Learn How To Identify & Optimize For User’s Search Intent

Almost every online business is aware of the necessity of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but not all of them comprehend with the real meaning of it when it’s tied to web search, organic search results and user experience. They want to get ranked on top SERPs for almost every piece of content and trending keyword whether it is related to their niche or not.

Even though the SEO professionals can get your site top rankings for those trending keywords, but how useful can that possibly be because your site will start ranking for keywords that are not even related to your niche.How To Identify & Optimize For User's Search Intent

Source: Google

For example, if a user is looking to ‘Buy MacBook,’ he wouldn’t be interested in ‘Buying Office 365 Personal Subscription.’ If he searches for the keywords ‘Buy MacBook’ he certainly wishes to buy them, and he would appreciate that the SERPs show related results.

Ranking for the wrong keywords can increase the impressions, but the bounce rate would consistently rise. Which ultimately results in falling SERP rankings of your site. Hence, it is crucial that you understand the searcher’s intent and if you are offering similar services, optimize your content accordingly.

This article will help you in achieving just that.

So let’s begin.

How To Identify User’s Search Intent?

For understanding user’s search intent, you need to think like a user, and by leveraging Google, you can make this task easier.

  1. Perform Varied Searches

Enter a query and see what the results are and modify them with every search.

If you’ve searched ‘Buy MacBook,’ then you’ll be presented with search engine results and options related to the same.

How To Identify & Optimize For User's Search Intent

Source: Google

And in the next search, if you only modify the query in the search bar, the search results would change accordingly.

How To Identify & Optimize For User's Search Intent

Source: Google

So, just by suffixing ‘ing’ in the query the search results completely change, and SERPs present you with a complete guide to buying a MacBook.

Now, I will include a term that conveys to the search engine that I am looking to compare.

How To Identify & Optimize For User's Search Intent

Source: Google

So, I have used the term ‘best’ here to instill comparison, and the search engine figured it out and presented relevant results to me.

With simple modifications to your search query, you can gauge the intent of that particular search.

2. Analyze The Search Results

While you analyze the search results of your queries, remember not to pay any attention to the advertisements. Those got ranked because they have paid for it, and authentic user intent is only identified from the organically ranked results.

What you need to do is go through the title and meta description of those pages to identify if they are serving the purpose of the searched query. If they do, analyze how efficiently they have resolved it. Try focussing more on the top organically ranked pages to get a better understanding of the user intent, and because they get nearly 91% of the total traffic.

How To Identify & Optimize For User's Search Intent

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However, in this case, you should visit the second and the third SERP to determine why specific pages got higher ranking over the others.

3. ‘People Also Searched For’ Or ‘Searches Related To..’

To identify a user’s search intent, what is a better way than to know it from the people itself. Through Google’s ‘Searches Related To..’ section, which was previously known as ‘People Also Searched For,’ you can find a small list of keywords that the audience search for related to your search query.

How To Identify & Optimize For User's Search Intent

Source: Google

The above image shows the related keywords that people search related to ‘Buy MacBook.’ This, however, varies from location to location so that you can understand user’s search intent of a particular area in this way.

Other than using search queries and SERPs to determine a user’s search intent, you can use Google Trends to know about the topics or keywords that people are searching for in the entire world and also, location wise.

Also, do remember to only target related keywords and not almost every trending keyword. Otherwise, what’s the use of use to identifying your users’ search intent?

After finding a user’s search intent, it’s time that you optimize your site accordingly.

How To Optimize For Users Search Intent

While optimizing your site’s content according to the users’ search intent, you have to create content that is extremely valuable to the user. If they have reached your site looking for a solution to a query, you need to make that visit count. You have to address and resolve every detail of their query, that’s why Google prioritizes lengthy quality content pieces.

1. Give Them What They Want To Find

Create content that serves the purpose of a particular set of keywords. If a user is interested in learning or knowing about something, it is plausible that he would begin his search with ‘what,’ ’when,’ ’why,’ ‘who,’ ‘where,’ and ‘how.’

For instance, when a user searches ‘how to identify a searcher’s intent?’ He is looking for a direct answer. If your site provides it to him, he will be satisfied. Although, if you also provide extra information related to ‘search intent optimization’ then the visitor will stay longer on your site, ultimately increasing the session rate.

So, it is advisable that you create content that answers a user’s query and they can easily find what they are looking for.

2. Clarity Is Crucial

You have to clear with your content. You have to provide them with valuable information that they can easily understand and get emotionally connected. This works best if you wish to drive conversions.

How To Optimize For Users Search Intent

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But clarity doesn’t limit to just the content but the website design as well because 94% of users create a first impression of your site based on it’s design. They see how easier it is to navigate from one page to another and how convenient it is for them to connect with and know about the company through the ‘contact us’ page and the ‘about us’ page.

Be clear about introducing your products & services and their usage. Also, the Call To Actions you prefer using on your site will have to make it evident to the users what will happen when they are clicking on them.

3. On-page Optimization For Users Search Intent

The pivotal part of optimizing your content with users search intent is on-page optimization. Now, the basic idea of on-page optimization is to organically place keywords in the meta description, h1 tag, alt tag, slug, title, and obviously the core content of the page.

However, it would help if you focused on the 5Ws and 1H (What, Why, Who, When, Where, and How) which are the general query terms. Prefer using such terms while executing on-page optimization, if the core content justifies the usage of such terms.

Conclusion

If you create relevant content that captures the audience’s interest and at the same time, it is valuable to them, plus it serves best to their search intent, then you are fortunate.

Your site will gain the trust of the audience for presenting them with appropriate information related to their intent. This trust will lead to a reduced bounce rate and an increasing number of unique and returning visitors.

And since you are optimizing well for the search queries, then Google is smart enough to feature you in their SERP snippets.

So, what are you waiting for?

It is never too late to do the right thing!