

These strategies often ignore the importance of long-tail keyword, which is more specific. They are also more in line with the user’s intent and stage.

How?

• Include long-tail keywords in your content strategy. These keywords may bring in less traffic but they are often more targeted, and can attract an audience more likely to convert. When developing a marketing strategy, this should be taken into consideration.

SEO is not a sprint, but a marathon

It’s not just about getting users to visit your site that you should consider incorporating user intent into your SEO strategies.

You want the right people to engage with your content and buy your products, or use your service.

Focus is placed on building a community of engaged customers who are ideal for your target market. Intent can be a great way to achieve this.

The first Search Engine Land post A guide to SEO for understanding user intent was published.