Complete Guide How To Determine Keyword Search Intent in 2021 Update
Published: 2021-01-19 14:51:41

Keyword Search is an important practice in SEO (search engine optimization) that helps marketers find the best keywords to add to their content. But, keywords search isn’t just about finding popular keywords. If you don’t take into account the search intent, keyword search is less effective.
 
If you don’t know much about keyword search intent, you have come to the right place. This guide will let you know how to determine keyword search intent in 2021 updates.
 
Why Is Keyword Search Intent So Important?

Suppose a user searches for ‘car painting’ on Google. Just think about what they are looking for? There are so many possibilities, like a company to paint their car, instructions for painting a car, or a painting of a car.
 
If you don’t know what exactly they mean when they type this query on Google, chances are you may target the wrong keyword. Though there is no such tool that can tell you what they are looking for, determining keyword search intent can help you.
 
So, let’s dig deep into the article to know how to find out keyword search intent in 2021!
 
How To Determine Keyword Search Intent?

Below are the steps to consider to determine keyword search intent-
 
Figure Out The Category Of Keyword Search Query First
The first step to determining the keyword search intent is to find out the search query category of your keyword, i.e., transactional, informational, or navigational.
 
Transactional search query is where searchers are looking to take action. Keywords with a high commercial intent fall in this category. Informational search query is where a user wants to get information or knowledge. A navigational query is where people search for a website.
 
Now that you have an idea about the different categories of keyword search queries let’s look at the other steps involved in finding keyword search intent.
 
Create A List Of Keywords Relevant To Your Business
Start the keyword search by creating a keyword list relevant to your business. This is called a seed list, which forms the baseline for keyword research. It gives you an idea for words you should include in your seed list. These keywords or phrases are the terms your target audience will use in the search queries.
 
Check The Search Engine Result Pages

Google’s search algorithm can determine the intent behind a keyword search immediately. This entails that examining the SERPs can provide you with insights into the searchers’ intent. Pay attention to the organic listings, graph results, and <a href="https://ppcexpo.com/ppc">PPC marketing</a> Ads.
 
Depending upon the user’s intent behind a query, the content and SEO of your web page can be different. But, Google knows what users want to see when they search for something. You just need to type a keyword and look at the topmost search results.
 
For example, suppose someone searches for ‘air conditioner.’ Generally, the top organic listings are the product categories that denote commercial intent behind the keyword. Thus, it is an indication that people searching for air conditioners are not only looking for information, but they also want to buy.
 
Leverage Google Ads To Know Commercial Intent

Even if you don’t want to bid on this keyword, it would be helpful to know how competitive it is. Higher is the suggested bid, higher is the competition, and higher is the commercial intent. You can also use Google keyword planner here.
 
Based on the suggested bids for keywords, you can have an idea of the commercial intent. While it isn’t a hard and fast rule, it tells you how successful advertisers have been with the keywords. Furthermore, though high ranking for a keyword doesn’t guarantee that the visitors will convert, it indicates that they are in buying mode.
 
Use Google Analytics

Analyzing Google Analytics helps determine whether your existing content is well-optimized for users’ intent or not. Check if your content marketing efforts are meeting the searchers’ expectations. You can improve the existing content rather than creating new to drive more conversions.
 
Also, see the bounce rate. If there is a high bounce rate, it means that your content isn’t catering to the searchers’ intent. Or, your page is ranking for specific keywords but isn’t matching up with the content.
 
There can be many other reasons for a high bounce rate, though. However, a single page with a higher than average bounce rate is due to an issue with the search intent. So, use Google Analytics to see how all the pages are performing and adjust your content accordingly.
 
Optimize The Keyword Search Intent

After you have analyzed Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google SERPs for keyword search intent, it is time to optimize the search intent. But, what search intent type should you optimize for? Well, it depends on your goals.
 
If you have a blog, your aim is to increase the page views. In this case, you want to optimize for informational keyword search intent. <a href="https://ppcexpo.com/blog/unique-ways-to-increase-sales">Unique ways to increase sales</a> further, if you have an ecommerce store, your goal is to drive more sales or get more conversions. For this, you should optimize for transactional search intent.
 
Though optimizing for navigational and informational search queries won’t generate sales instantly, they guide the visitors throughout their buying journey. So, determine keyword search intent and take steps to optimize it.
 
Conclusion

Keyword search is one of the initial tasks to do when starting a new SEO project or an Ad campaign. Also, it is the basis for content optimization, as well as content creation, content marketing. The next step is to create relevant content that satisfies the user’s search intent. But, you need to determine the keyword search intent first and then optimize the content for the search query.
 
Hopefully, this guide will help you with how to determine keyword search intent. Ask yourself what you want to achieve with your content. Whether you want to get more page views or drive more sales, find out what people are looking for when they search and create content that matches their intent.