Hiya Reader,
Today we're chatting about search intent.
If it sounds lame AF, stick with me.
Because it's becoming increasingly more important with AI.
And it's something I see people getting wrong, ESPECIALLY if they're approaching SEO from an outdated perspective.
To rank on Google, you used to be able to *just* repeat a random "decent sounding" keyword on a page or within a blog post a couple times.
And then BAM, Google would take your word for it and rank you accordingly.
It's not that simple anymore, especially when AI is REALLY good at picking up on patterns.
And when it's good at picking up on the patterns & nuances of content, it's harder to bullshit choosing random keywords *just* to rank.
So what's the make or break factor with SEO success moving forward?
Search intent.
Search intent = the userβs INTENTION behind searching the keyword.
Whatβs the main goal a user has when searching something online?
What kind of information do they want to find?
- Is the user looking to buy something?
- Is the user looking for educational information?
- Is the user looking to find a company or person to hire?
WHY are they searching the keyword???
And how the fuck do we figure this out?!
Option #1: Use an SEO Keyword Research Tool
(Ya'll already know Semrush is my personal fav & they have a free plan!)
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Some SEO Keyword research tools will SHOW you the intent of a keyword while you're doing research. To the left is a screenshot of how it looks in Semrush, and below is what the letters mean!
- Informational: The user wants to learn about something
- Navigational: The user is trying to find a specific page or website
- Commercial: The user is researching options before making a purchase
- Transactional: The user wants to take an action like completing a purchase
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Example of Informational: "how to start a small business"
Example of Navigational: "small business development center account login"
Example of Commercial: "best bank for small business owners"
Example of Transactional: "small businesses for sale"
Option #2: Use Google to Get on Google
Go to Google & Google the keyword.
Even if you use an SEO keyword research tool like Semrush, Googling the keyword is ALWAYS important.
Because how we view the keyword might not be how GOOGLE views the keyword, even if the intent (I vs. N vs. C vs. T) is the same.
For example, if you're a business coach that wants to target the SEO keyword "Coach" on your website because DUH it's the perfect keyword AND it has a "Commercial" intent...
You might be surprised as fuuuuuuck by the Google search results, that only show the COACH handbag brand π
No life coaches, business coaches, mindset coaches, performance coaches, in sight....
BUT if we get a little more specific with "Business coach", the intent STAYS "commercial" but the Google search results completely shift.
One or 2 words can completely shift what shows up in search results, so it's best practice that even if you DO use an SEO keyword tool, you should STILL go to a search engines or AI tool and search FOR IT to make sure YOUR intent, aligns with the search engines intent.
Because otherwise, ya ain't getting results my friend.
π Action step for this week:
Before you go ahead and start targeting new keywords on your homepage, services pages, product pages, or blog posts (etc), make sure you go to Google and GOOGLE THE KEYWORD.
Even if you're using AI mode, you'll be able to pick up on the pattern that the search bots are following with the specific phrases.
If all of this still feels overwhelming, remember, you already have access to the "Perfect SEO Keyword Workshop", and I went deeeeper into user intent during that.
Including the BONUS page planning example doc!
And since the live workshop, I went back into the replay files and added timestamps & a transcript to make rewatching it a little easier.
β>> CLICK HERE TO LOG INTO YOUR MEMBERVAULT ACCOUNT & GET ACCESSβ
(your login name & password should be your email, unless you changed it!)
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