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What Is User Search Intent and Why Does It Matter?

What Is User Search Intent and Why Does It Matter?

Did you know that over a third of SEO professionals spend most of their time on keyword research?

While keywords are a necessary component of any robust SEO strategy, they're only a piece of the puzzle. Without aligning your keyword research with user search intent, your plans are likely to fall short of the goal.

What is user intent, and how does it fit into your SEO strategy? Keep reading to learn more.

What is User Search Intent?

User search intent refers to the goal that the user has in mind when they go to a search engine. What are they looking for? At what point will they complete their search?

There are four broad types of user search intents. Informational searches are those helping a user to learn more about a topic, or to conduct research about something. Keyword phrases like, "what is..." or "how does ... work" fall into this category.

Navigational searches help users to find another site without having to type out the URL. If you've ever searched for "Facebook login," you've conducted a navigational search.

Commercial searches are product-focused but indicate that the user has not yet made a decision about what to buy. They want to weigh their options and compare various products and services against each other.

Finally, transactional searches occur when the user is ready to buy. They know the product they want and are looking for the place that will give them the best price on that product.

Why It Matters

Once upon a time, SEO ranking was reliant mostly on technical factors, such as backlinks and keyword ratios. While those things still matter, they're only part of the puzzle.

Over time, search engines have refined their algorithms to prioritize content that meets users' needs. After all, that's what the search engines are there for, right? To help the user find what they're looking for.

How to Rank Higher on Google

While this all may seem like it's harder to figure out how to boost your content's ranking on Google, the benefits of user search intent far outweigh the costs.

The main takeaway is that your SEO marketing plan should center around creating high-quality, high-value content for your users. If your content doesn't meet this benchmark, none of the other SEO tools will be able to help it rise in the rankings.

After that, make sure your content aligns with the search intent of the keywords you're trying to rank for. For example, no matter how good your informational content is, it's unlikely to rank for a keyword phrase that indicates transactional user intent.

Prioritize User Search Intent in Your SEO

Now you know what user search intent is and how it can be used to strengthen your SEO strategy. Keep user intent in mind when creating content and ad campaigns, and you're sure to see results!

Looking for more of the latest business and marketing news? Check out the other articles on our site for more!

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