Do you understand customer search intent? It’s an important factor in customer experience and search engine optimisation, informing everything from your value proposition, customer funnels, content strategy, and paid advertising. Your business must understand customer intent if you want to succeed. But what is it and how can you leverage it for your benefit?
We cover everything you need to know – from the psychology of why customers have intentions to the different types of customer search and the tools that help businesses capitalise on them. By understanding customer intent, companies can stay top of mind at all stages of search - especially when a customer has the intention to purchase.
What is customer intent?
Customer intent is the customer's goal or desired outcome when they search for something. It could be a product, service, information, an answer to a question, or something else. It's important to understand customer intent because it helps you create content and experiences of value and relevance to the customer. Knowing what customer intent looks like can help businesses optimise their content, SEO, customer service and more.
The psychology of search intent
Understanding customer search intent goes beyond just keywords, tools and research surveys - it's also about understanding the psychology behind customer search behaviour. Knowing what customers are searching for and why they search is key to you business being in the right place at the right time to capture that customer's attention.
Why are Google searches intentional?
Google searches are intentional because the customer is looking for something specific. They’re not just searching blindly or out of curiosity. They have an goal in mind, and they want to get it as quickly as possible. That's why customer intent is so important – it's what drives customer decisions.
What makes customer intent ... "intentional"? In psychology, intentionality refers to the idea that behaviour is purposeful and goal-oriented. It's based on the notion that people do things for a reason – they have a goal in mind, and whatever action they take is meant to help them achieve that goal.
Different types of customer search intent
Informational searches - customers want to know
A customer is looking for information or expresses a problem they are looking to solve. They are looking for possible solutions, or want to do something for themselves. Customers with informational intent seek out knowledge and facts. For example, "lighting a kitchen island".
Your strategy
Get started by creating content that answers questions, like why something is important or brings the customer benefits.
Commercial searches - customers want to shop
A customer is looking for a particular product or service or is considering options. There is commercial intent - these are the keywords you need to improve sales. Customers with this intent have the goal of comparing different products and services before making a final decision. They might be researching customer reviews, prices, or features. For example, "rustic pendant lighting".
Your strategy
Commercial searches are the sweet spot of opportunity, where someone has decided how they want to solve their problem, but haven't discovered your company yet -- these are the keywords for which you need search engine optimisation.
Navigational searches - customers want to buy
A customer is looking for a brand or a company. Customers with this intent have the goal of finding a specific website or destination. This could be to purchase a product, read customer reviews, or find out more information about product or service. For example, "MooBooHome Lighting".
Your strategy
Land more navigational searches with brand awareness, so you stay top of mind when people are searching on Google, (and you need to be first on the search results page).
Intent mirrors (and illustrates) the customer journey
Understanding intent will help you create content that supports every stage of the customer journey. It shows in real terms how customers search from the point of awareness through to purchase. Understanding search intent helps businesses develop a customer-centric search strategy and optimise their content for every stage in the journey.
Search intent helps inform your value proposition
Search terms (at every stage) reveals customer needs, interests and preferences. Knowing search intent is vital for developing and refining your value proposition. When you understand search intent, you will ultimately understand the thought process of your customers, and this understanding will help you solve customers' problems, help them make gains and support their job roles.
Tools to use to research customer intent
You need tools that capture customer intent at every stage.
SEO software (like Moz, SEMRush, or Ahrefs) are essential to understanding customer search volumes, and competitor rankings as part of a well-rounded marketing strategy.
Tools like Google Analytics can help you measure customer behaviour so that you can understand how customers are searching for your product or service, where they come from, how long they stay, and why they leave your website.
Google Search Console gives you easy-to-read dashboards that help you uncover search performance, user experience insights and search trends.
Google Ads Keyword Planner is an effective way to understand which keywords are popular in your niche and with your competitors, and some related keywords you may not have considered.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software and customer behaviour analytics can help businesses identify customer intention, track customer journeys, and make better informed decisions.
Finally, don't forget market research basics: customer surveys and focus groups to get direct feedback from your customers on how they search for products or services, and why they make their search choices.
A professional marketing agency will use a suite of tools to research your search marketing strategy and create long-lasting content that delivers results to grow your business.
A content strategy that delivers
The search intent journey is the process a customer goes through as they search for a product, service or solution. Understanding the stages of search intent—from awareness through purchase—allows businesses to provide content that speaks to different stages of the search process, helping customers find what they need at each stage.
Staying top of mind with brand awareness
It's important to stay top of mind when a customer has an intention to purchase. This is achieved through effective content marketing strategy - create content that is relevant and timely for customers, as well as engaging campaigns that target customer intent keywords. Having a customer-centric approach, providing customer education and building customer loyalty are all effective strategies to stay top of mind.
Understanding intent is essential
Understanding customer intent will put your business at the top of search, regardless of the type of customer intent, and that is a powerful tool for your business. With the right tools and customer-centric strategy, businesses can make their search results more valuable and relevant at every stage of the customer journey.
Interested to learn more?
We are ready to help you create content that performs at every stage of customer search. Get in touch by email or book a free keyword discovery call below.