Unlocking the Power of Keywords: Exploring the Different Types for SEO Success

When it comes to SEO keywords, understanding their different categories based on search intent can greatly impact your SEO strategy. Let’s delve into the various types of Keywords and their associated search intents:

• Informational Keywords: Seeking Knowledge
  Informational keywords are used by searchers who are looking for specific information.
• Navigational Keywords: Finding a Specific Destination
  Navigational keywords are employed when users are searching for a specific website, webpage or online destination.
• Commercial Keywords: Exploring Brands and Products
  Commercial keywords are utilised by searchers who are in the exploration phase, seeking to gather information about brands, products or services.
• Transactional Keywords: Taking Action
  Transactional keywords indicate that searchers are ready to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a service or downloading an app.
• Apart from these intent-based keyword categories, other important types exist within SEO. Local keywords, for example, are used to find nearby products or services, while long-tail keywords are highly specific search terms that target niche audiences.

How To Find Google SEO Keywords?

Click Here – Free 30-Minute Strategy Session

Be quick! FREE spots are almost gone for this Month

Free Quote

• Analyse SEO keywords based on intent is particularly valuable as it allows you to understand how to compete effectively on search engine results pages.
• By determining the search intent behind a keyword, you can ascertain whether a user intends to make a prompt purchase, conduct further research or simply gather information.

Now, let’s delve deeper into different types of keywords in SEO to gain a comprehensive understanding of their significance in optimising your SEO efforts.

Learn More: What is SEO Keyword Research & Why Should You Do That?

Understanding Informational Keywords: A Gateway to Knowledge

Informational Google SEO keywords serve as search queries used by individuals seeking to acquire knowledge or learn something new. These types of keywords often take the form of questions, beginning with words like “what,” “why,” or “how.”

For instance, consider the following examples of informational keywords:

• Coffee calories
• National coffee day
• What is the difference between cold brew and iced coffee

Keywords Strategies

• When conducting an informational search, users are often looking for quick answers and relevant information. Google’s search results commonly include featured snippets, which provide concise answers to these queries.
• Let’s take a look at an example of a featured snippet for the informational keyword “what is the difference between cold brew and iced coffee”: Informational keywords typically signify that users are at the top of the marketing funnel, in the early stages of their buying journey. Consequently, they may be less inclined to take immediate action, such as making a purchase.
• While the conversion rate for informational content tends to be lower, it plays a crucial role in building brand awareness and establishing authority within a specific niche.

Learn More: What are Keyword and Why is it Important?

Exploring Navigational Keywords: Guiding Users to Specific Sites or Pages

Navigational keywords are utilised by searchers with the intention of finding a particular website or webpage. When individuals enter a brand name or website address into a search engine, they are conducting a navigational search.

Consider the following examples of navigational keywords:

• YouTube
• Traffic Radius blog
• Where is Angelino’s Coffee located

Keywords Strategies:

• Users performing navigational searches already have prior knowledge of the company or brand and are specifically seeking the correct website or physical location to access their desired products or services.
• For well-known and popular brands or websites, navigational keywords can serve as valuable sources of organic traffic. It is important to naturally rank highly for these keywords that include your brand name, ensuring that users can easily locate your online presence.
• By optimising your website and brand visibility, you can enhance your chances of appearing prominently in search engine results when users conduct navigational searches. This visibility fosters convenience for your audience and reinforces brand recognition, ultimately driving more targeted traffic to your site.

Learn More: How to Increase Organic Traffic?

Understanding Commercial Keywords: Exploring Brands, Products and Services

Commercial keywords are utilised by individuals who are actively researching specific brands, products or services. These keywords indicate an intent to check reviews, compare options or seek out discounts before making a purchasing decision.

Consider the following examples of commercial keywords:

• Free coffee
• Dunkin iced coffee Flavors
• Peet’s cold brew vs Starbucks cold brew

Keywords Strategies

• Make a commercial keywords list and employ the keywords to express your interest in engaging in commercial activities or making a purchase soon. These keywords present an opportunity to reach high-quality prospects who are closer to the buying stage.
• To effectively target commercial keywords, you can create various types of content such as comparison articles, listicles, reviews or how-to guides, depending on the specific keyword and the intent behind it.
• By optimising your content and website for commercial keywords, you can attract and engage potential customers who are actively seeking information and considering their options. This strategic approach helps you capture the attention of valuable prospects and guide them towards making informed purchasing decisions.

Understanding Transactional Keywords: Unveiling Strong Intent to Take Action

Transactional keywords represent the strongest intent to buy or take immediate action. These keywords indicate that users are actively seeking to make a purchase or engage in a specific activity in the near future.

