SEO professionals count keyword research as among the foundations of a solid SEO strategy. That strategy, however, can still be incomplete when user intent is not considered. While most SEO professionals are familiar with user intent, too few of them actually use it, which is unfortunate because it’s crucial to the improvement of the very foundation of SEO campaigns.
Perhaps its intangibility in cyberspace is what makes SEO professionals ignore user intent, but what SEOs should realise is that every search made on Google has some kind of intention attached to it. Users want to know a lot of things — from product reviews to answers to just about any question they want to ask. When you understand user intent and you incorporate it into content for your SEO strategy, you are more likely to make an immediate connection with the user. In the long run, you will be able to establish yourself as a trustworthy resource.
Whatever users are looking for, user intent will tell you what it is
Let’s take keywords like “Samsung S4 case review” and “Samsung S4 cases under $20” for example. While the former is pretty generic, the latter tells you exactly what the user’s intention is. Such a keyword should merit content from you that talks about inexpensive S4 cases. If you’re going to focus on user intent, you’re going to have to look beyond the popular search terms and figure out what users are actually looking for. Using Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool would be a great help in this regard.
Get unique keyword suggestions with user intent
Most SEOs put a lot of stock on “keyword popularity” when conducting keyword research, and fail to come up with high-value long-tail keywords with strong user intent in the process. Shifting the focus of your keyword research towards user intent, on the other hand, will help you capture the actual keywords that users are typing in the search field.
Clearer demographics are underscored by user intent
Catering to a specific demographic can be very rewarding, especially in a world where mobile and local search are starting to make up a bigger piece of the pie. When a user uses location-based keywords such as “cheap appliances in Cleveland”, you are given a very clear indication of what the user is looking for. With this information, design content, product positioning, marketing, and PR will be a lot easier.
User intent helps improve landing pages
When you fully understand what the user wants, you can improve your landing page to accommodate that user. A user who wants tips on “how to get rid of mice without using a product”, for instance, would certainly be attracted to content that emphasises that these tips do not require buying a particular product.
User intent is all about getting into the heads of users. Fulfil their needs with a content strategy developed around an understanding of user intent, and you will surely be able to increase your traffic, clickthrough rates, conversion rates, leads, and eventually, sales.