Understanding searcher intent can be difficult but it is a necessary part of modern SEO. Searcher intent is the motivation behind the keyword query. Understanding what that motivation is and how it is being applied allows to you to make your keyword strategy more intuitive. This falls in line with what the major search engines are currently doing so it can have a dramatic effect on your site’s rankings in the SERPs. Advanced algorithms and massive amounts of keyword traffic are used to ensure that the information returned in a query is relevant. If your site is to be captured in that relevant return, it must incorporate intuitive keyword matches. Many popular terms are highly competitive, so analyzing and utilizing intent is crucial for success. Here is some vital information to help you understand a little more about the intent often powering keyword searches. They typically fall into one of just a few categories.

Navigational Intent

A navigational query is a purposeful search performed intended for visiting a specific website. Navigational searches are usually high-value traffic for target company, so it is important to have a professional appearance in the query. This is a fantastic opportunity to build brand awareness among your competitors and your audience when your company is included in the listing. The only necessity is that people type in the company name or brand and hit enter to pull it up. In the infancy of search engines, it was necessary to first go to the search engine page, such as “www.google.com” or “www.yahoo.com. Now it is possible to search directly from the address bar without the need to type in “www” or “.com.” Navigational queries may include paid search and organic listing results.

Informational Intent

Informational queries sort of level the playing field because almost all businesses have an opportunity to appear in these results. The range is so massive here that informational searches are at the top of the sales funnel. Opportunities for a company returned in an informational query include brand awareness, company credibility and the elusive website traffic. The best thing to do is create and post content that answers questions about your product or service because that will help get your content in front of the audience. Since information is the end goal, try to answer questions such as who, what, when, where and why. This is a great opportunity to capture those long tail semantic keyword phrases. At this point, people are searching and typically not ready to buy. Incentivized information is a successful strategy here, too.

Transactional Intent

These searches are much more focused and queried pages should include a specific call-to-action. Someone may be searching the best place to purchase an SUV in Kingston, Georgia, or the specifics of a Verizon contract for an Android phone. The transaction will typically relate to a goal-oriented transaction for a business, such as increasing sales or signing up for a newsletter. The target of these high-value keywords must include helping the visitor complete the desired transaction once they arrive on the page. The desired transaction will depend on the business itself as well as the industry or niche.

Understanding the intent behind a keyword will help you develop more focused content and a better SEO strategy. You can build a powerful list of valuable keywords specifically targeted for the audience and their intent. This is the magic behind the motion. Of course, transactional keywords will be the most valuable because they are the most focused. Clarifying the searcher intent helps simplify and focus your entire SEO strategy.