How can you use query analysis to understand user intent?

User Intent, fundamentally, is a 'thought' about what the user wants/wishes/desires at a particular instant in time. Thought example: My car insurance is about to expire and I need to renew it asap! This thought is then translated into a series of words in a language (eg: English, French etc). Eg: 'renew car insurance online'. These words are referred to as the user's 'search query'. This search query when entered in the search bar of a search engine (eg: Bing, Google etc) produces a set of search results that the the search engine thinks would be most relevant and most useful for the user. In summary, user intent is the pathway to the thought process of the user and an expression of the user's wants/wishes/desires.

There is common advice for mapping keywords to user intent and aligning them with the buyer's journey. For the awareness stage and informational user intent - create educational content. For the consideration stage and investigational intent - produce content that encourages consideration for your services. For the decision stage and transactional intent - focus on high-converting content. However, in B2B, there is room for hybrid approaches. An article on 'how to do something' can immediately lead to the decision stage. A detailed services landing page can satisfy just informational intent, without prompting consideration. But, if integrated with case studies and customer reviews, it can serve both consideration and transaction intents.

User intent refers to the specific goal or purpose a person has when using a search engine or visiting a website or an app. It's the reason behind their online actions, such as typing a search query or clicking on a link. Understanding user intent is crucial in digital marketing because it helps us tailor content and strategies to meet the needs and expectations of users, ultimately leading to better engagement and conversions.

User Intent is important because it allows the advertiser to market a product/service at the right moment. This is known as 'moment marketing'. Showing an ad that is relevant to what the user desires/wishes/wants at that instant is helpful and satisfying for the user and rewarding for the brand. Even if it does not lead to click or a conversion - it definitely leads to an association of the user intent with the advertiser's brand. If the user was not already aware of the brand, then awareness is also generated.

User intent is important in performance marketing because it helps us give people what they want. By understanding why someone is searching or opening our app, we can provide relevant information and products, making them more likely to become customers. It's like offering the right answer to a question they haven't even asked yet, which boosts engagement and sales.

To understand the intent behind a query, I analyze the SERP to discern how Google currently qualifies the intent. My goal is either to create a similar type of page or to be included in the current SERP, for instance, by placing it in a catalog that is already presented in the top 10.

The first step is as simple as extracting the common terms from different keyword clusters. If you see that words like "pictures", "videos", "cheap", "expert", or "with children" come up again and again in relation to one of your keywords, that can tell you a lot about the content format or subtopics your audience expects. Plan and create your content accordingly!

Using query analysis to understand user intent for a paid search campaign is like detective work. You examine the words people type into search engines and look for patterns. Are they searching for information, products, or something else? By spotting these patterns, you can adjust your ad keywords and content to match what users are really looking for, leading to more effective ads and higher chances of clicks and conversions. It's about speaking your customers' language!

Understanding and executing the connection between search queries and web pages is the key to use query analysis to optimise website content. This connection has two hops. The first hop is a many-to-one connection between the plethora of search queries and 'content themes'. Large number of queries converge into numerically fewer number of unique themes. Eg: 50 queries converge in 8 unique themes. The second hop is a one-to-one connection between the themes and web pages. For each theme a corresponding web page is created which has content and SEO optimisation targeted for the set of keywords that constitute that theme. Eg: 8 web pages are created for 8 themes. These 8 web pages will compete for all 50 queries on search engines.

To use query analysis to optimize website content one should 1. Gather search query data from your paid campaigns. 2. Identify high-performing queries with strong CTR and conversions. 3. Create or adjust content that matches these queries. 4. Optimize meta tags, headings, and user experience. 5. A/B test and monitor performance. 6. Stay updated and encourage user feedback for continuous improvement.

User experience is my primary focus to boost CRO. It revolves around the menu and internal links, designed to navigate users through consideration and transaction intents. For visitors already on the webpage, the goal is to offer suggestions that shorten the buyer's journey and eliminate extensive research. People often know what they want but struggle to articulate it and need guidance. A UX centered around intent provides the necessary tips and direction.

Don't just rely on query analysis. Interviewing your users can often yield fascinating insights as well. In B2B, where you often have a very low search volume, I recommend looking at the topics of conference presentations and trade shows. These can tell you a lot about the needs and intents of your audience as well.