Search intent is one of those digital marketing topics fundamental to understanding audience behavior (and aligning to it). Earlier this year, Google reported that it processes 5 trillion searches each year! It’s the go-to for people looking for answers, products and services.

Since search is such an ingrained part of the consumer experience, it’s important to understand intent and how it can impact SEM (search engine marketing).

What Is Search Intent?

Search intent describes the goal of someone who uses a search engine. There are different kinds of intent:

  • Navigational: Someone is looking for a specific website. (e.g., brand website)
  • Informational: Someone wants to answer a specific question. (e.g., What is XYZ?)
  • Commercial: Someone researches a product or service. (e.g., What is the best XYZ?)
  • Transactional: Someone wants to purchase a product or service. (e.g., Buy XYZ)

Search intent plays a significant role in SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM. For SEO, businesses optimize content to align with relevant keywords while considering the purpose behind them.

In SEM, intent aligns with the sales funnel. In most cases, SEM is a consideration or decision stage. For the consideration stage, the intent could be informational or commercial. For decision, it could be commercial or transactional. For navigational searches, some companies run paid search ads just on their brand.

Overlapping Intents and How That Impacts SEM

A keyword phrase could overlap with intent, which means it could be part of two different ad sets.

Here are some examples:

  • “Bathroom remodel ideas for small budget”: The person is seeking information, but there’s also commercial intent.
  • “Best Chinese restaurants in Seattle”: This search seeks information, but could also be transactional if that person also wants to make a reservation.
  • “Road trips from Denver”: This search could be informational as well as commercial, as they may be looking for accommodations and attractions.

Keywords can have “layers” in terms of intent. You can’t peer inside the mind of each consumer to know what they want. You have to take the words as they are. The key for SEM is to be the most relevant and appealing choice so that users will click.

Much more than just intent contributes to a high-performing SEM campaign. Ad copy, the strength of the CTA (call to action) and other targeting are part of the equation.

Intent Data Helps Optimize for SEM

Intent data can be handy for paid search. It encompasses user behaviors that then reveal their true intention. It includes search queries, website visits, session duration online, clicks, ad engagement and more.

One of the best ways to compile this data is to look at the results of SEM campaigns. For keywords with an assumed intent, how did that turn out? Did ad clicks then turn into a conversion of some kind? If they didn’t, did the person spend time on the website, which means they may have been more in search of information than ready to purchase or sign up?

You also want to look at what ad copy had the best results. In this case, the assumed intent was part of the ad copy. Conversely, if ad copy had horrible results, the assumption was likely wrong, so the person ignored the ads.

Intent is psychological, and data provides insights. It’s not 100%, but as advertisers launch longer campaigns and gather more data back, it refines over time.

It’s also important to understand that intent isn’t fixed. It can change depending on many factors — the economy, industry shifts, consumer preferences, etc.

More on SEM

Search intent is an easy concept to grasp, but it’s complicated. It should be a part of the discussion and strategy when working on SEM campaigns. For more insights on paid search, read these posts: