Understanding user intent can make your brand go from chasing consumers to being sought out by them. It will also help improve your rankings, user experience, engagement, and more! But what exactly is user intent? And why does it matter?
What is user intent?
User intent, also called search intent within digital marketing, is the intent behind an online search. It’s essentially the ‘motivation’ behind a specific search, which sums up what consumers are expecting or wanting to find when they type something into the search engine.
There are four main types of user intent, which are as follows:
- Commercial Intent:
The consumer motivation is researching or comparing products and services with the intent to purchase. It showcases an interest in specific products and/or services, with an intention to spend money on them in the near future. An example of commercial intent is “hair curler reviews” or “best phone case for Android’.
- Informational Intent:
The consumer’s motivation is learning about something. It showcases the intent to obtain information about something specific, with the searcher expecting an explanation, a series of facts, or similar. This is also sometimes referred to as the Know Intent. An example of informational intent is “What is user intent?” or “How to optimise user intent”.
- Navigational Intent:
The consumer motivation is finding a specific site. It showcases the intent to reach a website that the searcher already has in mind. An example of navigational intent is “Amazon” or “Facebook Login”.
- Transactional Intent:
The consumer motivation is completing a specific action, most often a purchase. It showcases wanting to complete a purchase or interaction, often following a commercial intent. An example of transactional intent is “book a flight to Spain” or “lightsaber for sale”.
Sometimes you will hear about a fifth type of user intent, known as ‘local intent’. This occurs when searchers are expressing the need to find information, products or services in a specific location, relevant to them. This intent is secondary to another user intent. For example, “hairdresser in Leeds” would have a commercial intent, as well as a local intent.
Why user intent matters:
Now that we’ve clarified user intent, let’s talk about why it matters.
Search engines want to provide users with the correct results, which is why they will reward relevant sites with a higher ranking. For something to be the ‘correct’ result, it has to match the search intent. Therefore, your content matching the user intent can directly affect your site’s ranking and visibility!
Understanding user intent will help you finetune your content so that it becomes exactly what your target consumers need. This will not only improve user experience but also your overall rankings and exposure, leading to increased traffic and more meaningful engagement. It will also help you tweak your marketing strategy so that it becomes more efficient, giving you a better idea of what keywords to target, and what type of content to provide.
Optimising user intent:
Optimising user intent is a fairly easy way to improve your overall digital marketing efficiency, and it can have quite a big impact on performance. Here are some of our top tips:
- Use the right keywords.
- Make sure headings and subheadings are clear, descriptive, and relevant to the content.
- Re-write your meta descriptions so that they align with the desired user intent.
- Enhance the user experience by improving overall readability and clarity within the content.
- Add internal links to help consumers better navigate your site.
- Insert a call to action that encourages consumers to engage, according to their search intent.
- Get to know your target audience and cater to their expectations.
In summary…
User or search intent is the underlying motivation behind a specific online search. When users type something into a search engine, the intent showcases what type of results they are after.
If the intent is commercial, they want to research and compare products and services. If the intent is informational, they are after specific knowledge. If the intent is navigational, they want to reach a site they already have in mind. And if the intent is transactional, they want to complete an action usually involving a purchase.
Understanding user intent can lead to an optimised digital marketing approach, improving your site’s ranking, user experience and performance, among other things. To benefit from user intent, make sure you target the right keywords and streamline your content so that it aligns with what your target consumers are looking for.
For more digital marketing tips check out our insights on the It Works Blog. Or if you’d like to learn about how our team can help your business, get in touch today!