The Art of SEO, 2nd Edition

Determining Searcher Intent: A Challenge for Both Marketers and Search Engines

Good marketers are empathetic. Smart SEO practitioners and the search engines have a common goal of providing searchers with results that are relevant to their queries. Therefore, a crucial element to building an online marketing strategy around SEO and search rankings is understanding your audience. Once you grasp how your target market searches for your service, product, or resource, you can more effectively reach and keep those users.

Search engine marketers need to be aware that search engines are tools—resources driven by intent. Using the search box is fundamentally different from entering a URL into the browser’s address bar, clicking on a bookmark, or picking a link on your start page to go to a website; it is not the same as a click on the “stumble” button in your StumbleUpon toolbar or a visit to your favorite blog. Searches are performed with intent; the user wants to find something in particular, rather than just land on it by happenstance.

What follows is an examination of the different types of queries, their categories, characteristics, and processes.

Navigational Queries

Navigational searches are performed with the intent of surfing directly to a specific website. In some cases, the user may not know the exact URL, and the search engine serves as the “White Pages.” Figure 1-2 shows an example of a navigational query.

Figure 1-2. Navigational query

Opportunities: Pull searcher away from destination; ...