SEO, or search engine optimization, is a major step towards building solid relationships with your intended internet audience. There is much more to SEO than keywords, and it often boils down to audiences and their search intent. Ask any SEO Company, there is a much higher chance of reaching target visits if SEO takes into account exactly what their users are looking for and how to bring it to them. 

What is Search Intent, and Why Does It Matter?

Before beginning to understand the different types of search intent or information regarding SEO, it is important to understand what these things mean. Search intent refers to the primary goal of any internet user when they enter things into their search engine. Internet users want quick and easy access to all of their questions and requests, and search intent helps to narrow down these internet patterns and keywords to bring the information right to the hands of the user.

When someone types a question into their search bar, it is clear what they are wanting: an answer. However, when the user enters a generalized topic or trending keywords, they could be searching for something much deeper than the basics of the topic.

Satisfying any user searches is the primary goal of SEO. For example, Google collects data from every search made to properly formulate results for its users. When a user searches for something specific and immediately tries another search without opening any of the results, Google recognizes that the results did not offer the user what they were searching for. Resources like Natalie Coyne will provide a better understanding of search intent and search engine marketing and lead to more positive user feedback.

The Four Types of Search Intent

Informational search intent is the most common form of the different types of search intents. Informational intent is exactly what it sounds like: internet users searching for information on a topic. Whether that topic is a specific question, a generalized keyword, or answers to age-old questions, this type of search intent brings the information directly to users. These search intents often cover broad topics with many answers. These searches are more likely to include "how-to" or "what is" than any other type of search. 

Preferential, or commercial, investigation search intent is for users looking for information about a purchase of some kind. These types of searches are intended to allow users to investigate the services, products, and brands that they are interested in. Reviews about restaurants, stores, specific products, and other companies are often the best solutions for these users as they are comparing information and narrowing down their options to make a decision. Most likely, these users already know what they are in the market to buy, and they might even have an idea of prices. However, these users are searching through the ins and outs of products to ensure they get exactly what they are looking for.

Transactional search intent is the next type. This type of search intent comes after preferential/commercial search intent when the user has decided what to purchase. Now, they are often looking for the best place to make this final purchase, regardless of its size. It could be something as simple as a one-dollar postcard or a new state-of-the-art home security system. These users are considered to be in “buying mode,” and their search engines are often routed to specific sites or keywords such as the brand’s official website, a department store site, a mass-warehouse site, or coupons, deals, and sale sites. 

Lastly, there is navigational search intent. While these users are searching for a specific website, it is often easier to search the website’s name rather than type out the entire URL or link. In some cases, the user is aware of what they are looking for, but they may not know the URL or how to reach the website. An example of this is a user searching for a widely used social media site, resource log-in page, or sign-up page.

How to Discover the Types of Search Intent

With the different types of search intent flowing through SEO, keywords and keyword modifiers are the next steps to focus on. Once SEO users become aware of who their target audience is and the type of search their audience will need to perform, it is time to begin using filter features and keyword research tools to find the perfect modifiers and phrases to suit your audience’s needs. 

When it comes time for SEO users to create their resources, content, or material, they must take into consideration SERP, or search engine results pages. SERP refers to all of the results that appear whenever a search engine is activated. By analyzing, researching, and filtering through the search results, the site is more likely to successfully attract its target audience. 

For example, if SEO is used to produce content about the different services of a few popular spas in a city, the companies want their audience to be in the preferential or commercial phase of searching. However, if they simply provide links to these spa sites and no information comparing them or their services, they unknowingly caused a transactional search in which users will bypass their site and immediately check the official website of each spa. This has a major impact on the web traffic of their site and could cause their search numbers to plummet. 

SERP is often divided into common two categories: organic and paid. Although there are dozens of features and categories, organic refers to the most natural and easy-to-access search whereas paid results are those that paid to reach their audience through advertisements and automatic keyword-pulling. When specific terms are typed into search engines, a wide range of both paid and organic results will appear, and it is important to SEO to determine what words will make their natural or organic searches more easily accessible to the target audience.

While Google remains secretive about their algorithm in many ways, they have offered insight to site owners regarding their key ranking factors. Of course, the keywords used throughout the content are vital, but there is much more that goes into forming the proper SEO. The title of the page, the URL of the page, and the meta description play a major role in the ranking of the search, so it is important to analyze SERP and determine exactly how to make your site or content stand out among others. 

A Better Understanding of Search Engines

With a better understanding of SEO, search engine intent, SERP, and search engine marketing, this information can assist in formulating the best possible content and keywords to reach the viewers and the number of “clicks” that they desire. In fact, before even attempting to create and push out site content, be sure to focus on the search intent, specific modifiers throughout the text and research, and SERPs to create a link or URL with optimal formatting and valuable content to all internet users. While the algorithm is often simpler than it seems, it is not an easy process. With this being said, site owners must break their process down into steps and tackle each one to hit the numbers, data, and analytics that they are hoping to achieve.