Writing for Search Intent

If you want your website to rank higher on search engine results pages, you need to know how to maximise your search engine optimisation strategy (SEO) and write for search intent.

Writing for search intent is one of the most crucial elements of any successful SEO campaign. The reason for this is that the algorithms responsible for deciding search page rankings on major search engines are actively looking to reward websites that offer the most value to their intended audience.

The reason for this is obvious. The more value a user receives from a single Google search, the longer they stay on the browser and the more likely they will be to use it again in the future.

No one wants to be trawling through endless pages filled with unsatisfactory results, which is why search engines place the most popular and valuable web pages near the top of search results.

Therefore, your aim is to demonstrate your website’s value by writing content that satisfies the queries your target audience is typing into search engines. This is what it means to write for search intent.

While this sounds simple enough, and it is, once you have grasped the fundamentals, there are many different elements you must implement if you want to write for search intent successfully.

For example, you will need to learn about the four different types of search intent, how it influences the type of content you create, and conduct detailed keyword researchKeyword research helps websites unearth the best keywords to drive traffic and visibility. This research is supported by a number of powerful web-based tools, the best of which we’ve listed here. that helps inform the direction of your writing.

We’ve put together this handy guide to everything you need to know about writing for search intent.

What Is Search Intent

Firstly, it is important to understand what search intent is so that you can better execute the writing process.

Search intent, or user intent, is the ‘intent’ a user has when they type a question or statement into a search engine. If you were to type “cheap shoes London” into a search engine, for instance, then your intent is likely to buy inexpensive shoes in London.

This is a glaringly obvious example, but the intent is often less clear-cut, making your keywordKeywords are the words and phrases that potential customers might search for to find your business. research all the more vital. After all, the closer you can match the user’s search intent, the more likely it is that they will respond to your content, and your website will be pushed up the search page results ranking.

Continuing with the previous example, if you created written content based around shoes in London, you would partially match search intent. However, the user would likely be put off if you listed a range of expensive designer brands rather than the cheap shoes they were looking for.

If another website comes along and writes a blog post listing the best places in London to buy cheap shoes, they would match the search intent more accurately and be rewarded with a higher-ranking position.

How Can Search Intent Inform Content Creation?

As we have already touched upon, search intent should be at the heart of every piece of content you write for your website. There are several key reasons for this.

The first and most obvious is that the better you can match your target market’s search intent, the more likely it is that your website will be lifted in the rankings, you will receive more organic trafficOrganic search traffic (sometimes called natural or unpaid search) is the traffic that's driven to a website because of unpaid placement on a search engine results page., and your customer base will grow.

Another important way that search intent informs content creation is through the content ideas themselves. Trying to consistently think of new ideas for your website content is tough because unless you have thoroughly researched your target audience beforehand, it can feel like you are shouting into the wind, with little to no direction over what you write.

This is where search intent comes in. By conducting forensic keyword research, you can quickly form a picture of what your target market typically searches for, the types of problems they face, and the topics they are most interested in within your niche.

Remember, matching search intent is all about solving a user’s problem as well as possible. By having a list of the hottest keywords in your sector, you can build multiple pieces of content off the back of each term, creating pillars of content that can be consistently referred to by your audience in time to come.

Essentially, the keywords you have researched can guide your content strategy, as you can build multiple smaller blog posts off a single umbrella search term. You can then link to these various ‘sub-posts’ internally, encouraging users to stay on your website for longer and consume more content.

Of course, if you struggle to research, plan and write your content consistently, it might be worth reaching out to the team here at Click Intelligence for content writing services.

What Are The Four Types Of Search Intent?

There are four main types of search intent: informational, navigational, commercial investigation, and transactional.

These different types represent the varying motives for the search itself. It could be that a person only wants information about a certain subject, whereas someone else wants to buy a specific product. You could also want to visit a particular website or even conduct some internet window shopping – browsing for a product you want to buy further along the line.

It is imperative that you learn more about these four primary forms of search intent to know which type you are trying to attract and to match their motive with your content.

Informational Intent 

One of the most common forms of intent is informational search intent. This is when a user inputs a term into Google to find out more about it.

For instance, depending on your interest, you might search for anything from a particular scientific term to a food recipe or song lyrics. These searches are usually presented in the form of a question because the user is curious about the topic. Common search intent examples include words like “when,” “why,” “how,” “what,” and “who.”

However, it is worth noting that search engine algorithms are highly sophisticated, so they can make a judgement call over the type of information they think users will want to find.

Therefore, if you were to search for a particular dish, you are more likely to find out how to prepare it than you would about its heritage. Therefore, if you create content centred around informational intent, you should consider a step-by-step format or a list post.

Navigational Intent 

The second type of search intent is navigational search intent. This is when a user has the intention of visiting a particular website. This is simple to work out from the typical keywords people use because they will usually be the names of businesses or websites.

If you want to rank highly for your website name, then you must make sure you integrate that keyword into content regularly, as well as ensure that your website is fully audited to ensure there are no ranking performance blockages.

Of course, you should also remember that ranking highly for your website name is only impactful if the user wants to visit your site. If your brand name happens to have a double meaning, then the people using the search term may be looking for something completely different and won’t visit your website.

Examples of navigational search terms include “Facebook login,” “SEO guide Click Intelligence” or “YouTube.”

Transactional Intent 

As the name suggests, transactional search intent is when a user searches for a product or service they wish to buy immediately. This is often when someone already knows exactly what they want to buy, so type in an accurate search term. For example, “buy Windows 10,” “dishwasher cheap,” or “Sam Fender tickets.”

Rather than browse for product ideas, they are likely searching for a website to buy a particular product. Therefore, you should create content that contains specific products that you offer. You could create content that is a comparison piece or a review of different offerings, for example.

Commercial Investigation 

A commercial investigation differs from transactional search intent in that the user is window shopping. They don’t yet know exactly what they want to buy, but they might have a problem they need to solve or a general type of product they know they are interested in already.

These users intend to buy the product soon but are still assessing their options. To target users with this search intent, create content that lists the top products in a particular category, a guide that tells you what to look for when buying a certain product, or a review of a certain product.

If you are a small business trying to build prominence in the local area, it is worth remembering that many local searches involve commercial search intent.

Conclusion

The trick to writing for search intent is listening to your audience. You should avoid writing articles that you think are interesting but have no proven relevance to the users you want to attract. Instead, delve into the data and find the terms they are interested in discovering more about.

Not only will this make it more likely that your website ranks higher on search engines, but it will also give you a solid content plan to get on with.

At Click Intelligence, we have the knowledge and experience to help take your content efforts to the next level. Contact us today to find out more!