Implementing “Searcher Intent” into Your SEO Strategy

If you’ve been keeping your ear to the ground when it comes to the latest SEO best practices, you might’ve heard a lot of talk about what’s being called “searcher intent”, which refers to the original intention of the person that’s searching keywords and phrases online. When we think of SEO, we tend to focus on positioning our website at the top of Google’s search results, but your website won’t reach the top of the search results unless it matches the searcher’s intent. Learn more about searcher intent and how it affects all aspects of SEO.

What Is “Searcher Intent”?

Searcher intent is just what it sounds like, the intention of the person’s that’s performing a search query online. In fact, 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. People usually rely on search platforms like Google when they need to find a particular product, service, or piece of information online. And every person has an end-goal in mind when performing a search query.

So, how do you wrap your head around the searcher’s intent? You can learn a lot about what a person is looking for when they use a certain keyword. For example, the searcher intent for a search phrase like “how to increase web traffic” is different from the searcher intent for a search phrase like “SEO blog writing”.

The person searching for “how to increase web traffic” is most likely looking for tips and tricks on how they can increase the amount of traffic coming to their website. This person is probably a website owner or a small business owner looking for free marketing advice.

On the other hand, the person searching for “SEO blog writing” is probably looking for a SEO blog writer or SEO content writer to help them build up the content on their website. Or it may be a new blogger looking for some SEO advice.

You can optimize your content and website for these search terms by understanding the searcher’s intent and highlighting the products, services or information they’re looking for.

Understanding Searcher Intent and SEO

Google uses searcher intent when it tries to pair its users with websites online. The first websites that appear in Google’s search rankings are well suited to match the searcher’s intent. But how does Google rank websites based on searcher intent? The algorithm uses a website’s bounce rate to see which websites are most popular with searchers. If your website does not cater to the searcher’s intent for a particular keyword, they will click off the website in just a few seconds because they didn’t find what they were looking for. The higher the bounce rate, the lower a website will rank on Google.

Remember that only 21% of searchers click more than one result, which means Google is getting better at sorting websites based on searcher intent.

How to Incorporate Searcher Intent into Your SEO Strategy

Searcher intent should play a role in every aspect of your SEO strategy, from which keywords you choose to where these keywords appear on your website. Every web page or blog posts should be focused on meeting the searcher’s intent.

• Keyword Planning

Many business owners make the mistake of choosing a bunch of keywords that are related to their business without actually making sense of the searcher’s intent. When you’re using marketing tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, you need to make sure that you’re only picking search terms that you can satisfy the searcher’s intention.

If your company sells pet supplies, using the search term “how to potty-train a puppy” only makes sense if your company is going to devote some time and energy solving this issue for your readers. If someone searches for “how to potty-train a puppy” and your website appears in the search listings, the person will get frustrated and click off your website if they don’t see any relevant information for how to potty-train a puppy. After all, that’s what they were searching for in the first place, not a bunch of outfits for dogs, or whatever your website was trying to sell them.

• Content Ideas

You can make sure that you’re meeting the needs of the person searching online by featuring content that offers valuable information on a certain topic. The whole point of content marketing and blogging is usually to bring more traffic to a company’s website, but it can’t just be for show. Your website needs to answer the searcher’s original question if they’re going to engage with your website and pay attention to your products and services.

Take a look at your keywords and try to come up with some content topics based on the searcher’s intent. Try to guess at what the person will be looking for and turn their needs into some valuable content ideas and blog posts.

• Headers and Titles

In case you haven’t noticed, people tend to get a lot of information just be looking at headers and title tags as opposed to reading an entire blog post. People are usually in a hurry and they’re not going to spend the time reading a blog post or learning about a company unless they’re sure that they are going to find what they need.

In fact, 43% of people admit to skimming blog posts. That’s why title tags and headers can be so important. Make sure you’re using the target keyword in the header or title tag in a way that captures the viewer’s interest. This shows them that you’re going to answer their question and they’ve landed in the right spot. Finding the right length for your titles can also make a big impression on your readers. Titles with 6-13 words attract the highest and most consistent amount of traffic.

If you want your website to rank highly on Google, you need to use keywords in a way that meets the needs of the people searching online. Every keyword tells a story about the person searching online. Use that information to find the most relevant keywords, build a proper SEO keyword strategy and make your website more appealing to your target audience.

Paul Teitelman is one of the top ranking SEO and link building experts in Toronto. With over 10+ years of experience helping 1000’s of clients, he has the experience and professionalism to deliver fantastic results for your SEO campaign. Reach out today and book a free SEO consultation for your website and online business.