Understanding User Intent: Key to Web Development Success
You've probably heard that word before, and many web developers claim that their website was built for user intent.
But what does that even mean?
Well, the truth is that most websites these days have been set up just for looking visually appealing. There is nothing beyond that. When it comes to creating websites that are actually intent-focused, we are often working in the dark.
What you'll learn:
- What User Intent Means for Websites
- The Main Reasons for Web Development Failures
- How to Make a Website for Real Users
- The Link Between Intent and Conversions
- Some Tools to Understand User Intent
What User Intent Means for Websites
User intent (sometimes called search intent) refers to the reason why a user is clicking on a website link.
Whenever a new person visits a website, there is a purpose, and as a website owner or developer, it's your job to know and recognize it.
The biggest problem is that only a few people know how to create websites that meet this criteria.
Many digital marketing companies out there won't understand the concept of user intent. However, SmartWeb Group, the best French SEO company, and other specialized agencies are leading the way in understanding this crucial aspect.
You will find more and more smart web developers who focus on UX (user experience) that consider the goal of the user when developing websites.
It's a big part of smart digital marketing strategy.
The result? Better websites that focus on users.
So let's have a look at the User intent defined in simple words:
- A person is searching something on Google.
- Google provides them with results that may match their needs.
- One of the results looks suitable to solve their problem.
- They click on that result.
- Our user has a precise intent.
- Clicking on the link, they land on our page.
When they click on that link, it's your job to meet their expectations and serve your users with the best possible solution to their query.
Why Most Websites Fail to Understand User Intent
Here are the main reasons why most web projects (and web projects only) fail to actually match user intent and provide what users need:
- Aesthetics above usability. Simply, beautiful websites, but not providing what people search for on the internet.
- Navigation or key information is hidden.
- Content doesn't really answer user's questions.
- The website's pages take too much time to load.
What's shocking is that 88% of web users are less likely to return to a website after having a poor user experience. That's a massive problem that most developers ignore.
How to Create Websites with Intent
Creating a website that really targets the user's needs begins long before you start to code or design it.
The most important stage of web development starts here:
Before you build the website, you have to get to know your users, their needs, and wants.
More information about tools that could help you understand your users and their needs comes in a few minutes.
It's important to map all the different intents that you might see on your website. There are 3 main types of User intent, and they are:
- Informational intent. User looking for answers or information.
- Navigational intent. The one that is looking for specific sites or information.
- Transactional intent. They are ready to buy or take any other meaningful action on your website.
That's really important because the design and development process will look different for each type of user.
Some need all the information about the product, some have no idea that your website might be able to solve their problem, some are just on their way to your website and just want to see the general overview.
If you do this step right and start designing your website, you will get a list of information that could be really helpful when creating your site's architecture.
Web developers are busy people. That's why we create automatic user flow builders like MakerFlow Builder.
Want to know what users want to do on your website after they have come to it?
MakerFlow Builder can do it automatically using traffic tools and web analytics data.
How Intent Affects Conversions
If you have a website, you probably want conversions. If so, it's time to show some users what they are looking for.
Do you know how much Effective User Experience design can increase conversion rates? One study shows that it's by 400%.
That's right, 400%!
A simple mathematical calculation, if you have a website that converts at the rate of 1% (many sites have less) but your competitors' UX is really weak, you have the chance to be 4 times better than they are.
Simply, many web developers don't think about the conversion rate of their websites at all because they are too busy designing or optimizing SEO instead of understanding the potential of their website.
Tools that Really Work to Understand User Intent
It is true that creating a successful website, and most importantly, UX nowadays requires a lot of development tools.
However, there are some that could help you with understanding your user intent and providing solutions to those needs.
- Google Analytics. It shows you the user's flow and the most popular content.
- Hotjar. It provides heat maps and session recordings to observe what people are doing on your website.
- SEMrush. It's also one of the tools for SEO keyword analysis that also provides search intent information.
The key to success is to use all the tools that could be helpful and then integrate them together to see the patterns that you probably won't be able to spot by only analyzing data from one source.
Mobile Changes User Intent
One of the biggest changes in user intent is connected to Mobile.
Mobile users, simply, have different intent patterns than the ones who use their laptops.
Mobile people, more often than not, are searching for quick answers or want to be able to complete a simple action in a short amount of time.
Desktop people:
- may be willing to research the topic more thoroughly
- are more likely to compare multiple options.
Mobile users:
- usually, search for immediate answers
- want to do the tasks that require minimum effort and time
- are more likely to leave the website quickly if they are not able to get what they were looking for in a short amount of time.
Meaning that mobile-first UX design requires a lot more than just smaller buttons and an easy-to-use interface.
Mobile experience design should have different priorities and have many benefits compared to desktop UX design.
- Simplified navigation
- Faster website load time
- Thumb-friendly design elements
Those should not be just nice-to-have, but rather essential.
Voice Search is the Future of User Intent
Voice search is slowly but really changing the way people use the internet.
Siri and Google Assistant users are used to asking questions and wanting to get direct answers.
Asking questions also has a strong impact on web development and site optimization, creating a really push towards more conversational interfaces.
The trend is in using questions instead of links as answers.
The question is how developers and marketers will take advantage of this feature.
Wrapping It All Together
User intent is the key to successful web development.
The rest of the process – UX, design, development, promotion – builds on top of understanding what people want to achieve on a website.
Web developers, as well as those that know how to build websites that meet people's intent, are the most successful websites that
- research their users
- design with different types of intent in mind
- test their assumptions
- analyze mobile behavior.
The goal is to help users find answers to their queries using one of the best websites.
Visually stunning websites that don't provide users with what they really need are just a waste of time.
Beautiful websites are cool, but websites that help users achieve their goals are essential.
