On Monday, I explained why I do not recommend blogging for every business. (If you’re considering installing a blog on your site solely for SEO purposes, then do yourself a favor and go read this article first.)

Blog articles are just one of the many types of website content that you can create to get ranked in Google.  Don’t get too caught up thinking about whether blogs, videos, infographics, or some other format is better for SEO. One is not universally better than another.

Imagine you’re buying a bike.  Is a mountain bike better than a road bike or a BMX bike? Well, if you’re planning on riding on trails in the woods, then the mountain bike is obviously better.  But if you’re competing in the Tour de France or dropping into a half pipe, then no.

So, the answer depends on the terrain.

And with SEO, some types of content will work better depending on the keyword phrases you’re targeting — and the searcher’s intent.

 

Search Intent: What Does Your Prospect Want?

Whenever I explain this concept of search intent to a client, I can see the light bulb flip on, and at that moment SEO makes perfect sense.  With all the smoke and mirrors in this industry, it’s easy to forget that the basic rules of marketing haven’t changed.

So, let’s take a step back… What’s the first step in ANY marketing campaign?

Decades ago, an advertising man named Robert Collier once wrote that marketing messages should “enter the conversation already taking place within your prospect’s mind.” The same is true with SEO.

The most important concept in SEO is to match your website content to the searcher’s intent

What does this mean in practice?

Well, there are 2 main types of search intent…

Research Intent vs. Buying Intent

Some people are researching (we call this “research intent”), while others are looking to purchase a product or hire a service (we call this “buying intent”).

If you’re targeting a keyword with research intent (i.e. baby proofing tips),  you’ll want to create a page on your website with great, easy-to-understand, educational content.

If the keyword has buying intent (i.e. baby proofing kit), you’ll create a page that presents your business, product or service.

See the difference?

To rank for “baby proofing tips,” an informational article or video would satisfy the person searching in Google.

But what about the keyword “baby proofing kit”?  Does that person want to read a blog article or watch a purely informational video? Probably not.  So instead, you’d create a page that presents the baby proofing kit product.

Here’s What To Do Now

First, conduct keyword research to determine what your prospect is looking for in Google.  Use Google’s free Keyword Planner tool.

Then, for each major keyword phrase you want to rank for in Google, create a page that will totally satisfy your prospect’s intent.

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