OnlineCommunicationNeedsOrientedUsers no longer search the Internet for information using just keywords, but rather complex questions that sometimes require interpretation. In response, search engines are now focusing on website content that also best covers other potential interests of their users. That means that to remain relevant for search queries, companies must adapt to this development and tailor their online communication to needs on the basis of a comprehensive keyword analysis.

Searchmetrics, a global provider of search data, software, and consulting services, has identified three best practices for using search intent to optimize content:

  1. Analyze and improve competitive content
    Most websites seem to only focus on collecting as many leads, traffic and conversions as possible, but quality comes before quantity: unique content as a USP is a simple and efficient lever to generate more sales through a website. Analyzing an audience’s apparent search intent helps create the content that the target group really needs and wants.

  2. Focus on informational search queries
    Most people want to inform themselves before buying and use search engines on the Internet for this purpose. In this early phase of the sales funnel or customer journey, potential buyers are particularly receptive. Therefore, it is important to focus on SEO with informative, high-quality content to create early and at the same time sustainable touchpoints. This greatly increases your chances of a subsequent transaction. Branding and transaction potentials are mainly exploited when the content of a website responds to the needs of the target group on the one hand and takes place in the company's topic area on the other. Therefore, before building, expanding, or optimizing websites, it is necessary to research the search intent for the targeted keyword cluster. This search intent serves as the basis for the overall website design. Because if you are looking for a specific topic, you are usually also interested in its various sub-areas. It's about filtering the most important areas and displaying them directly on the landing page as this achieves higher conversion rates and maximizes traffic.

  3. Content creation made easy

"You can do some of this keyword research yourself," says Lillian Haase, Searchmetrics CMO. “There are search engines that themselves offer useful tools for identifying relevant topics, such as the Google Auto-Complete function, which suggests additional terms for a search query. But when it comes to identifying relevant keywords in connection with the semantic optimization of texts, software solutions are the most efficient option. With them, potential topics can be identified and exploited in the best possible way.”

For example, data-driven text programs show authors relevant keywords on the topic while they are writing and classify them at the same time. Each topic has core keywords that should be used for SEO, as well as recommended keywords used by competitors and additional keywords that are less relevant. These keywords should be included in the text to a certain extent to meet user expectations and be classified by Google as relevant for corresponding search queries. Hence, the time-consuming SEO research is no longer necessary for the authors.


By Daniela La Marca