User intent is the term used to describe the motivation of the searcher, for example when entering his search into a search engine. Google and other search engines evaluate the hits they find with regard to their content and assess how well they fit the suspected user intent. The better this match between the information on a website and the entered user intent or search query, the better the page will rank in the Google search results. Sometimes the user intent is therefore also referred to as the search intent.
What types of user intent (search queries) are there?
According to psyknowhow.com, Google assumes there ‘s any seekers a problem wants to solve s if he types a search into the field of search engine. There is talk of a so-called ” Q uery ” to German query. These types of searches or even user- i ntent called have been roughly divided into the following categories:
Types of user intent: (old classification)
- Informational queries: These are usually egg nzelne term e, which , would like to have you explain a process or activity, which one he purifies m have ag. An informative query would be, for example: ” W ie I prefer tomatoes on the balcony?” ” Menhir production “
- Transactional Queries:
These are requests that hope for an interaction, a
video on a topic, a download, etc.
B EXAMPLE for transactional user- Intent:
“Simply wipe the kettle, download checklist SEO”
- Commercial Queries:
These are inquiries that should lead to a purchase or a (presumably) paid service.
B EXAMPLE for commercial user- Intent:
“Tricycle buy, care online marketing, Buy plants, product xy buy ”
- Navigational Queries:
These are searches that give notice that the seeker wants to get to a particular website or portal, where necessary, to an en particular content.
Example for search queries with navigational user intent:
“SEO kitchen blog, Youtube cat videos, Facebook person xy ”
- Brand Queries:
This type of search query is a specific query for brand names or company names or services)
Example for brand inquiries:
“SEO kitchen, Mc Donalds”
- News queries:
Above all, this type of query should bring up current results, such as the latest news on a specific topic, person or event.
Example for news queries:
“Company x share price, gold price, Donald Trump, Corona”
- Local queries:
In these search queries, the intent is clearly localized. If a local query is recognized, the search results are not only aligned according to accuracy, but also local proximity. This is particularly the case when the request is made from a smartphone.
Example for local search queries:
“Restaurants nearby, dermatologist Cologne, lawyer Munich
New classification according to user intent according to the search engine Google:
This kind of fine-grained subdivision is, however, the conventional pattern of differentiating search queries in search engine optimization.
In fact, Google itself announced in March 2019 that the company differentiates between “DO” “KNOW ” (“KNOW SIMPLE”) “VISIT IN PERSON” and “WEBSITE” queries and rates the results for search queries for all keywords accordingly.
“DO” stands for specific actions such as buying, installing or downloading. The first results, which are to such requests will receive, are not particularly well accessible through search engine optimization because they are paid ads, shopping items or the like.
“VISIT IN PERSON” are requests that are aimed at actually visiting the business or company in the near future. Therefore, results are displayed here in particular , which help to find the place searched for with the keyword. It is important to note that, of course, Google’s own smartphone-related results are particularly prominent . These can be entries on Google Maps and the like.
“WEBSITE inquiries”, on the other hand, are directed towards the content of specific websites, portals or the like. This is where you can align your own strategy with appropriate keywords.
“ KNOW ” inquiries are about information. This is why direct answers from the search engine such as featured snippets are also included here . Because in the “KNOW” category there is also the special form “KNOW SIMPLE”. Questions for keywords and figures, are already answered in the SERPS on Google. Examples of this could be questions for simple factual knowledge such as “How high is the Eiffel Tower” or “What is the capital of Brussels?” For more in-depth questions that are not so easy to answer, search engine optimization has a very good chance of finding the website with a comprehensive answer and place knowledge.
Why is the user intent so important for Google – and for website operators?
The declared goal of search engines, especially Google, is always to present the perfect result for the search query. That is why the search engine tries to create even better search results with the user intent. The aim is to create measurable factors as to when a search query actually fits together with a corresponding website, not only based on keywords, but also tailored to the user’s need for information.
By the user- intent in combination with the appropriate keywords Google and other search engines also can therefore assign better what the user really ge search has t te and its command. The behavior of the user on the presented page then plays a role in further rankings.
For website operators this means that content on the website should be created and aligned in such a way that it corresponds to the user intent. What kind of content does the customer want to be presented with if he has chosen this keyword when searching? There are major differences in the user intent, which search engine crawlers also recognize. As a website operator, you can only achieve good rankings if your content, page structure and functionality are geared towards the user intent.
User intent: What does the user want to achieve with his search query?
An example: If a searcher enters “house” as a search term, it is so unspecific that the search engine could probably display several million hits. But every addition makes the search query clearer, for example: “House cleaning tips”, “Building a house in Ingolstadt”, “Renovating a house ”, “House fire location xy ”, “Renting a house on the island of Rügen”. Searchers usually enter specific questions or phrases into the search engine field anyway, so that the user intent and the problem to be solved can be clearly identified.
User intent clearly shows what kind of information and presentation the visitor is expecting. Depending on the search entered, the user would like to buy, find a specific place or page (on the web), obtain information or, for example, receive current information. Google assigns the entered term or phrase to the respective search intent . The search results are correspondingly different.
Why is the user intent important for SEO?
If you are a website owner to a specific content or in tent want to be found, you must provide the appropriate content on the site. This comparison ensures that Google rates your website or individual page as relevant to a specific search query and then shows it accordingly in the results. In addition, the behavior of your visitors on the website will be correspondingly more positive if you are presented with suitable content depending on your own search query. This in turn ensures a longer stay on your website, more clicks and more positive behaviors, which in turn have a positive effect on the rating of your page by Google.
How does the user intent influence the keyword research ?
If a website operator wants to be found, he should know the user intent of his visitors and meet the respective information needs as best as possible. For keyword research, this also means that you have to take a close look at which search entries are made by which audience. Finally, you can then based on this study, the specific keyword research a usrichten. In this way, you not only get relevant content for the user, but also long-term content that the search engine and, more importantly, the users will rate well.
