Understanding search intent, particularly in the health field, allows you to create content that answers what people want to know.
In this article: What is search intent?
What is search intent?
Search intent is a question, query, information, or solution to a problem that a person asks a search engine, like Google. Search intent is also called user intent. It refers to the reason someone searches for something online.
When looking at search intent, you want to figure out:
What is the purpose behind this search query?
What does the searcher want to know?
What is the searcher looking for?
What goal or need does the searcher have?
For example, if someone searches "stomach ulcer diet," their intent is to find information about the best foods to eat for that condition. The purpose is to learn how to manage an ulcer through diet.
Or if someone searches "how to lower blood pressure quickly," their intent is to immediately find ways to reduce high blood pressure. The goal is to improve their health.
So, search intent reflects the motivation and desired outcome of a query.
Importance of search intent for health and wellness brands
When a person types a particular phrase on Google, for example, the goal of Google is to show the most relevant results. The results shown on the top are most relevant to the user’s search intent.
This means those are the webpages that Google believes answer the user’s question or query. So, understanding search intent and creating content according to it can help you rank at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs).
You want Google to recognize you as an expert in your health and wellness niche. You can this do by crafting content according to search intent and the needs of your users. Thus, content crafted according to search intent presents you as an expert in front of Google.
Google receives over 1 billion health questions every day. When people are concerned about their health, they often go to health blogs for guidance.
Thus, as a health and wellness brand, when you understand search intent, you will be able to answer their questions with great specificity and help them to make more informed decisions about their health.
Types of search intent
Google divides searches into four distinct categories. Let’s look at them:
1. Informational
The type of search intent in which a user wants knowledge about something is called informational intent.
This information may vary from a simple search such as “What is the immune system?” or “What are the seven continents?” to more complex, such as “Top 10 supplements to boost your immune system” or “Powerful strategies to achieve your health goals”.
In this type of search intent users usually don’t phrase their searches in the question form.
Examples of informational search intent are:
Top supplements for maximum muscle growth
How does sleep reduce stress?
Methods of coping with anxiety
Health benefits of yoga
2. Navigational
This type of search intent involves users looking for a specific page, app, or website. It is called navigational search intent because the user intends to navigate to a specific location.
Let’s say a person searches for a particular website or is looking for local services and does not know their specific URL.
In this case, they’ll type the name such as Netflix, Facebook, or Upwork login in the search bar and Google navigates them to the brand’s website.
Examples of navigational search intent are:
YouTube
Gmail login
LinkedIn
Microsoft support
3. Commercial
In this type of search intent, searchers are close to making a purchase decision. But before this, they want to search and explore more about their required product.
In this search, they usually look for product reviews, information, comparisons, or details about the most popular and best options.
Examples of commercial search intent are:
Dentists near me
Subaru vs Nissan
Best chatbot software
Watches for men under $200
4. Transactional
In this type of search intent, searchers have completed their research about a product or service and are ready to buy.
When a buyer puts a transactional keyword, Google views them as having transactional intent and shows them the best options to make their purchase more efficiently.
Examples of transactional search intent are:
Buy iPhone 14
Buy a Blue Yeti microphone
Video consultation online
Buy a microwave online
Tools for determining search intent
To determine search intent, you can use both free and paid tools.
Free tools include Google search-generated suggestions and Google Keyword Planner (paid plans offer more features).
Paid tools include SEMrush and Ubersuggest.
Google search-generated suggestions
Enter a particular phrase into Google and look at the results that are highly ranked on the top page related to your search.
What are the related questions asked in the title section “People also ask” and “Related Searches”? These sections can give you an understanding of the various aspects of the topic that attract users' interest.
Google Keyword Planner
To understand search intent, Google Keyword Planner is one of the best tools you can use. The key features it can provide are:
Keyword suggestions
Average monthly search volume for each keyword
Competition level for each keyword
SEMrush
SEMrush is a powerful tool that finds relevant keywords for your content, keyword difficulty, search volume, and cost per click. This information helps you create content that aligns with your users' needs.
Ubersuggest
This comprehensive tool provides content ideas related to your targeted keywords. It also provides the analytics of competitive websites for the keywords for which they are ranking, and which content is driving traffic to their website.
How to optimize your health blog for search intent?
The steps you need to follow to optimize your health blog for search intent are:
Create content according to search intent
Firstly, enter your keywords and see what type of content is showing on the SERPs. These results are most relevant to the type of content you should create. For example, are the results addressing informational or commercial search intent?
Look at the content format
Read the articles that appear when you enter your targeted keywords. Look at the content format and angle they use, which you should also follow in your content.
Know your viewpoint on search intent
What is your perspective on the topic? Here, you can show your authority and subject expertise to Google and your audience.
Provide the best user experience
Google likes content that addresses search intent and provides a positive user experience. For this, your content must be easy to understand, mobile-optimized, and free from intrusive pop-ups.
It's a wrap!
By understanding search intent and by using the right techniques and tools, you will be able to create content that not only ranks on the top of SERPs but also efficiently guides your readers and enhances their quality of life.
Maryam Habib is an SEO content writer & blog specialist. Read more about her on LinkedIn.
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