Introduction
Do you want to know how to create content that satisfies the search intent of your users and that also helps you rank better on Google? If so, this article is for you.
In this post I will explain what search intent or user intent is, why it is so important for SEO, how to determine the search intent for a content, how to identify the keywords and what tool you should use to know the keywords that your target audience uses.
In addition, I will show you how you can solve search intent with Chat GPT, an innovative tool that allows you to generate quality content with artificial intelligence.
Are you interested? Then keep reading and discover how to solve search intent with Chat GPT.
What is search intent or user intent?
Search intent or user intent is the result that the user expects to obtain after having performed a certain search or query in the search engine.
That is, it is the why behind each query. In other words, what does the user want to know, do or find when they search for something on Google?
For example, if a user searches for “learn SEO”, their search intent may be to find out more information about what SEO is, how it works, what benefits it has, etc. Or they may want to find an online course, a book, a blog or a YouTube channel where to learn SEO.
Google’s mission is to provide users with the most relevant results for their queries. That’s why Google constantly strives to better understand what a user really wants to see or know when they enter a certain keyword in their search engine.
Why is search intent so important for SEO?
Search intent is one of the SEO factors that has received the most relevance and attention in recent years. And not without reason, as understanding and creating content that aligns with search intent is critical for ranking on Google in 2023.
Why? Because relevance is the basis of success in SEO. If you want to rank on Google in 2023 you need to be the most relevant result for that search. And that means creating content that aligns with search intent.
So if you are trying to rank for “best credit card” don’t try to squeeze your landing page into the search results (SERPs). You won’t get it. Google knows what users want to see when they perform this search and it’s not that. It’s information. Blog articles, comparisons, etc.
In addition, by creating content that satisfies the search intent of your users you will be improving the user experience, one of the most important SEO factors in 2023. By offering your users what they are looking for you will be increasing the time spent on your website, reducing the bounce rate and generating trust and authority.
What types of search intent are there?
There are four main types of search intent or user intent:
- Informational or informative search intent: these are the types of searches performed with the intention of finding out more information about something or learning more. For example: “what is SEO”, “how to make an omelette”, “what is the capital of France”, etc.
- Transactional or commercial search intent: these are the types of searches performed with the intention of buying or getting something. For example: “buy Nike sneakers”, “book hotel in Madrid”, “download free ebook”, etc.
- Navigational search intent: these are the types of searches performed with the intention of accessing a specific website or brand. For example: “Facebook”, “Amazon”, “Netflix”, etc.
- Investigative search intent: these are the types of searches performed with the intention of comparing options or making a decision before buying something. For example: “best credit card”, “iPhone 13 vs Samsung Galaxy S21”, “reviews on SEO course”, etc.
It is important to note that these types of search intent are not mutually exclusive, but can overlap or combine. For example, a search like “how to choose a credit card” can have both an informational and an investigative intention.
How to determine the search intent for a content?
To determine the search intent for a content we have to analyze two fundamental aspects: keywords and search results.
How do you identify keywords?
Keywords are the terms that users enter in the search engine to find what they are looking for. They are the basis of SEO and digital marketing, as they allow us to know the needs, interests and problems of our target audience.
To identify keywords we have to perform a process called keyword research or keyword analysis. This process consists of searching, analyzing and selecting the most relevant and profitable keywords for our business or web project.
There are different methods and tools to do keyword research, but one of the simplest and most effective is to use Google’s own search engine. Simply by entering a generic keyword related to our topic we can get ideas and suggestions based on what users actually search for.
For example, if we enter “learn SEO” in Google we can see the following:
- The automatic suggestions or autocomplete: these are the options that Google shows us while we type our keyword. These options are based on the most frequent and popular searches related to our keyword.
- The related searches: these are the queries that Google shows us at the end of the results page. These queries are based on the similar or complementary searches to our keyword.
- The featured snippets or rich snippets: these are the results that Google shows us at the top or side of the page, highlighting a direct answer to our query. These results are based on the most relevant and authoritative content for our keyword.
- The organic results: these are the normal results that Google shows us ordered by relevance and authority. These results indicate what type of content is ranking better for our keyword and what format and intention they have.
With these elements we can obtain a wide and varied list of keywords related to our main topic. In addition, we can repeat this process with each one of the keywords obtained to go deeper and find subtopics or specific niches.
What tool should you use to know the keywords that your target audience uses?
