When gauging search intent, SEO marketers have a three-fold challenge. Since there are three established phases of intent, developers must create three different types of content to address each.
The first phase may be called the info hunt. During this stage, a person is hungry for information about a product or service of interest. The individual’s knowledge might range from extensive to meager. It doesn’t matter. Marketers must supply content that meets the needs of every sophistication level. Details, therefore, are paramount.
What happens when a person learns something valuable after consuming informational content? They smile with satisfaction. And equally important, they often feel inspired to make a return trip to your website. The return trip is crucial because in n most cases, the stopover is a prerequisite to conversion. If they don’t come back, they probably aren’t buying.
The navigational phase of user intent has a whole other purpose. Now sufficiently educated, users will probe deeper, comparing your product or service with those of your competitors. Ever stack up one store against another during an online excursion? Then you were deep into this phase.
During this second stage, many searchers will ask some important questions. Such as – “Do I really need this product or service?” Appropriate content, of course, will showcase the advantages of your brand vs. the others. Pricing, features, performance, and reliability are all important topics.
The third and final phase is known as transactional intent. Users in this category are ready to take action, whether that be making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, downloading PDF, or anything else. Appropriate content will focus on product or service pages, where users can buy or take any other intended action.
So there it is – three different types of user intent, and three different types of content to accommodate each. Now all you have to do is get busy and create it.
If you have questions or comments about developing content to address the different phases of search intent, or about any other brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way.
You can connect with the Young Company team at 949-376-8404 #4033 or bart@youngcompany.com. And be sure to follow us for the latest brand marketing news and tips.