Stop getting distracted and go back to the basics of search intent

Jan-Willem says: “Focus on the basics and don’t fall into the trap of Shiny Object Syndrome.

Over the past few years, there has been a trend where more and more tools are being introduced that do not actually provide value for the average SEO, which perfectly aligns with the introduction of AI-based tools as well. We’re being led into traps. Companies are starting to ask SEOs why we’re not using AI to produce content and meta descriptions.

I want to focus on one important aspect of optimizing for SEO: matching your content to the search intent Google deems users to have when they are searching for specific types of keywords. Focusing on this one basic optimization aligns with all the other SEO tasks you’re doing. Making sure you understand search intent helps you understand how to structure your website and where to prioritise your technical optimization.

Let’s say you think you have a commercial keyword, but Google ranks Top X Lists with the best SEO rank tracking tools. Does it make sense to spend time technically optimizing your category page or do you need an informational blog article?

Understanding search intent is one of the fundamental things you need to do as an SEO. However, the new features that tools are launching, and the day-to-day discussions SEOs are having, are not about search intent. The shiny stuff that’s being released usually doesn’t add much value for the average SEO. Go back to the basics, see what Google is actually showing in the top 10/ 20 links, and base your actions on that.”

Are you still mapping navigational, informational, commercial, and transactional intent?

“The traditional model for search intent is not specific enough in the current landscape. Google is moving towards a more dynamic way of ranking. They have much more data available for identifying specific user needs, which translates into more specific intents. We need to identify those intents and map out our actions from that.

Traditionally, we have informational intent, which is one of the biggest buckets. If you look through the content that ranks for some of those ‘informational intent’ keywords, you will find long-form content, short-form content, and simple definitions in featured snippets showing the meaning of a specific word. Sometimes people are looking for visuals, an image, or a figure to give them an answer.

They want to be guided to a certain form of content. Classifying a keyword simply as ‘informational’ is too broad to determine the actions that need to be taken.”

How does Google determine specific user intent for informational queries?

“What we’ve seen happening over the years, especially during the core Google updates, is that they shift intents, and they need lots of data for that. We’ve also noticed that, by having more advanced technology available, they better understand the content that is produced on the web. They can now determine whether something is actually the most relevant content for a certain topic.

They can get a first impression by looking at the length of the content and the form in which it is produced. Interestingly, I’ve been able to rank with a Top X List for commercial keywords just by being the first in the market to create that form of content for that specific keyword.

If you look at your SEO rank tracking software, you might notice a mix of content that’s currently ranking. There could be informational content, tool providers, Top X Lists, etc. Lately, this has changed with every update. There is no one singular classification for each specific keyword. Those intents only exist in a certain context. You need to take into account the date, the time, and even the year.

If a user searches for ‘winter jackets’ in the summer, they may be focused on getting the models from last year at a discount. That’s a commercial-focused intent. However, if they are searching for ‘winter jackets’ in the autumn, they may want to know what the latest trends will be. After the summer, Google might shift to providing more content-rich visual style guides for the same keyword. It’s really difficult to say that there is one specific intent for that keyword over a longer period of time.

Some SEO tools are trying to map search intent just using the four traditional intents we previously mentioned. That’s too basic to cover what’s actually happening. Go back to Google, see what’s currently ranking, and adapt your content to what you think will be relevant. Don’t just copy what others are doing (although that may lead to a top 5/10 ranking) but also try to do it differently and test it.”

Should you have multiple pages targeting different intents for the same keyword or should you adapt your content according to how intent changes over time?

“Think about it like a living organism. During the year, or during specific periods, change the focus within your own domain. You have to cover multiple intents for the same keyword. There may be overlapping content, but if there’s a clear difference in the layout of the page and the content itself, it shouldn’t be a problem – as long as the quality of that content aligns with the intent and what the user expects.

