If you’re like most people, you probably use search engines on a daily basis. And if you’re looking to improve your website’s ranking in those search results, then it’s important to focus on using informational keywords.

Why? Because by providing searchers with the information they’re looking for, you’ll be more likely to get a click – and start a conversion. So if you want your website to rank higher in search engine results, make sure to include informative keywords throughout your content.

What Are Informational Keywords?

Informational keywords are words that help describe what a piece of information is about. They can be used to describe the topic of a piece of writing, the subject of a conversation, or the focus of a research project.

By providing keywords that describe the main ideas of a piece of information, informational keywords can help provide context and make it easier for others to find and understand. Often, but not always, these keywords are lower competition, meaning they’re easier to rank in the SERPs.

What is Keyword Intent?

The keyword intent of a phrase is what we predict to be the intent of a searcher looking for that exact term. However, we can’t always be certain of this.

Understanding user keyword intent is critical to successful SEO. By matching your keywords and content to what users are searching for, you can increase the chances that they’ll click through to your site.

Before you can analyze your keywords, you have to look at the intent of the terms you’re targeting.

4 Types of Keyword Intent

1. Commercial intent
2. Informational intent
3. Transactional intent
4. Navigational intent

How to Identify Keyword Intent

Sometimes, it’s obvious what someone’s intent is when they search. For example, if they search for “buy”, they’re probably looking to buy something.

However, there may be some cases where the intent is not as clear. In these cases, it can be helpful to look at the searcher’s history or the context of the search.

Google has spent years trying to identify the intent of a user’s search query. You can pick up a few clues by searching for things on Google.

Essentially, Universal Search is an attempt by Google to figure out what users want and give it to them directly in the results.

These types of searches will most often be interpreted as “intent” by Google.

1. “Quick-answer” search boxes are a good way to gauge users’ intentions.
2. “People Also Ask” boxes also signify informational intent.
3. Google’s shopping results are high-intent queries.
4. Google’s local results are typically navigational queries.

How to Organize Keywords for Better Conversions

The first step to organizing your keywords is to sort them by user intention. This will help you create content that resonates with your target audience.

• Informational: Informational keywords with an informational searcher’s intention are pretty straightforward.
• Transactional: Content that guides readers down the purchase funnel, such as a product list, a comparison guide, frequently asked questions, or a manual.
• Commercial: If you have a product or products that match, you can talk to your marketing team about how to optimize pages to rank for these searches. Otherwise, these can be lists of products or “Buy Now” pages that are directly tied to these specific keywords.
• Navigational: Some keywords will have a “Buy Now” intent while others will have transactional intent (i.e. customers reviewing your products). Some of these should be handled through reputation management, while others should be managed by the sales team or customer service team. Most will be beneficial to more than one group.

Next, organize your keyword lists according to the required action:

• Some keyword ideas might be good as content for a new website or for creating new pages.
• Some keyword phrases can be used to optimize your existing web pages.

Organize your keywords by search type. For instance, queries for information and transactions may be better suited for different pages.

• Blog posts on seasonal products
• FAQ pages for navigational queries
• Glossary of complicated terms
• Content upgrades

You can organize the search terms in your spreadsheet by grouping them based on similar characteristics. You can sort them by intention, the required action taken, and the kind of page you will create. Essentially, this process is how you develop a keyword cluster.

You can then combine those spreadsheets into a marketing automation platform or CRM for easier collaboration.

Keyword research can take a while, but it’s essential for developing your marketing strategy.

When planning out and creating your digital content, make sure you consider the user’s intention. This will help you create better, more targeted content that will appeal to your intended audience.

Now that your pages have a clear objective, they each have a purpose.

Focus on Long-Tail Terms

There are thousands of different search terms being searched every day, so trying to rank for popular keywords can be very expensive. Instead, consider targeting long-tail search phrases, which are less competitive and less expensive.

70% of daily search queries are long-tail keywords.

This field of long-tail keyword phrases makes up the bulk of all search queries, with billions of individual terms being searched daily.

Informational Searches Fall on Top of the Funnel

Once you have identified which of your keywords are for information and which are for transactions, you can organize your list into two separate groups. This helps you to create more relevant content for your users.

These informational, top-of-the-funnel inquiries usually include commonly asked questions that people have about a product.

These informative lines won’t necessarily lead to immediate sales but may help introduce your company to new clients and increase your website traffic.

For researching keywords, sites like UberSuggest and Quora are a great places to look because these topics and questions are driven entirely by user demand.

Providing valuable content on popular topics that users are interested in is a great way to improve engagement on your site.

Visually Rich Featured Snippets

There is a huge difference when searching on Google for “china”. How in the world does Google know I am searching for “bone china” and not the country?

When search engines try to decipher my search queries, they may return results about China when I’m actually looking for information on tableware.

Targeting specific locations, times, and apps in your keywords and long-tail phrases can greatly increase your chances of reaching more users on mobile devices.

Today, context is king. And users expect that the content that they see online is relevant to them and their needs.

When coming up with your keywords, use what users are searching for and what they’re clicking on.

If you are targeting certain keywords through Google AdWords, understanding which search queries are preferred by searchers can help you reach more potential customers.

Setting up cross-device tracking will help you to implement long-tail keywords for smarter bids.

Digital marketing is becoming more competitive than ever. The algorithms of search engines like Google are getting smarter, pushing digital marketing professionals to up their SEO game.

By targeting the right type of audience, creating great content, and optimizing your site for search engines, you can increase your ranking on SERPs and get more traffic to your website.

Choosing the right keywords can spell the difference between success and failure for your business.

Choose the Best Keywords with Contextual Signals

There are many contextual cues, such as time, location, and weather, that make it easy for marketers to cater their web copy to each visitor.

To stand out online, your business needs to take advantage of those buying signals from potential customers.

By optimizing your content for long-tail keyword phrases, you can target specific, detailed questions.

To truly connect and build relationships with your mobile users, it’s important to provide them with an experience that’s tailored to them, in an instant and answers their exact questions.

It’s not about getting a click on the specific keywords, but rather about what happens next.

Today, SEO is about creating content that answers the search intent of users. This often means writing blog posts that answer specific questions that searchers have.

Now, with search engine algorithms being able to decipher the meaning behind the search, you can start a conversation once someone clicks through to your website from a search engine result page.

Beyond simply giving one answer to a prospect’s question, you want to form a positive relationship with them, not just provide an answer to their problem.

Conclusion

Overall, informational keywords are important for SEO and a great advanced keyword strategy. They help you rank higher in search engine results. By providing searchers with the information they’re looking for, you’ll be more likely to get a click – and a conversion. So if you want your website to rank higher in search engine results, make sure to include informative keywords throughout your content.