Although Google’s search engine can give us many ideas and suggestions about the keywords that our target audience uses, it does not provide us with quantitative data about them. That is, we do not know how many times those keywords are searched per month, what their level of competition or difficulty to rank is, what their commercial potential or conversion is, etc.
To obtain this data we need to use a tool specialized in keyword research. There are many tools on the market, both free and paid, but one of the most complete and popular is Ahrefs.
Ahrefs is an SEO tool that allows us to do keyword research (among many other things) using its own database with millions of keywords updated constantly.
With Ahrefs we can enter any keyword and get detailed information about it such as:
- The monthly volume: the estimated number of times that keyword is searched per month
- The keyword difficulty (KD): a number from 0 to 100 that indicates how difficult it is to rank for that keyword
- The CPC: the average cost per click that advertisers pay for that keyword
- The potential traffic: the estimated number of monthly visits that a website could receive if it ranked first for that keyword
- The SERP overview: a summary of the top 10 organic results for that keyword
- The SERP features: a summary of the special elements that appear on the results page
In addition to Ahrefs, there are other similar tools such as Semrush, Moz, Ubersuggest or Keyword Tool. All of them allow us to obtain valuable data about the keywords that our target audience uses and that we can take advantage of to create content that aligns with their search intent.
How to optimize for search intent?
Once we have identified the keywords that we want to use for our content, the next step is to optimize it for search intent. This means creating content that responds to the needs, expectations and goals of the users who perform that search.
To optimize for search intent we have to take into account the following aspects:
- The format: it refers to the way we present the content. It can be a text article, a video, an infographic, a list, a table, etc. The most suitable format will depend on the type of search intent and what works best on Google’s results. For example, if the intention is informational, it is most likely that the format will be a text article with images or graphics. If the intention is transactional, it is most likely that the format will be a product page or a landing page with buy buttons or calls to action.
- The tone: it refers to the way we address the user. It can be formal or informal, professional or colloquial, educational or entertaining, etc. The most suitable tone will depend on the type of search intent and the profile of our target audience. For example, if the intention is informational, it is most likely that the tone will be educational and professional. If the intention is investigative, it is most likely that the tone will be persuasive and emotional.
- The content: it refers to the information we offer to the user. It must be relevant, useful, updated and truthful. The most suitable content will depend on the type of search intent and the questions or doubts that the user has. For example, if the intention is informational, it is most likely that the content will answer the basic questions about the topic: what it is, how it works, what it is for, etc. If the intention is investigative, it is most likely that the content will answer the comparative questions about the topic: what options are there, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each one, what criteria should be taken into account to choose, etc.
To optimize for search intent we have to analyze Google’s results for our keyword and see what type of format, tone and content are ranking better. This way we can adapt our content to what Google considers more relevant and satisfying for the users.
How to solve search intent with Chat GPT?
So far we have seen what search intent or user intent is, why it is so important for SEO and how to determine and optimize it for a content. But what if I told you that there is a tool capable of generating content optimized for search intent with just entering a keyword?
That tool exists and it is called Chat GPT.
Chat GPT is a chat system based on the language model by artificial intelligence GPT-3, developed by the company OpenAI. It is a model with more than 175 million parameters and trained with large amounts of text to perform tasks related to language, from translation to text generation.
Chat GPT is capable of generating written content in a highly coherent and very similar way to those created by humans. In addition, it can adapt to the format, tone and content most suitable for each type of search intent.
How does Chat GPT work? Very simple: you just have to enter a keyword in the chat and Chat GPT will generate a text optimized for that keyword in a matter of seconds.
For example, if we enter “how to make an omelette” in Chat GPT we get the following text:
An omelette is a typical Spanish dish that consists of a mixture of beaten eggs and fried potatoes cooked in a frying pan. It is very easy to make and can be eaten hot or cold, alone or accompanied by bread, salad or sauce. Here we explain how to make an omelette step by step:
- Peel and wash about 4 medium potatoes and cut them into small pieces.
- Put a frying pan over medium-low heat with plenty of oil and fry the potatoes until they are tender but not browned. Stir occasionally so they don’t stick.
- In a large bowl beat 6 eggs with salt to taste.
- When the potatoes are ready drain them well from the oil and add them to the bowl with the beaten eggs. Mix everything well.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat with a little of the leftover oil and pour in the mixture of eggs and potatoes. Spread it well over the entire surface.
