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What’s up!?!

How is January already over?!? I feel like the year just started and I have so many more things planned! → I’m so glad you’re still here! Last week’s newsletter felt good to write and get out there! (let me know what you thought) The relaunch of The SEO Marketing Dad has been awesome, and the influx of kind words has been fun to sift through!

I’ve begun working on a few new ideas, the Slack channel, and have been tossing around the idea of a quarterly cohort where I answer questions and help with SEO in a group setting. Let me know if you’d be interested in this!

Here is a picture of my family at Fritz Adventure, an indoor zipline + activity attraction.

Keep reading to get my thoughts on why the search intent matters so much with SEO! ← this can be the difference in increasing revenue

This edition is sponsored by:

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Why intent matters more than just traffic

Not all traffic is equal. It’s important to understand that keywords bring in specific types of traffic. There are 4 main types of intent:

• Informational: users want to learn something (not buy something)

• Navigational: users are searching for a specific brand, website, or product.

• Commercial (investigational): users are researching before making a purchase.

• Transactional: ready to buy, sign-up, or request a quote (my favorite!)

Ranking for the right keywords will make the difference between traffic that buys and traffic that bounces.

Traditional keyword research focuses on how many searches a keyword will get exclusively. Intent-focused SEO focuses on why people are searching and giving them the right type of content to fit that need.

By prioritizing intent keywords, you’re aligning your content with what your potential customers are actively looking for, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Step 1: Identify the search intent for your keywords

As I stated earlier, search intent is broken down into four categories. Here are a few examples to help you understand the different types of searches that would be part of this research:

• Informational = What is e-commerce SEO?

• Navigational = Shopify SEO guide

• Transactional = Best SEO software for e-commerce

• Commercial = SEMrush vs Ahrefs for keyword research

The easiest way to check this is to open an incognito search (cmd+shft+N - for Chrome on Mac). Then check the results that are present.

• If you see blog posts, chances are that it’s most likely informational.

• If you see product pages or demo pages, it’s likely a transactional search.

• If you see comparisons or reviews, it’s most likely commercial.

• If you see one brand primarily (usually only with brand searches), it’s likely navigational.

Before you start building your content around your keyword ask yourself these two questions:

1. Does my content match what people are expecting when searching for this keyword or phrase?

2. Am I targeting buyers or readers?

Long term, your strategy should include content for both buyers and readers. You’ll just have to remember that buyers often start as readers and not all readers become buyers. It’s all a numbers game…

Step 2: Tools to find keywords & their intent

There are a bunch of tools to research keywords, aside from just heading to Google and doing a search. All of them offer their own pro and con:

• SEMrush

  • Pro: very robust and they let you know the intent for the keyword right in the product

  • Con: very expensive and not cost-effective for businesses

• Google Search Console

  • Pro: this is FREE and shows the keywords you’re already ranking for

  • Con: doesn’t give a ton of insight into the keyword beyond where you rank

• Ubersuggest – Analyze search intent trends

  • Pro: affordable and gives you ideas based on the keyword and who is ranking in the top 10

  • Con: the data isn’t as accurate as SEMrush but with that cost, it’s worth it.

A really nice hack you can use for free is looking through the People Also Asked section or using Google’s autocomplete to uncover more search terms.

Example: Instead of targeting “best running shoes” with a product page. Build out a blog post that talks about the different shoes you offer. Then focus on the phrase “buy Nike Pegasus 41” or something similar for your product page.

Two different search intents and two different actions to measure. “Best running shoes” will target a wider audience with lower conversions. Where “buy Nike Pegasus 41” is targeting a purchase.

My quick hack would be to use Google Search Console to find the search terms you are already ranking for and then find the intent behind them. Focus on the ones that are ranking 6-20 (easier to move up in the rank) and match the page for what the intent behind the search is.

If you’re ranking for transactional terms, adjust your content accordingly!

Step 3: Optimize all of your pages for the intent

Once you identify the right keywords and the intent of the keyword, start to build out, or rebuild, your content to match the searcher's expectations. Add different types of content: comparison charts, case studies, pop-ups, videos, FAQs, , that will match the intent.

It’s important to always have the correct type of CTA (call to action) for the different pieces of content. A research page will not have a purchase option, but maybe a subscribe to more updates option.

Example: if you are a software company trying to rank for “best CRM for startups” you should include a feature comparison section instead of just a blog post because the users are actively searching and are in decision making mode.

Example 2: An online shoe retailer that is ranking for "best running shoes" could create a buying guide that links directly to individual products, not just an article/blog.

Step 4: Align your content funnel with intent

Someone in research mode isn’t likely to purchase right away, unless they have done a ton of research already. It takes an average of 30-40 visits before a purchase is made.

The best way to think of intent based SEO and the types of content would be a funnel. Guide your users from discovery to purchase.

• Top of funnel (awareness) → Informational intent

  • Blog posts

  • Lead magnets

    • checklists

    • webinars

    • how-to guides

    • articles

• Middle of funnel (consideration) → Commercial intent

  • Comparison pages

  • Case studies

  • Service pages

  • Category pages

• Bottom of funnel (purchase) → Transactional intent

  • Product pages

  • Pricing pages

  • Demo pages

  • Free trials

It’s important that through every stage you are honest and provide value to your audience. The quickest way to make someone leave the funnel is to lose trust.

Your next step should be to map out your current content based on intent. Where is the biggest gap? Where is the quickest win?

The important thing to remember when creating content based on intent is to match the content to what your users expect when they search. It’s not just traffic that is important, it’s building trust and driving conversions.

Just remember these key takeaways and you’ll be creating the right content in no time:

• Not all keywords are equal → A keyword with high volume but low intent won’t convert.

• Matching content with intent → Align your pages with the right search behavior.

• Funnel users into conversions → Guide them from awareness → decision → action.

If you’ve been wondering why your SEO isn’t working as you think it should, OR maybe you have zero SEO to begin with, let’s connect. I’m here to help you!

Nathaniel - The SEO Marketing Dad

ps: reply with one SEO challenge you’re facing and I’ll send you advice on how to tackle it!

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• current keyword ranking & opportunities

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What the heck is keyword cannibalization? (and how to fix it!)

You may be suffering from a problem you know nothing about… And it’s pretty likely that it is extremely limiting your SEO. But before we break down how to resolve it, we need to understand what it even is.

Why an SEO Retainer is the Best Investment for Growth

An SEO retainer is a long-term partnership that keeps your website competitive in search results. Unlike one-time projects, a monthly SEO retainer focuses on continuous content optimization, technical SEO improvements, and link-building to drive sustained growth. If you're serious about ranking higher, increasing traffic, and staying ahead of competitors, an SEO retainer is the best investment for long-term success.

Brand New: Join the Slack community!

I’ve created a Slack group exclusively for business owners and marketing teams to connect, share their SEO challenges, and celebrate their organic growth wins!!! Plus, you’ll get direct access to ME—ready to answer your questions, share tips, and help you tackle SEO like a pro.