Buyer intent keywords are search terms that indicate a user’s readiness to make a purchase. These terms indicate a higher likelihood that the searcher is preparing to make a transaction—as opposed to merely seeking information.
And these keywords are valuable to marketers because they signal a user is further along in the buying cycle. And closer to a purchase.
Buyer intent keywords can be classified as:
- Low intent (also called commercial intent)
- High intent (also called transactional intent)
Low-intent (or commercial intent) keywords are search terms used by folks in the middle of their buying journeys.
Those people are usually considering making a purchase and are looking for options. Or evaluating products or services.
These often include words like “review,” “best,” or “top.”
Despite not indicating an immediate purchase, low-intent keywords play a vital role in the buying journey.
Why?
Because they’re essential for attracting potential customers in the consideration stages of the buying process.
High-intent (or transactional intent) keywords are search terms potential customers use when they’re strongly inclined to make a purchase.
These keywords tend to be specific and direct—making them valuable if you’re looking to convert searches into sales.
Especially for pay-per-click (PPC) search ads—advertisements served to users based on what they search for and some additional targeting.
By targeting these keywords, you can increase your conversion rate, return on ad spend, and revenue.
However:
High-intent keywords also tend to be more competitive (and expensive for paid ads) than low-intent keywords.
Further reading:
- What Is Search Intent? A Complete Guide
Here are some of the most important reasons why buyer intent keywords are so important:
Leveraging buyer intent keywords can help you boost conversions by bringing in highly targeted traffic.
Because people who search buyer keywords are frequently in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey.
And these people already know what they want and need. They just need a little nudge to make the purchase.
Which means:
If you optimize your landing pages and product pages for buyer intent keywords, you can match your offer to their exact needs and wants. And convince them to buy from you.
For example, someone who searches for “best wireless headphones” is clearly interested in buying wireless headphones.
The search results make this clear:
That’s where your content comes in.
You can create a helpful guide that compares different wireless headphones and recommend the best one for different scenarios.
Using buyer intent keywords can also help boost your credibility and authority in your niche.
By creating high-quality content answering your potential customers’ questions and concerns, you can show them you know what you’re talking about. And that you have a solution that works.
You can also use social proof, testimonials, case studies, and other trust signals to back up your claims. And show how you’ve helped others achieve their goals.
For example:
If you sell software that helps people create online courses, you can target low-intent keywords like “best online course platforms” or “online course platform comparison.”
Provide useful information and guidance. And you’ll position yourself as a trusted source and a reliable solution provider.
Like this:
How?
By targeting long-tail keywords with less competition that you’re likely to rank highly for.
These long-tail variations also tend to have higher conversion rates. To help you drive more qualified leads.
You can also use related keywords and synonyms to optimize your content for user intent and relevance.
For example, let’s say you want to rank for the keyword “buy flowers online.” You can use related keywords like “order flowers online,” “send flowers online,” or “best online florist.”
Doing so can increase your chances of matching your potential customers’ search queries. And appear in more search results.
Identifying buyer intent keywords is crucial for SEO and PPC professionals.
Here’s how you can find buyer keywords.
One of the best ways to find buyer intent keywords is to use keyword research tools.
These tools can help you generate keyword ideas and analyze their search volume, keyword difficulty (which indicates how difficult it is to rank for a given keyword), and competition among advertisers targeting them.
And filter them by different criteria.
For example:
If you just want to know a keyword’s intent, plug it into Keyword Overview.
You’ll see it in the “Intent” widget.
And if you’re conducting keyword research, the Keyword Magic Tool includes a column that shows each keyword’s intent. So you can identify keyword intent during research—without having to leave the tool or guess the intent.
Just open the tool, enter a seed keyword (a broad term related to your business), and click “Search.”
Just click on the “Intent” drop-down menu, select the intent you want, and click “Apply.”
Google’s Keyword Planner is another free tool that helps you find keywords for your content and your Google Ads campaigns.
It shows you the exact keywords that people are typing into Google. And the average monthly searches, competition, and suggested bid for each keyword.
Here’s how to use it:
First, go to Google Ads and sign into your account.
If you don’t have one, you can create one for free.
Then, click on the “Tools” button in the left-hand menu and select “Keyword Planner” from the options that appear.
For example, if you sell footwear, you can enter “shoes.”
- Keywords that have modifiers like “buy,” “best,” “cheap,” “discount,” “coupon,” “deal,” “offer,” “free shipping,” etc. For example, “buy shoes online,” “best shoes for running,” and “cheap shoes for women.”
- Keywords that include specific product names, brands, models, or features. For example, “nike air max shoes,” “shoes with memory foam,” and “shoes for wide feet.”
- Keywords that include reviews, ratings, testimonials, or comparisons. For example, “nike shoes reviews,” “asics shoes ratings,” “adidas shoes testimonials,” or “nike vs adidas sneakers.”
Google search offers a few simple but effective ways to find buyer intent keywords.
Here are some options for using Google search for finding buyer intent keywords:
Use Google Autocomplete
Google autocomplete is a feature that suggests search terms based on what you type.
You can find buyer intent keywords by typing a seed keyword and looking for suggestions that have words like “buy,” “cheap,” “review,” or “best.”
Like this:
Use Google Related Searches
Google related searches are a list of terms that appear under the top-ranking results on the search results page.
You can use Google related searches to find buyer intent keywords by looking for terms that are similar to your seed keyword but have different modifiers or variations.
For example, if you search for “web hosting,” you’ll see related searches like “web hosting services,” “web hosting free,” and “best web hosting for beginners.”
Like this:
Use Google’s People Also Ask Box
People also ask (PAA) is a feature that shows a list of questions that people also search for near the top of the results page. And is handy for finding long-tail keywords.
You can use it to find question-based keywords that have words like “which,” “where,” “how,” or “what.”
For example, if we use the same “web hosting” keyword, you’ll see questions like “Which web hosting is best for WordPress?,” “Where can I get free web hosting?,” and “How do I choose a web hosting plan?”
Here’s what is looks like in the SERP:
Plus, you can save time and money by focusing on the keywords that most align with your business goals.
How?
Use the tools and techniques we’ve covered in this article.
For example, the Keyword Magic Tool can help you find buyer intent keywords in seconds.
You can filter keywords by different types of intent. And see important metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost per click (CPC) for each keyword.