As already discussed in my previous article on Search Intent, this is something that you just can’t Ignore. If you want to rank your website, you need to make sure that your content is optimized according to what user wants. Following user intent will not only improve your chances to reach the target audience but will also improve your site’s reputation in the eyes of Google.
What is the search intent? The type of content or material a user searches for or seeks on the internet is the search or query intent of the user. To identify and categorize those searches for Search Engine Optimization is considered a good practice to get the desired results for your site.
Now, this part was already discussed in my previous article. We have an idea of what intent is and how it works. What we need to know is how we can optimize our content accordingly so as to increase the conversion rate.
Intent-Based Search Optimization
Here are the key points that you must remember while optimizing your content to fit the user’s intent
- Never forget that in the end, you are writing for the user. So, write the most relevant piece which answers the user in a direct and conversational tone. Any person who comes to your website is looking for something that will be exactly what he needs. So, don’t give out any information they don’t need or keep them waiting.
- Make sure that they come for an answer and stay for the information. What I mean by this is be quick to give them what they are looking for, and if you have any other information that is relevant to the query, tag it along. But, first, give them what they asked for.
- Search before you present. Maybe you are an expert in the field, but it could be a possibility that what you are presenting isn’t what they want. You cannot give the recipe of pizza to someone who is looking for takeout, right? So, look out what people want, what they are looking up.
While I was reading about why and how we should optimize our site according to the query intent, I found out a lot. Every big blog has its own theory and recommendations. But obviously, the basics are the same.
Intent Optimization
The main issue that comes up when we are optimizing for search intent is that the groups in which a user’s queries are divided into are way too broad to have a direct approach. For example, for the keyword “resignation letter”, there are many possible queries – resignation letter templates, how to write a resignation Email or letter, samples of resignation letters, online resignation letter builder, and so on. So, the question arises – which result should we provide for the user so that they would land on our page and would get converted?
For that, there are various tactics that you can apply. Analyzing the SERP in detail is one of many. If we have to summarise (for a quick read of course), these two steps could do the work:
Step 1
Check the reliability of the Search Engine Result Page for the search engine you are optimizing for. The rankings are never the same every time. So if you will deduce the search intent of the user based on what the current position of websites is then it will not give you the desired results.
If you take into account the rankings from different months, you will notice that the query intent differ. So, while optimizing for user intent, taking a look at ranking history of the target keyword provides a clear picture to get a clear picture.
Step 2.
Check out the solution a query must provide. Don’t stuff the content with what you know, rather include the things that must be there. For the topic “how to write a letter of recommendation”, don’t waste time and energy writing about where recommendation letters are required and how someone should ask for getting someone to write it. Be direct and give a simple How-to guide for this topic.
How to know which type of content you should write?
Review what is the call of the topic – what type of content is required for that search. The types of content include – Blog post, Product page, category page, landing page.
Stick to the format – There are various formats that are the requirement of the query. How-to guides, tutorials, opinion piece, news blogs, reviews, and more.
Follow the crowd – Do not copy, but follow what others are providing. Analyze the SERP and take cues on what content you can provide for your target keyword.
End note
I hope this article was helpful to the reader. Do comment stating what you think.