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Movers' guide to user intent - Movers Development

Movers’ guide to user intent

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We have talked time and again about the importance of truly getting inside the mind of your audiences and understanding what drives them. After all, the best way to appeal to customers is to know what they are looking for. And that is exactly where the analysis of user intent comes into play. Statistics show that there are roughly 3.5 billion online searches per day. Those are all questions that need answers. And among those search queries, there is a large contingent of your target audience. Your job should be to identify them and optimize your moving company website to the point where it can provide the most suitable answer to those online users. Today, we are looking at user intent and how understanding it can help your moving business grow.

What is User Intent?

To put it simply, User Intent is the purpose of doing an online search. It is the reason behind why we take the time to go online and type in something that we want to know more about.

Why should it matter to your moving business?

In a majority of cases, that search is focused on a very specific, keyword-relevant topic or getting more general information about a topic. And once you determine what the reasoning behind that is, you get into a much better position to be part of the solution.

Google has spent a lot of time and resources on developing advanced ways to determine the search intent of online users. And it has been using that knowledge to adapt its algorithm to find the best fit for user intent instead of focusing on a specific keyword. Sometimes, that can lead to you getting results that don’t even include the search term you typed into the search bar. That is because Google is constantly evolving toward being able to recognize the intent behind your search. And this is the knowledge that can greatly redefine and improve your moving company SEO efforts if implemented correctly.

What are the different types of user intent?

Person looking at laptop, with analytics behind him.
Explore the different types of search intent.

Since this is a mover’s guide to user intent, it’s only fitting that we use moving-related terms as examples. And so, based on the search input, we can interpret search intent in three ways:

  • Informational – to know (e.g. searching for “binding moving estimate meaning”)
  • Navigational – to find (e.g. searching for a specific professional moving company)
  • Transactional – to take action (e.g. searching for “affordable moving services Florida”)

Now, all this is nice and good, but what good does it do for your digital efforts? Well, let’s go ahead and explore how to properly optimize for each of these types of user intent.

Optimization for informational user intent

Given the broad range of information user intent, it can be difficult to imagine how your website can profit from focusing on them. After all, people search for a random and insanely broad range of things online. So, how can your website stand out, and is it even worth investing your resources into such an endeavor?

We’ve already mentioned that the vast majority of online searches are informational in nature. And so, while it can be extremely demanding, optimizing for information user intent is definitely worth the effort. Google has a special way of providing relevant answers to different types of queries – in the form of Featured Snippets.

  • A Featured Snippet is an answer box that you get on search results that offers a summarized answer to your inquiry, with a link leading to the full article.

The thing to remember with informational user intent is that it revolves around questions words such as:

  • How can I…
  • Tips for…
  • What is…
  • How to…
  • What are the benefits of…
  • How do/does…
  • Ways to…
  • Guide…
  • Tutorial…

And your job here is to make sure that the content you create is able to answer these types of questions. By doing that, you demonstrate to Google that your website has a wealth of knowledge to offer in terms of informing online users on the different aspects of moving-related questions. This in turn helps your brand grow and establish credibility within the industry.

Optimization for navigational user intent

When we discuss navigational search intent, we have people that are looking to find a specific brand or service they are familiar with. And so, they already have a destination where they want to end up in mind. The reasons why they are using a search bar to find that company or service usually come down to not knowing the exact URL for the website, or simply not having the time to type in the entire URL. So, instead, they use the brand name to indicate to search engines where they wish to end up (e.g. instant moving quote calculator, movers development pricing plans, etc.)

When it comes to primary phrases that navigational user intent revolves around, we have the following: 

  • Brand name
  • Service/Product name
  • Brand Login
  • Reviews
  • Location of
  • Directions to
  • Near me
  • Hours of
  • Cost of
  • Testimonials

At this point, you are probably wondering why you should waste resources on optimizing for searches for specific brands and official websites. And the truth is that even though Google will list the brand name at the very top of SERP, there is still value in showing up as a direct competitor to that brand. Simply by being able to show up on that first page for navigational searches, you send a clear signal to online users that there is an alternative in case they don’t convert with the brand they searched for.

Optimization for transactional user intent

Transactional search intents are the simplest for marketers to target, as they are very transparent and direct. Someone is looking to get a quote or buy packing supplies, and it’s your job to make that process as simple as possible for them. And so, when it comes to generating moving leads, transactional user intent is definitely something that you need to focus on as a moving company.

To get to pages where they can make a purchase, searchers use buyer or transactional intent keywords that can include: 

  • Buy
  • Where to buy
  • Discount
  • Apply
  • Purchase
  • Coupons
  • Schedule appointment
  • Reserve
  • Deals
  • For sale
  • Order
  • Download

The benefits of exploring and investing in search intent

People looking at laptop.
There are plenty of ways how focusing on user intent can benefit your online performance.

As we’ve explored the definition and types of user intent, it’s only fitting that we wrap things up with the benefits of committing to it. The truth is that there are numerous advantages in tailoring your content and optimization efforts to cater to the needs of online users:

  • Reduces your bounce rate. When you have content that is tailored for what audiences are searching for, it becomes much easier to keep them on your website. And as people spend more time on your website, it will only gain value and generate more traffic over time.
  • Improve the quality of your content. By having to cater to the specific needs of users, you are pushed toward taking time with creating the right content. Rather than relying on generic content, you invest in creating unique content that will help your moving business stand out from the rest of the competition.
  • Test your SEO approach and choice of keywords. User intent is one of the best indicators of just how successful your optimization efforts are. It can show you whether or not you’re targeting the right keywords. And if not, it can help you discover more relevant keywords that you can focus on to ensure more traffic on your website.