How many times has it happened that you searched for something on Google and found what you were expecting? Do you search the terms that you use in day-to-day conversation? If so, does google understand your query and provide relevant links on top of the first page? Think about these questions in the context of your content and which of the search intent types it satisfies.
Search volume for many terms changes month to month or every quarter. That means you need to adjust your content regularly to ensure that it gets found when customers search for your products or services.
Further, Google updates its algorithm on regular bases. The purpose is to ensure that the engine understands your queries as much as a human. So the outcome or the results satisfy your intent that falls into one of the four search intent types. We have discussed them in the later sections of this article.
And who comes on this list?
Those who have the content that is;
- Closest to the solution that customers are looking for
- In a language that they can understand
- In a format that they can find easy to follow
- Able to clear their doubts without being too shallow or heavy.
In short, it should provide the users with the most relevant, readable, and to-the-point content, answering their needs and problems.
Note that many businesses include the element of emotions. They use surprise, fear, attachment, relatedness, and others to keep readers hooked till the end and get them to take the desired action.
Most businesses can do this, no matter which industry they are in and how big or small their scale is.
And if you go for this, you have the liberty to make it long enough to create an appeal that ends up with desired outcomes, i.e., purchase or subscription to your products or services.
Note that most people give enough attention to the content before making a purchase decision. That means you have to meet three prerequisites to convert them into your paying customers, i.e.;
- Getting in front of them by having powerful SEO in content and website
- Catching their eyeballs with a powerful heading
- Keeping them interested and making them want your product or service
These three things work in the sequence leading to the desired action from the visitor.
In the following sections, we have discussed four search intent types and why they are essential for content marketing success. And we hope that you will find this information helpful in getting the most out of your content marketing strategy.
Search intent
Search intent, also known as customer or consumer intent, is the reason a person searches for something on a search engine. Its purpose is to query something and get the expected result.
That means a person has something in mind but is not so clear. Remember your last purchase. It was the result of the content that came up as an answer to your search query. Right? You rarely regret your purchase decision.
That is why understanding customer intent and content consumption behavior is crucial. It is the success of your content, content marketing, and content marketing strategy.
This clarity also helps you know which page or piece of content should contain your crucial keywords. Or where to direct your customers so they can take a step you want them to.
Search Intent Types
Search intent is the backbone of a landing page in the true sense. And it should be your priority or the point of focus while developing content for your website or a landing page.
But before you go ahead with creating search intent optimized content, you need to understand four types of search intent.
Informational intent
People search for articles, news, facts, and numbers to gather information or learn about products or services. When they do this, they are practicing the informational intent. It can be information about a tool, a course, a product, a service, or a process.
It can be on any topic, and the purpose is to gather more information before they can make a decision. You can also call it early-date queries that can turn into a purchase or subscription online or from a physical location.
Here is an example of informational search intent. 
So, to appear on the first page of the search results, you must create content that satisfies this type of intent. It should meet the needs of your audience or solves their problem. Convert their intention into a transactional one and direct them to a place where they can make a decision.
More clearly, this type of content should establish you as an authority. So the consumer can remember you and return to your website when they want to purchase.
The content should be able to provide comparative information. It can be a direct comparison or contain details that the users can compare between a product or service. They can be what they have learned about previously, are already using, or have used in the past.
The core purpose of the content addressing the informational intent is to help consumers to have clarity about a product or service before they go ahead and make a purchase decision. It goes a long way in building trust for your business resulting in repeat buyers.
Keeping these things in mind, you must use keywords that align with the search intent types of the audience.
Navigational intent
When people are looking for something to reach a specific website, it is called navigational intent. For example, when people search with your business name and a common platform like Facebook or LinkedIn, they are looking to go to your page on that platform. So, ensure your website or page gets found when people search for your business name.
An example of navigational search intent:
When I search happynetty.com, it shows links to the HappyNetty blog and other sites containing any information about it.
Navigational intent shows that people are already aware of your products or services or know about your business. And your content should be focused on answering specific queries and should take them to your website or store from where they can learn more and take the desired action.
For example, if someone is reading your blog post, it should contain information representing your E-A-T. That is your Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in your field. If you ensure this, you can gain their trust and motivate them to interact with you or visit your online or physical store.
As a side note, there are several factors you have to consider while doing keyword analysis. They are search volume, change in the number of queries during particular seasons, branded vs. non-branded searches, and others. However, it is crucial to classify terms in four search intent types to be able to use relevant keywords in your content.
The more you understand the search intent, the better your content will be in achieving its goals.
Commercial intent
People looking for products and services for future purchases have commercial intent. We can also call it a pre-transactional intent. It is because they need more time and information before buying an item. They want to buy, but not at the time of searching but later, based on the information they gather.
Here is an example of commercial search intent:
Users visiting your page to learn about your product or service are more likely to buy it. And your website should have content that smoothly guides them from commercial to transactional intent.
Proper keywords, accurate and valuable content, and precise products/service descriptions will go a long way in making this possible. Note that the user experience also plays a crucial role here. So the ordering and checkout process should be straightforward.
Transactional intent
You got it right! When users search specific product or service and purchase it, they have shown transactional intent. This is a crucial stage in a user’s online, and it is the most important of the four search intent types. Hence it is essential to include terms in your content that meet their needs.
Content that can meet this intent includes product descriptions, service pages, and landing pages. However, informative articles and specific SEO pages can also leverage this intent and increase sales.
See an example of transactional search intent:
Ecommerce websites and online service providers can get on top of the search results with the help of SEO experts. Though you can use PPC and other online ad methods, having search intent optimized content pays off way more than paid advertising.
See our content writing services.
Wrap up
Search intent is crucial in achieving desired results from your content and ad/email copies. Four search intent types described in this article can take place within different parts of your content marketing and digital marketing strategy. So, get to it, get help from the professionals and get your content right. You will thank yourself for it seeing the outcomes.
All the best!