Navigating SERP Complexity: How To Leverage Search Intent For SEO

NAVIGATING SERP
COMPLEXITY:
HOW TO LEVERAGE
SEARCH INTENT FOR SEO

THIS IS A STANDARD SLIDE
FOR SHORT CONTENT.
Lorem ipsum dolore est vitra.
@STATrob

FULL-FUNNEL ORGANIC IS ON ITS
WAY OUT.
Most sites need to diversify.
@getSTAT

ON THE AGENDA TODAY:
• A brief history of search intent
• Identifying intent
• What di
ff
erent intents look like
• Matching intent
• The future of the organic funnel

@getSTAT
VP OF RESEARCH &
CHIEF SCIENTIST AT
ALTAVISTA FROM
1999–2002.

@getSTAT
INFORMATION
RETRIEVAL = THE
DISCIPLINE THAT
SPAWNED SEARCH
ENGINES.

THIRD GENERATION SEARCH ENGINES
…SOUND FAMILIAR?
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
NO MENTION OF
THIS OBVIOUS
PARALLEL.
CONSIDERATION
CONVERSION
ADVOCACY
ADVOCACY
CONVERSION
CONSIDERATION
AWARENESS

THESE CONCEPTS HAVE LONG-
STANDING TRACTION IN SEO.

@getSTAT
BRODER HAS BEEN
A DISTINGUISHED
SCIENTIST AT
GOOGLE SINCE 2012.

THESE INTENTS WERE ALSO
MENTIONED IN THE FIRST QRG IN 2012.
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
MANY SEOS DID
SEE THE LINK WITH
A TRADITIONAL
MARKETING
FUNNEL.
This STAT graphic is from
2016.

ML CLASSIFIER
EXPERT RULES
MOZ SEARCH INTENT MODEL
INTENT:
ICTN
@getSTAT

77%
23%
Di
ff
erent intent
Identical intent
Desktop vs. mobile keywords
ONE KEYWORD, ONE INTENT?
@getSTAT

ONE KEYWORD, ONE INTENT?
66%
34%
Di
ff
erent intent
Identical intent
US vs. UK keywords @getSTAT

INTENTS IN THIS DATA
3%
22%
31%
18%
27%
@getSTAT
INFORMATIONAL
COMMERCIAL
TRANSACTIONAL
NAVIGATIONAL
MIXED

#
of
SERPs
0
75
150
225
300
375
100
158
190
244
296
358
TOP 3 INTENT MIXES:
TRANSACTIONAL IS A COMMON THEME
@getSTAT
I + T C + T N + T I + N I + C C + N

MIXED INTENT SERPS HAVE
LESS OPPORTUNITY.

• A brief history of search intent
• Identifying intent
• What di
ff
erent intents look like
• Matching intent
• The future of the organic funnel
ON THE AGENDA TODAY:

• 10,000 queries from Keyword Planner across 20
di
ff
erent sectors
• Tracked on smartphone and desktop, in Portland,
Oregon and Brighton, England = 40,000 total SERPs
• Categorized using Moz’s search intent model
THE RESEARCH DETAILS:
@getSTAT

UP FIRST, THE TOP OF THE
FUNNEL.
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
CONSIDERATION
CONVERSION
ADVOCACY
WE ARE HERE
ADVOCACY
CONVERSION
CONSIDERATION
AWARENESS

FEATURED SNIPPETS ARE
CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH
INFORMATIONAL INTENT.
So much so we included them in our intent heuristic.
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.04
0.16
FEATURED SNIPPETS
& INFORMATIONAL SERPS
Informational SERPs Average SERPs
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.24
0.38
KNOWLEDGE GRAPHS
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
0.63
0.85
“PEOPLE ALSO ASK”
@getSTAT

PAA & ANOTHER FEATURE IS
ENOUGH TO FILL MOST SCREENS.

INFORMATIONAL SERPS ARE
GETTING EVEN BUSIER.

