What is Key Word Intent?

In SEM (Search Engine Marketing), keyword intent refers to the underlying goal or purpose a user has when they type a particular keyword into a search engine.

Understanding search intent is crucial in today’s SEO landscape. Among other search engines, Google’s algorithms have become highly adept at recognising what users are really looking for. To rank effectively, align your content with the search intent behind each query.

Search intent can be broken down into four types:

  • Informational Intent – “types of shoes”
  • Navigational Intent – “shoe brands”
  • Transactional Intent – “buy shoes”
  • Commercial Investigation – “best shoes”

To succeed, we should focus on creating content that matches these intents. For example, an informational blog post serves users with questions, while a product page optimised for transactional intent focuses on driving sales. Matching keywords to search intent improves both rankings and conversion rates.

In SEM, understanding the intent behind key words should be a primary focus.

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