Blogging

Search Intent For Bloggers: Understanding Your Audience’s Needs

Search intent for bloggers

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Search intent is understanding the meaning behind searches, why people search, how they do it, and how to capture this traffic to your blog from search engines like Google.

You must understand the psychology of search and think about how people search on the internet.

This means that to make money blogging, a blogger must understand the search intent behind a query.

In this article, I’ll cover the following:

  • Search intent.
  • Keyword research.
  • Transactional and informational searches.
  • How to frame content.
  • How to make money with your blog.

Let’s get started!

The First Days Of Blogging

When I think about what blogging was when it first started, or even 15 years ago, compared to what it is today, it’s a lot different.

Back then, blogging was more or less making updates to your friends and family.

You could visit a website like Live Journal, write different things out, and update your audience. Basically, you would write updates about what’s going on with your life. There wasn’t any consideration of keywords or things you had to write about.

LiveJournal

Writing a blog was, more or less, just providing updates to an audience over time and writing things that people would read.

Blogging was a reading and writing process.

Today, it is a business process that is a Google-driven engine.

What Blogging Is Today

GIF cartoon blogging

You cannot find people online anymore just randomly stumbling upon your blog. You have to promote it. And the number one way to get traffic for any blog is through Google.

It’s not Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, although they’re pretty good channels.

The one to focus on and the one I solely focus on is Google.

Why?

Unlike social media, there’s a search and intent behind the person typing on Google.

So, for example, if you’re on Facebook, you’re just browsing, and you might find somebody you like and follow them.

If you’re on Google, something goes into your head, and you type it. You’re looking for a solution-based answer. Blogs are solution providers.

So, in that sense, this blogging business is a Google-driven engine. Google is almost an extension of the human mind:

  1. Think about something.
  2. Type it into Google.
  3. Look for specific results.

Search Intent: Informational And Transactional Keywords

Ultimately, to get traffic and make money blogging, there are only two types of keywords to target, meaning two types of search intent.

Many bloggers start by adding ads to their websites, although I believe ads are the last resort for blog monetization, as you’ll see below in this article.

Therefore, the two types of search intent are informational and transactional.

1. Informational Search Intent

Informational keywords signify users looking for in-depth knowledge about a particular subject. They’re often packed into search queries like:

  • How to
  • What is
  • The best ways to

They drive your target visitors to your website like a magnet when looking for quality content and reliable information.

Strategically integrating these keywords into your content boosts your discoverability, solidifies your online authority, and helps build trust with your audience.

informational blog post - how to make money on youtube

Informational posts typically get higher search volume levels, so you’re capturing more traffic from them. They can be competitive, but they’re not monetization-driven.

I like to focus more on the second type of search intent. However, it’s crucial to have a mix of both.

2. Transactional Search Intent

Transactional search intent means there will be a purchase involved. Consider a blog mediating between a Google search and a purchase.

A transactional search could be something like “best AI ad generator.” Someone is looking to sign up with a company that sells that service but wants to know which one is the best.

Google search for transactional keyword best AI ad generator

“Best” type of articles are list posts (also known as listicles) providing all the opportunities and answers to that transactional search. And guess what? Most include affiliate links.

Because the reader is already in buying mode when doing a transactional search, it increases their chances of purchasing through your affiliate link.

When you start looking for it, there is hidden money all over the Internet. Most thanks to affiliate marketing.

Other types of transactional posts might include reviews.

Google search for transactional keywords 90 minute affiliate challenge review

When someone is looking for a product review, they’re usually on the fence about buying it. This is where you can step in and provide value to the reader while including your affiliate links throughout the article.

Don’t Focus on Ads When Starting a Blog

I wrote an article targeting the keyword “leadership qualities.” It gets a decent amount of monthly search volume, as you can see in the keyword overview provided by Ahrefs.

Ahrefs keyword leadership qualities

So, if someone wants to look up leadership qualities, that’s cool. But how am I going to monetize this post? In other words, how would I capture money from them when they hit my site?

I can’t.

That’s why this type of post is perfect for displaying ads. Ads are the last resort when it comes to monetization.

You should only use ads on informational posts that people read but do not want to purchase anything, join your email list, buy a course or a digital product, or make a purchase through an affiliate link. They’ll probably read the information and then leave.

That’s why ads work here.

However, ads are not a panacea. You’ll only earn significant money with ads if you have a lot of page traffic.

This is why you see many ads on recipe and food blogs—you’re just looking for the recipe. You don’t want to stick around and buy a bunch of stuff from them, but they still want to get paid.

This is informational search intent. Informational posts do just that: they provide information.

That’s what most of the internet is. People are looking for an answer to a problem. They’re not necessarily ready to purchase something yet.

Did You Understand Search Intent?

In this article, I covered the two posts every blogger needs to know to make money blogging. These are:

  • Informational posts.
  • Transactional posts.

The two go hand in hand. While the former establishes you as an authority in your niche, the latter provides information about the tools your audience needs.

Informational posts get a high search volume, but there’s no transactional search intent: ads are the best way to monetize them.

Transactional posts get a more specific and intended search. This means the searcher is already in “buyer’s mode.” The best way to monetize them is through affiliate links.

Start thinking about what types of how-to guides and information you want to share with your audience to show you’re an expert. Also, what type of purchase-driven transactional keywords do you want to start writing about that can make your blog the mediator between a Google search and a purchase?

Vaslou is a passionate digital creator and blogger who loves to explore unique paths to generate online income. He’s also a musician, always looking for exciting paths to articulate his inventive spirit in the musical realm. When he’s not at work on his online endeavors, Vasco loves to delve into spiritual realms to become a better version of himself.

3 thoughts on “Search Intent For Bloggers: Understanding Your Audience’s Needs”

  1. Hi Vasco,

    Excellent post buddy. I appreciate how user search intent molds how we write posts and how we monetize those posts, too. Definitely takes a lot of thought – and clarity – to blog effectively. I genuinely doubled down over the prior few weeks to get clearer and clearer on finding user intent and serving up posts to offer them solutions. Ditto for monetizing posts; I need to find what they will gravitate toward versus what I wish to sell.

    Ryan

    Reply
    • Hi Ryan,
      Sometimes it’s a trial and error process, though there are no errors, ultimately. It all depends on how much you want to monetize your blog vs. having fun writing without the money in mind. Another thing I didn’t mention in this post is that to make money, you need traffic. And what better way than to be featured in other blogs to gain backlinks for your domain authority to increase in the eyes of Google? Or guest posting? I believe that’s the culprit of having a successful blog. Thanks a lot for your comment. Looking forward to blogging from paradise also!

      Reply

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