Hey there, from the team here at Loomo Marketing! We talk a lot about keywords, backlinks, and technical SEO, but there’s a fundamental concept that underpins all successful search strategies: Search Intent.
Ever wonder why some of your website pages attract tons of traffic but few conversions, while others hit the jackpot? Often, the answer lies in understanding why someone typed that query into Google in the first place. Getting this right means meeting your audience exactly where they are in their journey, leading to better rankings, more qualified traffic, and ultimately, better business results.
Simply put, search intent is the goal behind a user’s search. Google’s main job is to figure out this intent and deliver the most relevant results. If your content doesn’t match the likely intent, you’re fighting an uphill battle for visibility.
So, let’s break down the five core types of search intent we analyze for our clients every day:
Branded Intent: The “Tell Me About [Brand]” Search
- What it is: Users are searching specifically for your brand name or products associated with your brand. They are aware of you and want to learn more, engage, or perhaps revisit.
- Think: “Loomo Marketing services,” “Nike running shoes,” “latest iPhone reviews.”
- What Google Shows: Your official website should dominate, alongside key product/service pages, potentially your social profiles, recent news, and trusted review sites.
- Why It Matters for You: This signals brand awareness and interest! Capturing this traffic effectively allows you to control your brand narrative, showcase your offerings, manage your reputation, and guide interested users towards conversion. It’s crucial for nurturing leads and reinforcing loyalty.
Informational Intent: The “I Need to Know” Search
- What it is: The user is looking for information, answers, or wants to learn how to do something. They aren’t typically in buying mode yet.
- Think: “how to improve website speed,” “what is content marketing,” “best local parks in Vancouver,” “signs of a failing hard drive.”
- What Google Shows: Blog posts, how-to guides, articles, videos, infographics. Expect features like “People Also Ask” boxes and Featured Snippets.
- Why It Matters for You: This is your golden opportunity to attract new audiences at the top of the funnel! By providing genuinely helpful, expert content, you build trust, establish authority in your niche, and increase brand visibility. It’s the heart of content marketing and can generate leads or gently guide users further down the funnel over time.
Commercial Intent: The “Help Me Decide” Search
- What it is: The user is actively researching and comparing products, services, or solutions with the potential goal of buying. They’re in the consideration phase, weighing their options.
- Think: “best CRM software for small business,” “Mailchimp vs ConvertKit,” “Loomo Marketing vs [Competitor],” “top digital cameras 2025.”
- What Google Shows: Comparison articles, in-depth reviews, best-of lists, product category pages, maybe forum discussions analyzing pros and cons.
- Why It Matters for You: This is where you capture users seriously considering a purchase in your space. Your content (detailed reviews, comparison guides, case studies) needs to highlight why your offering is the best choice. Traffic with commercial intent is highly valuable as it’s much closer to converting than purely informational searches.
Transactional Intent: The “I’m Ready to Act” Search
- What it is: The user is poised to make a purchase, sign up, download, or take another specific conversion action. They’ve likely made their decision and are ready to move forward.
- Think: “buy [product name],” “sign up for Netflix,” “digital marketing agency Langley,” “download free SEO checklist,” “order pizza near me.”
- What Google Shows: Direct product pages, service pages with clear sign-up/contact options, pricing pages, app store links, local map results, and prominent shopping ads.
- Why It Matters for You: This is the bottom-of-the-funnel traffic that directly impacts your bottom line! Optimizing your key landing pages, product descriptions, checkout process, and using strong calls-to-action is critical. Targeting keywords with clear action verbs (“buy,” “subscribe,” “download,” “quote”) helps capture users precisely at the moment they’re ready to convert.
Bringing It All Together
Understanding the difference between someone searching “what is SEO” (Informational) versus “SEO agency Langley” (likely Transactional or Commercial) is fundamental. Here at Loomo Marketing, aligning content strategy with user intent is a core part of how we drive meaningful results for our clients.
By mapping your keywords and content to these different intents, you can create a more effective customer journey, improve your SERP rankings, and ensure your marketing efforts resonate with users at every stage.
Need help deciphering the intent behind your target keywords and aligning your content strategy? Get in touch with Loomo Marketing today!
