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How The Search Intent Has Changed And How To Respond?

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March 31, 2021

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There’s no denying the fact that search intent is tremendously crucial to SEO. It’s essential to have a detailed understanding of the search intent when creating content to achieve high search engine rankings. More and more content developers are switching away from pursuing any linear path; instead, the picture has drastically changed, effectively narrowing their consideration set into distinctive moments.

It’s essential to realize that most people today browse the internet on their mobile devices and they are looking for quick solutions for their queries. As a result of this, the conservative marketing funnel has evolved. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the primary reasons that make search intent a vital contributor to high search engine ranking pages (SERPs).

Why Search Intent Matters?

It’s essential to mention that search engine portals like Google provide their users with the most relevant and appropriate result for their query. It is relatively simple to identify this as for expelling, Google’s success as a sustainable business largely depends on providing search intent.

In most cases, the user is looking for some information or data in specific. It could be anything, from a website to an online retail product. It is crucial to mention that search engines like Google demand search intent to provide relevant and suitable search results. Furthermore, all the data available in search terms is decoded when it comes to Google. This is only to understand the purpose behind search terms, to pair them to products effectively. They are forever trying to develop their process while keeping search intent as a point of interest.

This focus on the search intent has strategically forced the previously word-match search engines to transition into operating like artificial intelligence (AI), although not entirely. As mentioned already, the meta engine’s fundamental objective is to make sense of users’ purpose behind their used search terms. It’s only necessary to comprehend that search intent contributes immensely to SEO, not essentially due to relevance being a vital ranking aspect- but because meeting user intent impacts click-through-rates (CTR), bounce clicks, and conversion clicks directly.

Therefore, it is crucial to mention that marketers must redirect their business attention towards search intent to take a shot at achieving healthy page ranking.

Ways To Determine Buyer’s Search Intent

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the five key categories that can help you identify the buyers’ search intent. Every category brings different modifiers for fundamental search terms:

  1. Informational Search Intent: If the user is seeking particular information, chances are greater that their searches will feature terms like who, best practices, where, tips, or guides. The keywords will help them to yield information about their respective subject of interest.
  2. Transactional Search Intent: If the user is particular about making a purchase online, his/her search term will mostly feature words like best price, discount; searches may include the lowest price or free of charge shipping. These keywords are related to buying and selling of items or services online.
  3. Commercial Search Intent: If the user is searching for particular services or products, their queries will feature terms like comparisons and reviews. They’re essentially looking for additional information before confirming the deal.
  4. Directional Search Intent: If the user is looking to reach a specific URL but doesn’t have the necessary address, their search terms will often include its name, blog, or about.
  5. Local Search Intent: Lastly, if the user is looking for certain web pages, they will often try the business’s title and the relevant keywords they need, like phone number, mobile ordering, or store hours.

The Four Types Of Search Intent

Here’s a detailed insight on the four primary ‘types’ of search intent to comprehensively understand.


Any informational search intent will indicate that the user is looking for data and information. Such data, in most cases, answer simple questions like “who is the president of Canada?” It is important to know that the informational searches don’t follow a question-based structure all the time.

Here are a few examples of informational searches:

“Who is Julia Roberts?”

“Heathrow Airport directions.”

“Justin Trudeau”

“Cricket match day scores.”

“HTML 5”


When it comes to navigational searches, the user will often be looking for a specific website. The user has a pre-determined destination, but they opt for the search engine as it’s possibly quicker easier for them to Google it than typing URL. Furthermore, they could also lack the exact URL.

Here are a few examples of navigational searches:


“BITS content explorer.”

“Comprehensive Guide to SEO Moz”

“Facebook login.”


As far as transactional searches are concerned, the user searches mainly comprise purchase-related keywords. Most users, when making transitional searches use direct phrases.

Here are a few examples of navigational searches:

“Buy iPad.”

“Amazon coupon.”

“OnePlus Nord cheap.”

“Netflix premium account price.”

Commercial Investigation

This particular category comprises user searches for services or products. They are primarily after reviews and comparisons as they are still exploring other options.

Here are a few examples of navigational searches:

“Best bodybuilding steroid.”

“Mailchimp vs convertkit”

“Tenet review.”

“Top wedding planners in London.”

It’s vital to cover the last name mentioned above, as it puts particular focus on several local searches that have commercial investigation intent.

Ways to Optimize For Search Intent

Here’s how you can optimize your keywords and web content based on the search intent

  1. Redirect The SEO Strategy

It is essential to track all the necessary changes to search terms and act on them accordingly. Moreover, if the business has switched directions or struggles with the ongoing global health pandemic, businesses must immediately get to Google Search Console. The user will go through the growth rate of keywords, with various terms having dropped off, changed, or surged.

  1. User Intent For Developing Unique Content

It is crucial to realize that several keywords come with multiple intents. Content marketers and digital advertisers must develop various content properties. This will allow them to cater to the business’s relevant objectives by effectively implementing search terms to build suitable content methods.

  1. Be Vigilant On Misleading Intent

There’s no denying the fact that several keywords gained volume during the global pandemic. It’s essential to mention that this could confuse marketing campaigns. Supposedly, a rise in “airline flights’ doesn’t necessarily mean high demand for tickets. Instead, it could be plenty of users searching for the cancellation process.

  1. Make The Most Out Of The Local Search Growth

It is essential to mention that local search intent is vital for businesses. More and more people are looking for data in their locality, as the pandemic doesn’t permit them to travel elsewhere. As things get back, people are showing more inclination towards local businesses.


Content marketers must segment their keywords by search intent, effectively tracking the page’s rank to identify the exact content type. Adapting to such an approach will help them to recognize the content that their audiences find valid. Additionally, you could also look for expert opinions online to learn about identifying and optimizing search intent. Complete guidance will effectively benefit you in terms of targeting the right keywords.






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