How To Optimize Your Content For User's Search Intent?

Intro

Experts suggest that around 46% of the searches on the internet have local intentions. In other words, almost half the inquiries on Google are intended to find something in the vicinity.

So, how do you join and take advantage of the 97 billion local searches conducted monthly? Let's find out.

What Is Search Intent?

Search intent is what a user wants to accomplish when searching for something. A user's search intent is why they are searching for something in the first place. It can be categorized into three main categories: navigational, informational, and transactional.

All these points toward the intention of a user on Google, looking for particular things such as products, locations, traveling, etc. Therefore, it's an essential factor in SEO because it allows the website owner to understand the proper formulation of content that'll target this intent.

Why Is Search Intent Important In SEO?

Search intent is a critical component of SEO that some often overlook. In a way, search intent refers to the user's state of mind when they perform a search. For example, when someone searches for "places to visit in Chicago," their search intent is to find places to visit in Chicago.

Since SEO aims to get your website ranked higher in the SERPs, search intent helps with relevant and popular keywords with your target audience. Therefore, the more people click on your site links, the higher your site will rank for those keywords.

Another example is if you have an eCommerce store, and you want people to be able to find you. Instead of competitors who are searching for products on Google Shopping or Amazon. So, using that search intent will help bring that organic traffic to your domain.

3 Main Types Of Search Intents

Understanding the importance of search intent is essential to understanding its various types. Therefore, we'll talk about three kind of search intent in detail, which are:

• The navigational intent is when a user wants to find content that will help them find what they are looking for
• The informational intent is when a user wants to get more information about the topic that they are already looking at
• The transactional intent is when a user wants to buy or purchase something online

Each of these types will help us grasp the idea behind it. So, here is how you should view it:

• Information

Informational search intent is seeking information on a given topic or subject. This is often done through a search engine, and this type of search results are typically in text format.

When people use informational searches, they are typically looking for facts and data that can be used to build an argument or make a decision.

• Purchase

The search intent for purchasing a product measures how likely a user is to buy the product being searched for. It differs from the conversion rate, which measures how many people who visit a site purchase the item.

The higher the search intent for purchase, the more likely a user will buy the product. An excellent way to increase your SERP and improve your SEO ranking is by focusing on a user's purchase intent.

• Nearby

Local users are more likely to search for nearby locations, attractions, and events. They also use travel-related keywords such as "rental car" or "hotel." This search intent is also called navigational, allowing the user to navigate locally or internationally.

5 Ways To Optimize Your Content For User's Search Intent

Optimizing your content for keyword intention doesn't strictly require you to make a strategy from scratch. Instead, you need a few tweaks to be able to draw users more towards your content. So, here are 5 ways you can do just that:

1. Local Keywords

Finding local keywords should be one of your top priorities. As mentioned before, people look for products, navigations, etc. Now here's are a couple of examples:

• Lawnmower in Kentucky – Navigational and purchase intent
• Lawnmower prices – purchase intent only
• Best lawnmowers in Kentucky – Informational, purchase, and navigational intent

The first intent was purely navigational, while the second one was based on a purchase. However, the last intention is about finding the best product in a nearby range. Therefore, it needs to be informative regarding the purchase and location.

So, how do you optimize your content in such a way? Research local keywords with any good tool:

1. Set your location
2. Set your language
3. Find the keywords

And finally, use those keywords in your content.

2. Informative Value

The information you provide in your content will play a vital role in local or international searches. But how exactly do you provide informative value?

• Write promising headlines, such as how-to's, listicles, etc.
• Use statistics and portray your prowess in the topic
• Use data charts and infographics
• Add images and videos where possible

This will push the search engine crawler to view your content as one with the most informative value. Therefore, pushing your ranks higher in SERP and making your site more apparent in intent-based searches.

3. Format Accordingly

Formatting your content is essential, as the user intends to find information immediately. Now, if your introduction doesn't reference the primary keyword or the headline, it'll cause your users to lose interest.

Therefore, you need to format your content that prioritizes the user's intention. This includes putting the primary keyword in the introduction, using it as a secondary headline (H2), writing a list with secondary keywords, etc.

4. Use a Different Content Tone

Content tone plays a vital role, and that's why it's yet another thing you cannot compromise. But, changing content tone manually can be a hassle, so you can use a paraphrasing tool to do that, like this:

A paraphraser can change your content's tone according to your users within a few seconds. On top of that, you can try different styles as well:

Each of these content tones can make your content much more suitable for your target audience.

5. Add FAQs

Questions and queries take up 8% of all searches, most of which are purchase-based. That's why your content needs FAQs, as it can answer additional and related questions to the main content.

Conclusion

These are some of the primary ways many experts optimize their content for the user's intent. However, the goal is to understand your target audience's intent before indulging in this. Once you do, use these tactics to elevate your content in search engine ranks.