What is keyword intent tagging?
Keyword intent is the intention behind each search term. It determines the next action the user is likely to take on the website he visits. Broad search terms indicate the user is in the research phase, while more specific long-tail keywords indicate the user is in the purchase phase.
What are the High Intent Keywords?
High intent keywords are also said to have high commercial intent. These keywords signify a strong intent on the part of the searcher to conduct a transaction, whether it be to buy something, inquire about a service, or another type of action that has a strong possibility of leading to a later sale.
There are four basic types of search queries:
- Informational (low buying Intent)
- Commercial (high buying intent)
- Transactional (high buying intent)
- Navigational (low buying Intent)
| Type | Intention | Conversion | Keywords | Example |
| Navigational | To reach a specific website | Low | Brand + websiteBrand + Login | FacebookCitibank loginWhite House website |
| Informational – The user has a need and he is looking for the best solution. | To acquire information about the available solutions | Low | What…?How to…?Which…?Where…? | Signs of pregnancy |
| Commercial – The searcher has zeroed in on a solution and wants to compare options | To evaluate various options | High | Commercial – Buy Keywords | Branded searches (brand-name goods)Specific products (“iPhone 6” etc.)Product categories (“summer dresses”, “insect repellant”, “beach accessories” etc.)AffordableBestCheapestComparisonReviewTop |
| Transactional – | To make a purchase | High | Commercial- ‘Product’ Keywords | PriceBuyDiscount(s)Deal(s)Coupon(s)Free shipping |
Keyword Mapping based on the Keyword Intent
The following table shows the pages to be optimized for each type of keyword. The optimized pages will appear on the search results pages when someone searches for the relevant keywords. You can also appear on the featured snippets. If you map the keywords on the most suitable pages, for example, the homepage, category, or product pages.
Here is a keyword mapping guide to help you:
| Type | Page to be Optimized | Keywords |
| Navigational | Homepage | Branded Keywords |
| Informational | Blog Posts | “What…” “How to…” |
| Commercial | Category Pages | Affordable +Solution(service/product)Cheapest + solution (service/product)Best + Solution (service/product) Top + Solution (service/product)Solution (service/product) + reviewsCompare + solutions |
| Transactional | Product/Service Pages | solution+PriceBuy +solutionDiscount(s) +solutionsolution+Deal(s)solution+Coupon(s)Free shipping+solution |
Source: Getstat.com
Featured Snippets for Intent Keywords
Additionally, different pages and posts can also appear in the featured snippets that appear on the search results pages (SERPS). Most featured snippets have a length of 40-50 words. Hubspot mentions up to 58 words. Featured snippets steal traffic from the first-ranking result (the number 1 spot gets 26% of clicks when there’s no featured snippet, but only 19.6 percent if there is a snippet showing). Source:Search Engine Journal
Best Source of Traffic For Different Types of keyword Intent
| Source of Traffic | Keywords | Tip |
| PPC | Transactional“Buy” & “Product” Keywords | Invest more in transactional keywords for higher conversion. visitors performing informational or navigational searches click on ads without the intent of purchasing anything, the advertiser is still charged for those clicks, resulting in wasted spend on traffic that will never convert. |
| Organic | Informational | Such keywords have low competition and you can easily rank for hundreds of keywords with high-quality content then linking to those articles from high authority websites e.g. quora. linking is all about helping users find useful relevant content. |
Search queries with high commercial intent keywords, offer several advantages to the advertisers, for example:
- A clear intent to make a purchase
- A variety of advertising formats that are ideally suited to high commercial intent keywords, such as Shopping Ads, which are highly attractive to searchers with commercial intent.
- High click-through rates
- High conversion rate
- Cost-effective – Advertisers utilizing them often have significantly reduced rates of wasted spending.
FAQs: Keyword Intent
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What is keyword intent?
Keyword intent is the intention behind each search term. It determines the next action the user is likely to take on the website he visits. Broad search terms indicate the user is in the research phase, while more specific long-tail keywords indicate the user is in the purchase phase.
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What are the high intent keywords?
High intent keywords are also said to have high commercial intent. These keywords signify a strong intent on the part of the searcher to conduct a transaction, whether it be to buy something, inquire about a service, or another type of action that has a strong possibility of leading to a later sale.
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What are the different types of keywords Intent?
There are four basic types of search queries:
Informational
Navigational
Commercial
Transactional -
What are transactional keywords?
Transactional keywords are the search terms the user search for in the conversion phase. They have decided on a product or service and are ready to make a purchase. They use transactional keywords to search for the best website to make their purchase.
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What are navigational Keywords?
A navigational Keyword is a search term users search for a specific website or web page. For example, the search query “LinkedIn” is navigational because the intent is to find Facebook. Think of a navigational query as an alternative to typing a full URL.
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What are informational keywords?
Informational keywords are keywords used to learn more about a topic. Search engine users look for Informational keywords when they are in the research phase. Such keywords are broad and have a low buying intent.
Conclusion
It is important to analyze your keywords in the light of users’ intentions behind their search terms. If you are running paid ads on Google, then it is advised to invest in commercial and transactional keywords to get more conversions. On the other hand, SEO is highly beneficial for targeting informational keywords. You can also enhance your visibility by appearing in the featured snippets above the organic results.