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Since 2019, Google's Quality's Raters' Guidelines have included user intent. Intent comes in different forms, which Google assesses to direct them to the most relevant content. As a business owner or blogger, you need to know what reasons your audience turns to the web in order to provide more high-value, high-conversion content.

What Is Intent SEO?

Intent search engine optimization tailors content to suit users’ reasons, also known as intent. Rather than simply relying on common or trending keywords to rank higher, intent-driven SEO incorporates keywords, format, and content itself based on not only a particular query but the need it fulfills. For example, a blog post about the different types of small dog breeds could fill a user's intent to know more about small dogs. But a website that allows someone to order custom engraved dog tags for their new puppy could be found via a do query, in which a person wants to perform a specific action. By understanding user intent and structuring your website accordingly, you can rank higher than your competitors and multiply your revenue streams easily. This is a flexible form of SEO that changes based on your audience's needs, wants, and even your particular product offerings or service packages.

What Do Your Visitors Want to Know?

Think about the difference between broad and niche content. Every industry has a vast array of knowledge that can be broken down into highly specific subtopics. Targeting the sub-topics that have scarce content online can give you an immediate leg up on the competition. Their thin content will be quickly outranked by an intent-based, thorough explanation that provides someone with all the information they need. When someone sees that you've answered their question well, they're more likely to look to you for more information. Strong inbound links with appropriate keywords will keep them on your site longer, giving you an even greater opportunity to turn them into a lead or directly convert them into a customer.

How Would You Rate Your Site?

One of the quickest ways to assess your website's value is to ask whether or not it would satisfy your intent as a consumer. If you were a customer looking for an establishment like yours, is the information readily available? Do you have a Google Business profile? Is contact information easily accessible from any page on your site?

If you have a hard time gauging your own work, as a friend or family member to give their honest feedback. You can even prompt them with specific questions to find out how well your content meets a user's intent. For example, you might ask them, "If you were searching, would this page appeal to you?" or "If you wanted to know, what would you type into Google?" Focus on improving high-level issues with your content first. Anything that impedes a site visitor's ability to read or navigate is your biggest obstacle because it prevents them from interacting with your content. When you know that your design is all clear, you can move on to optimizing the existing content and copy on your site for intent.