- When it starts to set around the edges flip it over with the help of a plate or a lid and cook it on the other side until it is done to your liking.
- Slide the omelette onto a plate and serve it hot or cold.
As you can see Chat GPT has generated an informational text with a clear format (numbered list), an educational and professional tone and relevant and useful content (step by step recipe) to satisfy the informational search intent.
But Chat GPT can not only generate informational texts but also transactional, navigational and investigative ones.
For example if we enter “buy Nike sneakers” in Chat GPT we get the following text:
If you want to buy Nike sneakers online you have many options to choose from. Nike is a leading brand in sports footwear that offers models for all tastes and needs. Whether you are looking for sneakers for running, training, playing soccer, going to the gym or simply dressing with style, you will find the perfect Nike sneakers for you.
To buy Nike sneakers online you can access their official website where you can see all the models available, filter by category, size, color, price and other features, and take advantage of the offers and exclusive promotions. You can also customize your Nike sneakers with the Nike By You service and create your own unique and original design.
Another option to buy Nike sneakers online is to visit the online stores of other authorized distributors such as Amazon, Zalando, Foot Locker or JD Sports where you can compare prices and opinions of other buyers and benefit from free shipping and easy returns.
Whatever your preferred option to buy Nike sneakers online remember to choose your size and model well and check the purchase conditions and warranty before confirming your order. This way you can enjoy your Nike sneakers comfortably and without problems.
In this case Chat GPT has generated a transactional text with a structured format (paragraphs), a persuasive and emotional tone and content oriented to purchase (options available, benefits, recommendations) to satisfy the transactional search intent.
As you can see Chat GPT is a very powerful and versatile tool that can save you a lot of time and work when creating content optimized for search intent.
Advantages and disadvantages
Chat GPT has many advantages but also some disadvantages that have to be taken into account before using it.
Among the advantages we can highlight:
- It is fast: it generates texts in a matter of seconds without having to wait or download anything.
- It is easy: you just have to enter a keyword and that’s it. You don’t need any previous knowledge or configuration.
- It is smart: it adapts the format, tone and content to the type of search intent. In addition, it can learn from previous interactions and improve its responses.
- It is multilingual: the language model of Chat GPT can be trained in different languages, which allows content creators to generate content in different languages to reach a global audience.
Among the disadvantages we can highlight:
- It is imperfect: it can make mistakes in spelling, grammar, coherence or accuracy, which can affect the quality and credibility of the content. Therefore, it is necessary to review and edit the content generated by Chat GPT before publishing or using it.
- It is limited: it cannot generate content on any topic or in any language. It depends on the data it has been trained with and the availability of linguistic resources. Therefore, it may not be able to answer some queries or do so incompletely or irrelevantly.
- It is ethical: it can generate content that is offensive, inappropriate, false or illegal, which can have negative consequences for the user and for society. Therefore, it is necessary to use Chat GPT with responsibility and respect.
Conclusions
Search intent or user intent is a key factor for SEO and digital marketing in 2023. To create content that satisfies the search intent of the users we have to identify the most relevant and profitable keywords for our business or web project and optimize the format, tone and content for each type of search intent.
Chat GPT is an innovative tool that allows us to generate content optimized for search intent with just entering a keyword. Chat GPT is capable of adapting to the format, tone and content most suitable for each type of search intent and generating coherent and natural texts.
However, Chat GPT is not a perfect or infallible tool. It has its advantages and disadvantages that have to be taken into account before using it. Chat GPT can be a very useful and valuable tool to save time and work when creating content, but you always have to review and edit the content generated by Chat GPT before publishing or using it.
In addition, you have to use Chat GPT with responsibility and respect, avoiding generating content that is offensive, inappropriate, false or illegal.
FAQs
It is the result that the user expects to obtain after having performed a certain search or query in the search engine.
There are four main types of search intent: informational, transactional, navigational and investigative.
To determine the search intent for a content you have to analyze the keywords and the search results.
To know the keywords that your target audience uses you should use a tool specialized in keyword research such as Ahrefs
Chat GPT is a chat system based on the language model by artificial intelligence GPT-3, developed by the company OpenAI. It is capable of generating written content in a highly coherent and very similar way to those created by humans.
To solve search intent with Chat GPT you just have to enter a keyword in the chat and Chat GPT will generate a text optimized for that keyword in a matter of seconds.