%
organic
share
of
voice
0
10
20
30
40
50
Informational Commercial Transactional Navigational
49.7%
43.5%
45.5%
43.5%
REGULAR ORGANIC IS A TOUGH GAME FOR
INFORMATIONAL SERPS.
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
CONSIDERATION
CONVERSION
ADVOCACY
ADVOCACY
CONVERSION
CONSIDERATION
AWARENESS
WE ARE HERE

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
2.52
4.47
PRICE
& COMMERCIAL SERPS
Commercial SERPs Average SERPs
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
1.5
3.0
4.5
6.0
GB US
1.93
3.1 3.19
5.61
Commercial SERPs
Average SERPs
PRICE
GB SERPS VS. US SERPS
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
3.11
4.77
RATINGS
& COMMERCIAL SERPS
@getSTAT

PRICE & RATINGS ARE COMMON
ON PRODUCT & REVIEW PAGES.
Which tells you something about what ranks here.
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
WHAT ABOUT STANDALONE
FEATURES?

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0.28
0.62
POPULAR PRODUCTS
& COMMERCIAL SERPS
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.21
0.26
IMAGES
& COMMERCIAL SERPS
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.14
0.30
“DISCUSSIONS AND FORUMS”
& COMMERCIAL SERPS
@getSTAT

THIS IS A DIVERSE RANGE OF
SERP FEATURES.
But what about organic?
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
reddit.com amazon.com youtube.com amazon.co.uk bestbuy.com
0.05
0.17
0.29
0.19
0.37
0.15
0.31
0.35
0.41
0.54
TOP ORGANIC RANKING SITES
FOR COMMERCIAL INTENT
@getSTAT

Avg.
authority
of
top
10
organic
results
0
25
50
75
100
0%
0%
0%
0%
80
75
82
76
Domain Authority
COMMERCIAL SERPS HAVE THE
TOUGHEST ORGANIC COMPETITION.
@getSTAT

Avg.
authority
of
top
10
organic
results
0
25
50
75
100
73
68
72
58
80
75
82
76
Domain Authority Brand Authority
COMMERCIAL SERPS HAVE THE
TOUGHEST ORGANIC COMPETITION.
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
TRANSACTIONAL INTENT IS
SEARCHERS WHO ARE READY TO
BUY.

@getSTAT
MANY TRANSACTIONAL
KEYWORDS COULD ALSO BE
CALLED LOCAL.

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.23
0.46
LOCAL PACKS OFTEN INDICATE
TRANSACTIONAL INTENT.
Transactional SERPs Average SERPs
@getSTAT

“FIND RESULTS ON” =
EUROPEAN LEGAL SHENANIGANS
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
GB US
0
0.07
0
0.12
Transactional
Average SERPs
“FIND RESULTS ON” APPEAR WITH LOCAL
PACKS IN EUROPEAN MARKETS.
@getSTAT

LOCAL PACKS & “FIND RESULTS
ON” ARE THE ONLY FEATURES
OVERREPRESENTED ON
TRANSACTIONAL SERPS — WHY?
@getSTAT

LOCAL PACKS & “FIND RESULTS
ON” ARE THE ONLY FEATURES
OVERREPRESENTED ON
TRANSACTIONAL SERPS — WHY?
Ads.
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
CONSIDERATION
CONVERSION
ADVOCACY
ADVOCACY
CONVERSION
CONSIDERATION
AWARENESS
WE HAVE
ARRIVED

@getSTAT
NAVIGATIONAL AKA… BRANDED?

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.08
0.22
FULL SITELINKS
& NAVIGATIONAL SERPS
Navigational SERPs Average SERPs
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.02
0.05
TWITTER BOXES
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.03
0.06
0.09
0.12
Smartphone Desktop
0
0.04
0
0.1 Transactional
Average SERPs
APP DOWNLOADS
& NAVIGATIONAL SMARTPHONE SERPS
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.02
0.06
NEWS
@getSTAT

SITELINKS, TWITTER BOXES,
APPS, & VIDEOS ARE THE KIND OF
FEATURES WE’D EXPECT TO SEE
ON A GOOD BRANDED SERP.
And the kind you should try to own for your own brand.
@getSTAT

Appearances
in
top
20
per
SERP
0.00
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
reddit.com youtube.com wikipedia.org instagram.com facebook.com
0.09
0.07
0.20
0.29
0.38
0.16
0.20
0.29
0.36
0.37
TOP ORGANIC RANKING SITES
FOR NAVIGATIONAL SERPS
@getSTAT

INFORMATIONAL IS FULL OF
FEATURES ABOVE THE FOLD.
@getSTAT

COMMERCIAL HAS TOUGH AND
WELL OPTIMIZED ORGANIC
OPPOSITION.
@getSTAT

TRANSACTIONAL IS PAY TO PLAY.
(Unless you’re a brick-and-mortar business.)
@getSTAT

