4 Tips to Optimize for User Intent: Target the Right Traffic

4 Tips to Optimize for User Intent: Target the Right Traffic

User Intent is one of the most important concepts in SEO. Optimizing your digital marketing accordingly should definitely be high on your SEO list. Understanding the relationship between user intent and the ranking of your targeted keywords is essential to understanding the impact that SEO brings to your brands’ digital marketing strategy.

Your primary objective is to rank for keywords that target the right traffic AND match the user’s intent. Especially for PPC ads and social media advertisement campaigns. Otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on your target audience.

Understand What User Intent Is

User Intent is what the user is searching for on Google or other search engines. In SEO, User Intent is a key ranking strategy. If a web page doesn’t meet the intent Google considers right for a keyword, it won’t rank! User Intent has become more powerful than backlinks and content in SEO. In other words, without meeting User Intent, you won’t drive traffic.

Different Types of User Intent

Users either want to learn, navigate, or buy and search accordingly using keywords. Understanding these three user intents can help you optimize your website to target your audience successfully.

  1. Informational – Informational search intent keywords educate or help searchers get the information they were searching for. This could be a blog, product, or video.
  2. Navigational – People use navigational searches when looking for a specific website. They’ll typically search for a brand name, product, service, or something specific to that website.
  3. Transactional – Transactional searches happen when a user is ready to make a purchase. They typically search for the specific product or service and include the name.

 Look to Google to Give you the Answers

When analyzing search intent, let Google do the work for you. Search your keywords and look at the top Google results to learn and identify User Intent for your target audience. Use these findings to optimize your website, PPC campaigns, and SEO advertisement campaigns.

Learn from Top-Ranking Pages

Google’s top-ranking pages are there for a reason. Google has found these are pages of value that match search queries. Consider what type of content is ranking high on google. Is it text-based or video? Look at how the content is formatted and if it has structured data. Then decide which options you might want to include as you optimize for user intent.

Meeting User Intent is one of the most critical factors for ranking high in Google Search. By optimizing for user intent, you will attract your target audience and increase the probability of scaling your business.

Haarty Hanks is on the cutting edge of the latest digital marketing strategies. If you need help improving your conversions, building your audience, or scaling your business – look no further. Haarty Hanks can help you achieve your digital marketing goals. Visit us at