Why should Follow-Up Search Intent Be a Part of Your Content Strategy?

A few weeks before my wedding anniversary, my wife sent me a text message asking, "Which restaurant do you wanna book for our anniversary?"

So I fired up Google and began searching for: "romantic restaurants sydney."

I selected three restaurants and sent her the recommendations that I thought would appeal to her.

She texted back a few minutes later, "Can we go somewhere that's near the beach?"

My search then led to: "romantic restaurants sydney near beach."

I narrowed down my search to a few good options, and sent her the updated list.

My wife replies back, "Wouldn't it be nice if we turned this into a road trip out of Sydney?"

*sigh

Lo and behold, we did eventually dine at a lovely restaurant...near the beach...outside of Sydney...

Some people in this world (I would dare say customer service experts) have a unique ability to anticipate the desired needs and wants of audiences beyond their initial request.

But not everyone (me) is blessed with such gifts.

Which leads me to this article's topic: Follow-Up Search Intent, and why it needs to be a part of your current or upcoming content strategy.

What is Follow-Up Search Intent?

Follow-Up Search Intent refers to the subsequent search queries a user makes after their initial search.

These follow-up searches often reveal deeper, more specific needs or questions related to the original topic.

My above story is a classic example of Follow-Up Search Intent - audiences may want to know more, or refine their search if they're chasing something specific.

Understanding Follow-Up Search Intent will enable content managers to provide more comprehensive and relevant information, and if done right, will improve user satisfaction and reduce bounce rates.

Let's say you own a romantic restaurant in Sydney that happens to reside next to the beach.

If you were building a content SEO strategy, you would want to target more than just "sydney restaurants."

A diligent content or SEO manager would plot out a topic cluster analysis to identify all potential avenues of what your audiences may want to search for beyond "sydney restaurants" - and this process will often result in a lot of long-tail keywords targeting "restaurants by the water" or "valentines day restaurants sydney" or "romantic sydney restaurant menu" to name a few.

If you can target follow-up queries in your content, you open the door to a wider range of keywords and increase your chances of ranking higher in the SERPs.

Another benefit of understanding Follow-Up Search Intent is a potential increase in user engagement.

When content meets users' follow-up needs, they are more likely to spend more time on your site and share it with others.

If you always assume that your audience wants to know more, you will find that your content becomes far more engaging than simply a few keywords that barely scratch the surface of your organisation.

To harness the potential of Follow-Up Search Intent into your content marketing strategy means tapping into audience curiosity to want to know or learn more.

Why is Follow-Up Search Intent growing in importance?

By now, most content and SEO folks will be aware of SGE (Search Generative Experience).

For those who may be new to SGE, it's a feature becoming more omnipresent on Google and other search engines that generates summaries of information from the web, and has significantly impacted search behaviour.

SGE is anticipated to lead to an increase in Zero-Click Searches and a reduction in CTR (so keep a close eye on Google's AI Overviews as it continues to expand from the US to other nations).

Users are now more likely to ask follow-up questions directly to the SGE (which sits above-the-fold of Page 1 search results), which can provide them with the information they need without having to conduct additional searches.

Sounds terrible for SEO, right?

But it's not necessarily the end of the world.

As I mentioned above, audiences are curious, and tapping into that curiosity can override the assumed challenges behind SGE.

And Google needs to draw that information from reliable sources, because the search engine is not a source of truth.

Everyone's fear right now is that SGE may provide users with the information they need without visiting your site, reducing your organic traffic.

BUT by understanding Follow-Up Search Intent, you can create content that is more likely to be featured in SGE's responses.

The main takeaway here is that it's essential to create high-quality, informative content that goes beyond what SGE can provide - tapping into that curiosity.

Sometimes audiences want a Zero-Click Search such as, "What is the capital city of Australia?"

But most times, they will want to explore further because they're not satisfied with a one sentence, condensed answer.

How to leverage Follow-Up Search Intent

Here are a couple of places to start thinking about incorporating Follow-Up Search Intent into your digital content strategy:

Think more about depth of content

When I say "depth", I don't mean every landing page on your website needs a 30,000 word thesis about why your restaurant is situated by the sea.

Think instead about going beyond superficial information and delve into the nuances of a topic, whether on your Blog or About Us page.

This is an opportunity to incorporate insights from experts in the field to add credibility and depth to your content. This could include quotes, interviews, or references to scholarly articles.

You can use real-world examples to illustrate your points and make your content more relatable.

Case studies too can be particularly effective for demonstrating the practical applications of professional advice, and something that audiences may want to explore further beyond the SGE.

Think about your USP

What can you offer your audience that no-one else can?

This is where E-EAT is a critical factor in crafting unique content that audiences can explore further.

Always look for opportunities to back up your claims with original data or research findings. This could involve conducting surveys, experiments, or analysing existing data sets.

You could offer a fresh perspective on a well-covered topic. This might involve looking at the subject from a different angle, challenging existing assumptions, or proposing new ideas.

And take the chance to position yourself as an expert in your field by sharing your original insights and research.

This strategy can build your reputation and attract a loyal audience that is more likely to trust and engage further with your content.

Think about practical ways to create further engagement

Beyond simply a plethora of eloquent words, you can think about engaging your audience with interactive quizzes or polls that test their knowledge or gather their opinions.

Create practical tools that can be used by your audience to solve problems or make decisions. For example, a recruitment company could offer a salary calculator, while a health website could provide a BMI calculator.

These methods of engagement require audiences to follow-through to your site to access, because the SGE cannot offer or display it.

Another popular method is using interactive charts, graphs, or infographics to present complex information in a visually appealing and engaging way.

Final thoughts

If you are looking for a competitive advantage in your content marketing strategy, understanding Follow-Up Search Intent can give you a significant advantage over your competitors who may not be addressing these missed opportunities.

Audiences are naturally curious and will explore further IF the right quality content is created to lead potential customers to convert.

With AI shifting the way content marketing and SEO has traditionally been done for decades, understanding Follow-Up Search Intent and applying some best practices could reduce the impact that SGE will have on your content strategy.

For me, it's all about curiosity and quality.

Tapping into audience's curiosity with high quality content should be your number one strategy moving forward to leverage Follow-Up Search Intent.