Search intent is what the user wants to find on the Internet when using search engines.
This desire is related to the need to solve a situation. When a search is made in Google there can be different types of intentions, either in order to know how to do something, buy, location, among others.
The digital marketing funnel
The marketing funnel, also known as sales funnel, conversion or marketing funnel, are the phases through which a consumer goes through to buy a product or purchase a service. These phases comprise from the time a person's attention is captured until they become an effective customer. If you do not know much about the marketing funnel, I invite you to learn about it.
This series of stages that people go through until they make the decision to purchase a product or service are:
- Attraction. This is when a store or brand attracts us and captures our attention.
- Consideration. When we begin to evaluate whether to buy or not.
- Conversion. It is when we make the decision to buy the product or acquire the service.
- Loyalty. When the person becomes a follower of the product and recommends it to others.
These stages are directly related to the types of intentions explained below.
Types of search intentions
Several types of intentions are known:
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Informational. This basically consists of searching for information on a specific topic, for example, how to open a business in Chile. There is no direct search for a product or service, since there is no interest in buying something.
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Local. This is related to a local search, for example, places where Mexican food is sold. It is called local because we are inquiring about the location of a physical place.
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Investigative. In this case we are starting to have a product or service in mind. We already want to make the decision and, therefore, we are researching. For example, which is the best virtual credit card.
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Transactional. This intention arises when we want to buy a product or acquire a service. For example, when a person enters the term Fender Stratocaster Guitar, there is a high probability that he or she wants to buy that product.
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Navigational. This last intention is different because it already specifies a brand, for example, how to restart Movistar Internet. These searches are the ones that serve, in most cases, for the loyalty part of the funnel.
It is perfectly clear that, in all these steps we have just seen, Google' s algorithm is at the point of understanding what we need to then search for the answer that satisfies our intention.
Ultimately, search intentions are about the purpose we have in going to Google to search and then choosing an answer.
Aspects to understand in order to be the best answer on Google
To be the best answer on Google you need to respond to what people are searching for. That's why the topic of intent is important.
By identifying what type of intention a person has, we will know what the purpose behind that intention is and, based on that, create the relevant content to position in terms of searches.
All this means that it is not just a matter of saying: I am going to position certain keywords and repeat them ten or twenty times within the content, but that there must be a match between these search terms and what the person is looking for.
In short, to be the best answer you need to understand:
- The type of intent of the search term.
- The purpose behind that intent.
It is also relevant to take into account the country or location of the person at the time the search is executed. For example, if a query is made to Google about a product from Bogota, Madrid or Mexico City, the results will change significantly, since Google will try to give the best answer based on the location.
Contribution created by Avilio Muñoz Vilchez
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