James Lovick

SEMRush: Keywords by Intent Guide

November 2, 2021

SEMrush has launched a new feature that allows you to view the intent of keywords quickly and easily.

If you are an avid user of SEMRush like we are here at Fly High Media, you might have noticed this new feature while conducting keyword research titled ‘Keywords by Intent’.

This is a huge asset for finding the right keywords to suit the intent at different parts of the funnel for your audience.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new SEMRush update.

The Four Different Types of ‘Intent’

When you search a keyword, you will notice that there are four different types of user intentions that will be associated with each keyword.

These four intents are:

(I)nformational Intent – The user is searching the keyword for information and/or an answer to a question.
(N)avigational Intent – The user is using a keyword to directly search for a specific page on a website.
(C)ommercial Intent – The user is searching for specific brands or products
(T)ransactional Intent – The user is looking to convert their search into a potential purchase

The search intent is monitored via the user behaviour when searching for specific terms, and SEMRush have previously outlined what the main types of search intents are to help users understand why people search certain keywords and what their intentions are once the results show up.

How Can You Optimise Your Website for Search Intent?

There are a few simple techniques that you can use to maximise your website’s keyword targeting potential.

The first question you need to ask yourself is ‘what kind of strategy do I need to increase my website’s visibility on search results?’. Do you want to increase the number of users on your site, or do you simply want to increase conversions? Maybe both?

Here are some quick tips on how to meet user demand:

(I)nformational and (N)avigational – Make sure you include target keywords in your metadata (titles and descriptions) and your page titles (h1, h2 tags etc).
(C)ommercial and (T)ransactional – Provide a clear CTA (call to action) with your target keywords, and also provide clear and concise product descriptions. Promoting offers that include Commercial and Transactional target keywords will also boost clicks to your website.

What Should You do Next?

Targeting the most relevant keywords will go a long way to achieving your larger SEO goals, so it is very important to create relevant content that incorporates these terms. You should also review existing content and add target keywords on blogs and landing pages wherever possible to lure in more relevant users.

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