FULL-FUNNEL ORGANIC IS HARD.
For many or most sites, at least one step in their
funnel needs to involve other channels. This is
probably not news.
@getSTAT

IT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EVER TO USE MULTIPLE CHANNELS
TO FILL OUT YOUR FUNNEL.
@getSTAT

BUT THERE ARE POINTS OF
VULNERABILITY.
Depending on your vertical and strengths, there are
opportunities.
@getSTAT

TOP OF FUNNEL ORGANIC IS STILL
VIABLE — IN SOME VERTICALS.
Especially when it’s less crowded with ads.
@getSTAT

YOU CAN APPEAR IN FEATURED
SNIPPETS.

@getSTAT
OR FIND
INFORMATIONAL
KEYWORDS
WITHOUT THEM.
Look for information
keywords where regular
organic is in position 1.

INTENT ADDS ANOTHER LAYER
TO KEYWORD RESEARCH.
Especially when combined with SERP features.
@getSTAT

NOT EVERY COMMERCIAL SERP IS
HIGHLY CONTESTED.
@getSTAT

Average
Domain
Authority
0
25
50
75
100
R
e
t
a
i
l
F
i
n
a
n
c
e
H
e
a
l
t
h
B
e
a
u
t
y
C
o
m
p
u
t
e
r
s
G
i
f
t
s
A
r
t
s
H
o
b
b
i
e
s
R
e
a
l
e
s
t
a
t
e
62
63
67
80
84
84
84
85
86
NOT EVERY VERTICAL HAS
FORMIDABLE COMMERCIAL SERPS.
@getSTAT

%
keywords
with
commercial
intent
0
25
50
75
100
B
e
s
t
C
o
m
p
a
r
e
T
o
p
R
e
v
i
e
w
s
A
ff
o
r
d
a
b
l
e
P
r
i
c
e
D
e
a
l
s
O
n
l
i
n
e
U
n
d
e
r
2
0
N
e
w
C
o
s
t
C
h
e
a
p
51%
53%
54%
54%
54%
55%
60%
63%
83%
84%
86%
93%
KEYWORD MODIFIERS WITH MOSTLY
COMMERCIAL INTENT
@getSTAT

TRANSACTIONAL IS LOCAL OR
ADS — SO PLAY LOCAL.
@getSTAT

Average
DA
of
top
10
organic
results
0
20
40
60
80
100
78
73
78
74
LOCAL TRANSACTIONAL SERPS ARE
A LONG-TAIL KEYWORD OPPORTUNITY.
@getSTAT

%
keywords
with
transactional
intent
0
25
50
75
100
D
a
l
l
a
s
C
h
i
c
a
g
o
N
e
a
r
m
e
D
e
l
i
v
e
r
y
S
t
o
r
e
s
R
e
f
u
r
b
i
s
h
e
d
C
o
u
p
o
n
s
F
r
e
e
51%
53%
54%
60%
63%
70%
76%
89%
KEYWORD MODIFIERS WITH MOSTLY
TRANSACTIONAL INTENT
@getSTAT

“How old is Vin Diesel?” Featured snippets
INFORMATIONAL:
AI OVERVIEWS & THE EVER-RISING BAR
@getSTAT

Weather, conversions, etc Knowledge graph results
INFORMATIONAL:
@getSTAT

Weather, conversions, etc
“Explain this concept”
Knowledge graph results
AI Overviews
INFORMATIONAL:
@getSTAT

@getSTAT
COMMERCIAL: THE VOLATILE
ORGANIC SWEET SPOT
• High organic share of voice
• SERP features you can appear in (for free!)
• Big opportunities in many verticals

@getSTAT
TRANSACTIONAL
— CAN GOOGLE
TAKE EVEN
MORE?

WHEN AI OVERVIEWS WERE
TRANSACTIONAL, THEY WERE LOCAL.

@getSTAT
4 KEYWORD RESEARCH
CONSIDERATIONS FOR LATER:
• Informational + organic in position 1
• Commercial + low di
ffi
culty
• Commercial + winnable SERP features
• Transactional + local long-tail keywords

SEARCH INTENT
IN MOZ API
SEARCH INTENT
IN NEW-UI STAT
moz.com/api getstat.com/sej

Download the full research
in the ‘Handouts’ tab.

Thank you!
Feel free to join the
breakout session.

Navigating SERP Complexity: How To Leverage Search Intent For SEO

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