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DITTSI – Does It Target The Searchers Intent? 

In an industry full of acronyms we thought we’d add another one into the mix to help you create better content and gain unreal results from your content marketing efforts.

We use the method “DITTSI” to find opportunities for our clients to rank high in the Google Search Results.

We’re talking about searcher intent or more importantly what Google sees as the search intent behind a keyword or phrase typed into the search box.

What do We Mean by DITTSI?
Google Search box

When we talk about the DITTSI method of finding search ranking opportunities we’re looking at a number of things that we see as forming the search results Google brings back.

Keyword intent, search intent and user intent are combined by the Google machine to produce results that will fulfil the searchers desire.

For example, when searching a key phrase like “asbestos survey” Google will bring back a list of results. Those results will normally return a host of survey providers. But, if you look closely enough, there will also be sites that have created an article about why you might need one and even content surrounding “does the user need an asbestos survey”.

Using the DITTSI method we have managed to create content that ranks for some really competitive terms. Understanding the searchers intent and, more importantly, what Google sees as the search intent behind the keyword. This is what DITTSI is all about.

Wordstream do a really good job of putting together the 3 types of Search Query intent.

  1. Informational, a searcher is looking for content to help understand something or find the answer to a question
  2. Navigational, the user knows where they want to go and uses a brand name or place to find the relevant website.
  3. Transactional, a user is wanting to buy a product or service. This can include researching a type of product or service and it could be that they know what they want to buy and go ahead and purchase

How do we understand the searchers intent?

This isn’t an article that will detail all the ways we would use in order to define the intent behind a search. But, there is one way which is unbelievably easy to help you understand it.

Just Google it! Seriously, Google do all the hard work for you!

The whole company has been set-up to complete one job; to provide the most relevant results to a query typed into its search box. 

By spending some time looking at the type of content that Google has on its first page, you should be able to understand the type of intent that they see behind the search.

Then go ahead and create the same type of content, just bigger, better and more informative!

​And, if you don’t have the time, give us a call and we’ll do it for you!

What is keyword intent?

The keywords somebody types into a search engine will have the most impact as to what results will be returned.

​Google will use the keywords alongside both search intent and user intent to establish what’s being searched, why it’s being searched and the overall context of the search.

These keywords are generally split into two categories; high intent and low intent keywords.

​Targeting high-intent commercial keywords can be used to great effect for both organic and paid searches. These keywords and phrases will feature clear buying signals and produce relevant, transaction focused, results.

Searches including words like “buy”, “discount”, “deal” and many more can all be classed as high-intent searches. Product keyword searches including branded, specific products and product category searches, also fall into high-intent commercial keyword searches.

​Low-intent keywords on the other hand are more likely to yield navigational and informational search results, with less focus on selling immediately and more focus on providing education on the subject in question.

What is Search Intent?

Search intent boils down to the reason behind somebody typing a query into Google. What’s that person trying to achieve?

​Do they want to learn new information? Perhaps they want to find a specific website? Or maybe they’re looking to make an online purchase?

​If you’re able to understand someone’s search intent, you’ll be in a great position to better utilise the keyword intent we spoke about earlier.

For example, someone looking for information might search “which athletes do Nike sponsor”. They might want to learn about what trainers their favourite runner wears, perhaps.

​A simple example of a navigational search would be if somebody types “Nike UK” into Google. They’d probably do this if they wanted details of Nike’s UK arm but thought Nike.com would take them to the corporate US site.

If somebody wanted to buy something they’d complete a transactional search. They might type a long-tail keyword search such as “Where sells Nike trainers near me” or they might want to purchase online and search something like “Buy Nike trainers with free delivery”

​These are some basic examples, however we’ll go into more detail about informational, navigational and transactional searches, along with how to use them properly, a little later.

What is User Intent?

User intent is when a search engine interprets context with the keywords somebody uses. This means more accurate search results are obtained depending on what the user is searching for.

​For a very basic example, let’s look at what happens if a user types “Apple” or “Apples” into Google.

If you type “Apple” in, the search is interpreted that you’re looking for details about electronic Apple products. The search results centre around the various Apple websites and the first images that are shown will be pictures of the Apple logo and Apple devices.

​If on the other hand you type “Apples” into Google, you’ll still get some results for Apple electronic products, however you’ll also get a lot of information presented about the fruit, apple-based recipes and pictures of the fruit too.

Just the simple addition of the letter ‘S’ in this case alters the search engine’s interpretation of what the user intent will be defined as. By doing this, the search engine is delivering what it perceives to be the most relevant results.

Informational Search Queries

These searches are performed by people craving information. They’re in the learning phase about something. The chances of these searches delivering cold, hard, cash, are minimal. That’s not to say you should neglect this type of searching and deem it unimportant, though.

Over time and done properly, informational searches can be used effectively as part of your online sales funnel. If you build trust and become an authoritative voice on a subject, it’s highly likely the person searching will remember you when the time comes to put their hand in their pocket. Your useful, detailed, information might even get shared among several people who, in the future, could turn from prospect to customer.

This one’s a slow burner, but keep at it and you’ll reap the rewards. Your organic search ranking will continue to blossom too.

Navigational Search Queries

This is the search people perform when they already know the site they want to end up on. Maybe typing the full site URL into the address bar at the top of the browser is too much like hard work. Maybe they have Google open in front of them and it just seems easier to put it through the search.

It could also be to do with the UX/UI on the site they’re visiting. Maybe it’s more straightforward to put the website name and page they’re after into a search engine rather than try and navigate to that page on the actual site.

Transactional Search Queries

Take time to get your intent keywords right and you could be on to a winner. People performing transactional searches are highly likely to have their credit card in hand. They’ve probably already done an informational or product search months ago, perhaps something along the lines of “best gaming laptops”, for example.

Now they have the readies available. They’re on Google and searching for things like “gaming laptop deals”, “discount gaming laptops”, “buy gaming laptops” and “gaming laptops with free shipping”. These keywords show a clear indication that a purchase could well be made imminently.

The trick is to be the website highest up the search rankings so that you’re in pole position to be the first site they choose to look at when they hit enter on the search.