How do people search on Search Engines ?

It is an important knowledge to know how people search on Search Engines for Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ). Knowing how people search on Search Engines can give you right information on how to use right keywords for your Search Engine Optimization.

To know how to optimize your website for search engines, start by understanding how people use keywords when they search for things online. It sounds obvious, but there’s more to it than just clicking ‘Search’.

How Do People Search Online?

First off, what exactly are keywords? They’re the brief, one to five-word phrases that people type into Google when they’re searching for something.

When you use a search engine, you type in at least one keyword (also known as a “search phrase” or a “query”). The search engine then chooses which websites to display in the Search Engine Result Pages ( SERP ) by matching the user’s query with keywords found in websites across the Internet.

Searches, performed countless times daily by people around the globe, are at the heart of search engine optimization. The first step in mastering SEO is to figure out the intent of your potential customers. This is, in fact, what search engines are trying to do as well. What is a user looking for when they reach for their phones to type in a few keywords on a search engine?

The Rule of Three

The types of Google searches people perform can generally be broken down into three categories, known as “Go,” “Know” and “Do.”

1. The Go Search. This searcher isn’t trying to hail a cab or get on an airplane. They are trying to go to a specific website. They know about a business and may have been to its website before. Also known as “branded searches,” these searches will often include the name of the business. Sample Go searches include: Pandora bracelets, Wix website builder or NY Times.

2. The Know Search. In their fervent thirst for knowledge, the Know searcher is looking for information. It may be a quick fact, like the height of Mt. Everest (it’s 29,029 feet). The searcher may want to learn how to create a website from scratch. Sample Know searches include: when was Lyndon Johnson president, how to train for a marathon or convert 98.6 Fahrenheit to Celsius.

3. The Do Search. This type of search is performed by someone who wants to do something. Perhaps they want to bake a carrot cake with their 4-year-old so they type in “kid-friendly carrot cake recipe.” They may also want to go out for dinner, find the nearest post office or plan a trip to the French Riviera. Sample Do searches include: affordable hotel in Nice, Thai restaurant in Boise or post office 10011.

Whether you’re looking for good keywords, planning your website layout, or writing new content for your blog, remember to keep this rule of three in mind. It’s a little trick that can grant you valuable access into your visitors’ thought processes. When you have a good understanding of what your customers are hoping to achieve when they search online, it’s far easier to offer them what they are looking for.

User Intent: Thinking in Queries

As you embark on the process of choosing target keywords, refer back to this concept of user intent. Always think about what your target customers would be looking for online. What queries are they entering into Google? It might be that you are only looking to attract users who already know about your business. These are people who are looking for you by name. Known as “branded keywords,” you can help strengthen the power of your brand on Google by using your business name frequently (but naturally) throughout your website.

Or perhaps you want to attract new customers who are looking online for the types of products or services that you sell. If so, then you need to target keywords that describe what you offer. Choosing good keywords requires understanding your potential customers and anticipating what they would likely be typing into Google.

A good keyword is one that makes you say, with confidence: “Anyone searching for that would be happy to land on my site!”

Don’t Try to Do It All

Smart SEO is about focusing your time and energy on the keywords that are most likely to bring you clicks from people in your target market. Your goal is to bring potential clients to your website and to reach people who are genuinely interested in what you do, so what matters is how your website “ranks,” or how high it appears, in search results for relevant queries. Attracting visits from people who immediately leave your website will not increase your business or boost your bottom line.

Attracting the Right People

Getting search traffic to your website from people who aren’t really interested in your business can do more harm than good. That’s another reason why it’s so important to help search engines really understand your site and your target market. When visitors come to your site but quickly close the browser tab or click back to the Search Engine Result Pages ( SERP ), it’s known as a “bounce.” If your website builds up a high “bounce rate,” your site’s rank may decline on Google. If, on the other hand, users spend a long time on your site and visit many pages, your ranking will improve. As you choose your keywords, consider words that are most likely to bring in members of your target market. You and Google share a common goal — you want to present your potential customers with a quick solution to their problem or answer their question.

Once you understand the intent of your target market and have a good idea of what they are searching for online, make sure that search engines know this as well. By using keywords strategically throughout your website — both on the site and behind the scenes — you can help Google associate your website with these keywords. Remember that search engines are the matchmakers who have the power to connect your customers to your website.

Help Search Engines Make Sense of Your Site

Search engines won’t spend all day crawling and indexing your site. To make sense of your site, search engines look at your URL, your titles and descriptions, your content and your image alt text. Make sure to include your keywords when creating these elements of your site. If you’re a local business, always include your address, email and phone number on your contact page and, ideally, on the header or footer of every page of your site. Learn more about how to use keywords in our chapter Using Your Keywords: On-Page SEO.

Long Tail Keywords: All About Intent

Remember that you aren’t trying to attract a sheer quantity of users. Sure, mass amounts of traffic is tempting, but good SEO is about bringing in visits from real members of your target market. These are the people who are most likely to stay on your website, peruse its pages and ultimately interact with your website. Whether people end up finding your website from a Go, Know, or Do search, more specific long tail keywords are key to attracting users who will actually stick around. Long tail keywords are usually three or more words long and they often indicate a strong user intent. They may not get searched for millions of times a month, but users searching for long tail keywords are usually closer to making a purchase or taking action.

Consider surfboards for example. One person searches “surfboards” and someone else searches “used Greco surfboards in San Diego.” Which searcher is more likely looking to buy a surfboard? Unlike the first searcher, who might be performing the search for any number of reasons, the person looking for the used Greco board has a very specific intent and i probably almost ready to purchase that board.

70% of searches on the web are for long tail keywords. People looking for long tail keywords are more apt to be purchasing than people looking for more generic terms. Plus, longer keywords are almost always less competitive and easier to rank for. If you want to bring in new visitors who will become customers, make sure to include some good long tail keywords on your list!

Be Patient With Search Engines

Remember that it will take time for search engines to index your site and the results won’t be immediate. It’s worth it to get started quickly so Google can get to work scanning your site! Mastering the art of organic SEO and helping Google know when to display your website in relevant SERPs requires ongoing work over a long period of time. Commit to it, however, and the results will pay off!

iMarketology can help you with Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) service for your websites.

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