The challenge is in proving the value of that content and measuring success. It can be very resource-intensive to monitor 100,000 keywords, constantly adapt your content, and change your strategy throughout the year. That’s where AI comes in handy if you want to do analysis at scale. There are tools that provide you with raw data from the current SERPs so that you can compare that with what was ranking half a year ago, or before or after a core update. You can check out the content of the pages that rank and use an AI tool to classify the types of content that are ranking, which helps you to do it at scale.

Even if you do it manually, if you identify a trend across a subset of 10 keywords, then it would make sense that Google will apply the same kind of logic across similar keywords in the same niche.”

Does AI understand intent, and write with intent in mind, at a high enough standard?

“It’s good for doing things at scale, but you have to teach it. Whatever tool you use, make it very clear what you expect the output to be. The same logic applies for content creation but, for classifying intents based on what’s ranking, have the tool visit the top 10 search results. Have it check out the content on those pages, and give it rules.

For example, you can give it rules so that it can tell the difference between a list of top 10 SEO rank tracking tools and a commercial landing page from a rank tracker. You can teach the AI that, if there’s a table, then it’s probably a comparison piece. If there’s just a list, then it’s probably an affiliate suggestion list. Once you teach it to check for certain features, then it’s really easy for the AI to extract the logic out of that and apply it to a larger data set.”

What metrics do you use to measure whether or not your page is serving the intended intent?

“I like to report on rank volatility, especially for bigger clients. Rank volatility is the amount of ranking movement for one specific page type throughout the year. The bigger core updates always happen at set periods so it’s easy to check the volatility around those updates to see if something is missing or not matching up.

What we’ve traditionally been seeing is that, when you’re in the top 10, rankings are quite volatile. However, once you’re in the top 3, your results are usually much more stable. That’s what we want to look out for. We want to push a URL into the top 3 because it’s much more stable. Therefore, one of the metrics I report on is the percentage of keywords that have low volatility and a top 3 ranking.

However, anything that aligns with traditional SEO metrics will do. If you’re able to compete on a commercial keyword with a Top X List informational blog and outrank the category pages that are already ranked there, you will directly see the impact in traffic and conversions.”

When’s the best time to change content on your page to match upcoming changes in buyer intent?

“I recommend making changes a few months before because Google needs time to collect data. Also, we can teach Google about changing search intent. If multiple websites start to publish articles about ‘winter coat trends’ in August, then Google will understand that this is something people are looking for and writing about. They may even want to change the search intent directly when they notice an increase in certain types of content.

You can compare it with how Google News works. If something is going on around a famous person wearing a specific winter coat, a Google News section will pop up and Google Discover feeds will be filled with that same kind of content. That’s a good sign that Google is able to directly respond to both changes in intent and requests from the actual users.

On one hand, you want to try and change your content a couple of months beforehand because that also gives you time to tweak the content and make it perfect before the peak season starts. On the other hand, Google is fast enough to respond directly to any changes you make.

Let’s say you have an informational section on your website dedicated to giving simple definitions of 100 SEO-related keywords. If you notice that Google now wants dedicated long-form pieces of content for these types of queries, then just do them one by one and publish them on the go. Google will pick it up immediately and see that it aligns better with what they currently want to show to their users.”

If an SEO is struggling for time, what should they stop doing right now so they can spend more time doing what you suggest in 2024?

“Stop playing with the shiny stuff and focus on the basics. 95% of websites still haven’t covered the basics. Why use an AI to write meta descriptions if you already have many meta descriptions that don’t contain a USP? Why use tools to optimize internal linking when the main menu doesn’t even contain the most searched pages?

There are so many examples where basic thinking will give you enough input to optimize already, and you don’t need fancy tools for that. The same is true for search intent. I have built fancy setups for identifying search intent across millions of keywords at once, but that only applies to one or two really specific clients I have. For all the others, they just need to go to Google, see what’s ranking, and do the work. Use AI or shiny stuff for ideation or when you have a mental block. Otherwise, just focus on the basics and do the work.”

Jan-Willem Bobbink is a Freelance SEO, and you can find him over at NotProvided.eu.