Not all searches entered into Google or other search engines are equal. In fact, there are several important categories of searches that Internet users perform. That include navigational, informational, and transactional queries. In this lesson, we'll discuss several stages that your audience will move through, as they progress from a general interest to a specific preference, and finally to a resolution of their needs. We'll also see how several key search types align with audience intent. Until you can utilize your knowledge of your audience to better drive the right traffic to your site. To best get inside the heads of a searcher, and figure out the types of queries they are using, let's look at the stages of search and buyer intent throughout these data's. Now, these may change a little as the user isn't always looking to buy something. But the path and process will be similar, as they will start off with the more broad topic and gradually refine that to be more specific as they discover exactly what they want. At the beginning of the purchase path, organic search helps customers gain awareness of your brand, product or service. In this beginning stage, users have identified the need and are seeking a resolution. Let's use an example user to illustrate the search process. We'll call this user Tom. Tom decides he needs a computer but he doesn't know what kind. So he turns to his preferred search engine, probably Google, and types best computers to buy. This is the awareness stage. In this stage, Tom quickly discovers that this search is very broad. And in order to get the best results, he will need to refine his preferences. He will now need to evaluate the specific types of computers he wants to buy. Tom decides he would like a laptop and not a desktop computer. So he refines his search to best laptop to buy. His results then show him a variety of different laptops and he realizes, he needs to further narrow down his choices. There are different laptops for different uses, such as school, graphic design or gaming. In this example, Tom decides he wants a gaming laptop, so he looks up gaming laptop reviews to help decide on a specific choice. After reading reviews, Tom has decided on a specific laptop brand and model that he wants. He will now go to the purchase stage and search for that laptop brand and model number. Occasionally, this may start a new stage of search comparing merchants and narrowing down prices. So just to recap, you start off with a general awareness of what you were looking for. Evaluate those choices and develop a specific preference. Look into that preference and make the final decision. And move on to the purchase or resolution phase. Having an organic presence is useful in all stages of the cycle but is more useful the closer you get to the actual purchase phase. You generally don't need a lot of visibility during the initial stage of awareness though it can be beneficial to have brand presence here so the user recognizes your brand or site later. It can be helpful to have organic visibility in both the evaluation and preference intent phase, because the user may decide to convert and remember your site. The purchase phase can be very beneficial to SEO visibility. Because this is where the user is actively looking to buy a product, or perform a specific action. Their query means they do not have a specific site in mind for their purchase, if your site has a visibility during this stage, you have a greater chance of attracting and converting users. In addition to the stages of search, you have specific types of search queries. Each type of search query has a different intent associated with it. These types of queries are navigational, informational, and transactional. The first type of query is known as the navigational query. In this case, the user has a specific website in mind. Perhaps they have spent some time on a specific website in the past and have enjoyed that sites content. In this type of query, they search for the website or brand name directly and visit the brand result for that page. Let's use Amazon for an example. Since these are very brand focused, they require little optimization. The high brand focus means that users are looking for your brand in particular, and will be more engaged with your site often resulting in better conversions. One thing you should be aware of, however, are potential news results that contain your brand name as these will also show when someone searches for your brand. A negative story about your brand may influence their decision to visit your site or convert. You should also note that brand searches can pull up your Twitter account and your latest tweets. It's important to ensure that your social media team always maintains brand focus on social channels. The second type of query is an informational query. With these types of searches people are looking to get a bit more information about a topic or make an informed decision prior to making a purchase. You can associate this type of query with the middle stages of the buying funnel. An example would be someone searching for laptop reviews while they compare different types of laptops available. Note, that during this stage, users are more likely to notice suggested search queries. These are different search queries other users have typed in. This may change the keywords that you use, so you should look at this area for potential content ideas on your site. The third type of query is transactional, so in this case they are ready to buy and they're hoping Google will provide the results they need for their search query. In this example, the user has decided they are going to purchase a specific laptop. They have typed in the model number, displaying a variety of sites to purchase that specific product. Note that not all transactional queries have to result in a actual transaction. Someone might be trying to sign up for a newsletter, create a free account or more. As you can see, these types of queries closely align with the stages of search and are great for ensuring that you are targeting the right keywords and getting your brand out there every step of the way. You should now have a better understanding about the process a user goes through when performing a search online, and how to formulate your keyword choices so they have a greater chance at matching the intent of your target audience and generating conversions. That completes the video portion of this lesson.
