Search Intent and Local Search Engine Optimization

Search intent is how we understand the critical why behind a Google search. Why is that important? Because Google, above all else, wants to keep searchers happy with its service. That means providing the most relevant, highest-quality results for a given query. As a result, they take search intent seriously.

Based on the intent for each search, Google will do its best to satisfy that search based on the specific intent.

This is important information to have for local businesses, like IT services firms. When you understand how users are searching and what they’re really looking for, then you’ll have a much easier time fulfilling those requests and earning a high ranking from search engines.

There are four types of search intent that you should understand, and three that you’ll want to integrate into your SEO strategy.

96.55% of content on the Internet doesn’t receive traffic from Google.

Navigational Intent

These searches are about reaching the user want to reach a specific destination on the web. Some basic examples:

“facebook” <- the user probably just wants to go to FB and found it easier to type it into the search bar then type the whole thing out.

“microsoft outlook login” <- this searcher is likely trying to log into their Outlook account and hasn’t bookmarked the page yet.  

You’ll notice that there’s some overlap between navigational searches and branded search terms, which are keywords that feature your company’s name or services. This is a good time to take note: Do you own your brand keywords? If not, that’s a fundamental issue you need to address.

When someone searches for your business, it’s important that you own MOST of that search engine result page. If not, that’s a sign of some serious problems with your website’s configuration and SEO health. You should get on fixing that as soon as you can.  

Also keep an eye out for ads. If competitors are running ads for your brand keywords, you may want to consider running your own ads or incorporating that into your search engine marketing (SEM) strategy.

Informational Intent

Users with informational intent are seeking knowledge about a specific problem.

Informational searches often include phrases like "how to," "what is," or are involve broad topics, like “why is cloud computing useful.” For growing IT services companies, creating high-quality content that addresses common questions can help you build rapport with your users, but not necessarily in the way you’d think.

Will content you write for informational searches appear on Google if a search is done locally? The answer is no.

If you look at a typical informational search in our industry, for example something like, “what is a managed IT services provider,” you’ll see the following SERP (or something like it).

You’ll notice that the top results are from huge, well-established brands or media outlets. This is because these websites have very strong domains. Lots of sites are linking to them and the content they’ve produced, which signals to Google that these sites are trustworthy.

So then why should IT service companies create content around information searches? There are a few reasons.

Connect with Curious Readers

You might feel like writing another blog called “What is a Managed IT Services Provider,” or “What is Cybersecurity Training so Important” is a waste of time. We’d politely disagree. Sure, there are many similar articles out there already, but consider the following points.

Establish authority Do your prospects already know everything there is to know about cybersecurity training? Probably not, so educate them.

Relationship building You want to engage your prospects as they navigate the early stages of the buying process. You can do that by promoting targeted content across your owned media channels.

Pre-qualify buyers Are your salespeople struggling with a deluge of unqualified leads? You can use content  

Build Topical Authority

Topical authority is SEO means the experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), and credibility of your website on a specific subject or topic.

When a website produces high-quality content that covers a particular topic in depth, Google recognizes it as an authoritative source and rewards it with higher rankings.

Here are some ways that an IT services firm builds topical authority.

1. Emphasizing Content Depth and Breadth

   topical authority means covering a topic thoroughly, including subtopics, related questions, and prognostications about future trends.

2. Improving Content Velocity and Consistency

   Regularly updating and adding new content related to your services demonstrates that your website is being a valuable source of information.

3. Encouraging User Engagement

   Whenever a visitor spends time reading or sharing content, Google and Bing will take these signals as indicators of authority. That’s good for your SEO.  

Topical authority is the ultimate SEO goal for any IT services firm, especially those that are focused on a single city or state. It compounds your content investment and accelerates SEO campaign results with no additional investment. All it takes is a little strategic thinking!

Commercial Search Intent

Commercial intent search is when users are look to evaluate a purchase decision. These searches primarily concern your service pages. Let’s look at some examples of commercial intent searches.

“cybersecurity services” < - Commercial intent search

 You’ll notice that here, the results for the search are commercial in nature. Each result highlights a company’s offering. There’s an opportunity to take another stage on each page, whether that be arrange a meeting, download a whitepaper.

They’re sales focused, because the searchers intent indicated that they were looking to purchase a service.

Let’s go another step deeper:

“cybersecurity services dallas” <- Commercial intent with a location.

First, you’ll see the Google Map pack. The Map Pack, sometimes called the "local pack" is a Google search feature that displays a map, and three local businesses related to the user's search query. Those results are usually at the top of the search results page when someone searches for a local service or business.

There’s a lot of value in ranking in the Google map pack.

Let’s go deeper into the organic results:

You’ll notice that we’ve uncovered sub-type of the commercial search intent here, which we’ll call “local intent,” which is when someone makes a commercial intent search, but they add a local term to narrow the search down. Google adjusts accordingly, and so should you.

That means optimizing service pages for commercial intent searches.

Transactional Intent

Users with transactional intent are ready to make a purchase. This type of search intent is generally relevant for eCommerce stores only, but it isn’t restricted just to purchases. For example, a user doing a transactional search might want to complete a newsletter signup or download software, though those are secondary concerns for most local IT companies.