To effectively target transactional keywords, businesses often use paid ads and optimise their product pages or other landing pages to facilitate immediate action on their websites.

Consider the following examples of transactional keywords:

• Buy crypto online
• Sandwich places near me that deliver
• Pickup truck for sale

Keywords Strategies:

• These keywords demonstrate that individuals have already progressed through the information-seeking phase, made a decision, and are now determined to take a specific action or make a purchase.
• Transactional keywords commonly include terms like “buy,” “subscribe,” or “for sale.” As a result, search engine results pages (SERPs) for these keywords often feature Google Shopping Ads. Due to their bottom-of-the-funnel positioning, transactional keywords are sometimes referred to as buyer keywords. They hold significant value when conducting keyword research and formulating SEO or PPC strategies.
• Transactional keywords provide a more precise description of a product or service, such as “neon blue unisex watch.” In contrast, more general keywords, like “men’s watches,” fall into the commercial category.
• By identifying and strategically targeting transactional keywords, businesses can capture the attention of users who are ready to take action, maximising their chances of conversions and facilitating the desired transactions.

Determining the Intent of Keywords: A Guide to Uncovering Search Intent

Identifying the intent behind different keywords can sometimes be challenging. For instance, when users search for “apple,” are they seeking information about the fruit or attempting to navigate to the technology brand’s website?

One effective method for understanding search intent is to analyse the search engine results pages (SERPs) to observe the types of results that Google displays.

Keywords Strategies:

• Take a look at the example below, where Google predominantly ranks information about the brand “Apple.” This indicates that the keyword “apple” is primarily a navigational search in the U.S.
• In certain cases, keywords can exhibit mixed intent, meaning there is a notable division in the desired results among searchers. For instance, the first page of Google’s results for “coffee beans” provides both commercial and informational outcomes.
• To quickly determine the type of search intent associated with keywords, you can rely on tools like Traffic Radius. By examining the “Intent” box or column in keyword-related reports, you can easily reference the intent type of each keyword.

The intent type is often abbreviated as follows:

I = Informational
N = Navigational
C = Commercial
T = Transactional

[Insert image highlighting the “Intent” box in a Keyword Magic Tool report.]

Traffic Radius determines the intent type of keywords by considering several factors, including:

• SERP features present in keyword search results, such as featured snippets
• The presence of specific words within the keyword that indicate the user’s intention, like “buy,” “address,” or “how”
• Whether the keyword is associated with a branded or non-branded query

What To Do?

• By leveraging tools like Traffic Radius and analysing search intent, you can gain valuable insights into keyword strategies and align your content and optimisation efforts accordingly.
• Understanding the intent behind keywords allows you to deliver more relevant and targeted results to users.

Leveraging Keyword Intent in Traffic Radius: A Comprehensive Guide

Discover three effective ways to use keyword intent in Traffic Radius for your SEO and content strategy:

Keywords Strategies:

• Check the Intent of Any Keyword (or List of Keywords)
• Traffic Radius’s Keyword Overview tool allows you to assess the intent of up to 100 keywords simultaneously. Simply enter a keyword or multiple keywords separated by commas and select your desired country. Click “Search” to generate the results.
• Examine the “Intent” column to understand the types of keywords you’re dealing with. It’s important to note that certain keywords may exhibit mixed intent, encompassing multiple categories. For a single keyword, refer to the “Intent” box instead.

For a deeper understanding of search intent, analyse the search engine results page (SERP) by clicking the “View SERP” button or icon.

Analyse a Competitor’s Keyword Intent Profile:

• Uncover the types of keywords your competitors are ranking for using Traffic Radius’s Domain Overview tool. Enter a competitor’s domain and select your country, then click “Search” to retrieve the results.
• Hover over the coloured bar in the “Keywords by intent” section to obtain a breakdown of keywords categorised by intent.
• This breakdown provides insights into the distribution of informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional keywords. Furthermore, it reveals the estimated organic visits per month driven by each intent category.
• Click on the blue number above the bar to access the “Positions” report within Traffic Radius’s Organic Research tool. This report showcases individual keywords, their associated search intent, and additional data like keyword volume (average monthly searches in the selected country).
• Use the “Intent” filter to refine the results and focus on specific intent categories of interest, such as informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional keywords. To gain further inspiration for your content strategy, examine your competitor’s top pages in the “Pages” tab. Start with the pages that generate the most organic traffic (according to Traffic Radius estimations).

By understanding which intent categories (e.g., informational, navigational, commercial, transactional) drive traffic to your competitor’s most valuable pages, you can derive valuable insights for your own content strategy.

FAQS