Gianluca Fiorelli gave a talk on observing search engine results pages (SERPs) and how they can provide useful insights for SEO. He discusses how SERPs reveal users' search intents, including informational, navigational, and transactional intents. Understanding search intent allows SEOs to better target keywords and prioritize content formats that meet users' needs. Regular observation of SERPs is a useful practice for keyword research and analysis.
2. The Answer is
In the SERPs
A talk by
Gianluca Fiorelli
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
3. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER
My talk is based on an underrated SEO skill: intuition.
I do not have the time to analyze X million queries,
SERPs et al.
All I am going to present is based on study, work
experience and a few experiments.
I invite you to do massive tests if you want to give a
more scientific background to what I am going to say
(and if you have time)
5. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
I thought it was a quite
obvious observation, but
it wasn’t so looking at
the reactions my tweet
caused
6. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Then, AJ Khon made me
understand how I
touched a sensible chord
with my – for me –
obvious observation.
7. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Actually, observing the SERPs and how
they change, is not useful only after an
update.
It is a too-often forgot practice useful for
many things
10. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
1 of the biggest mistakes we do is
thinking only about our users…
11. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
1 of the biggest mistakes we do is
thinking only about our users…
when, instead, we should think
also about the users of Google.
13. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Search Intent
The implicit and explicit intent
users have when performing a
search on Google
14. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Relevance
How much a document is able to
answer the search intent that
Google individuated its users
have when performing a search
16. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
SERP
The presentation of the
documents Google calculated as
relevant to its users’ search
intents
26. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Transactional/Navigational Intent
(Commercial Investigations)
Virtual
(branded searches that underline the
need of buying in specific web page)
29. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Informational Intent
Why do we need to target them?
Because 80% of searches
are informational
30. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Informational Intent
Why do we need to target them?
Because of Relevance
31. @gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Relevance
Content Links RankBrain
E-A-T
Concepts/Entities
NEURAL
MATCHING
35. Breslavia turismo Prossimi eventi a
Breslavia
Municipio di Breslavia
Breslavia Cracovia Piazza del Mercato
Breslavia
Breslavia cosa mangiare
Breslavia gnomi Breslavia Capodanno Breslavia aeroporto
Sala del Centenario Breslavia Natale Breslavia Polonia meteo
Distanza Breslavia
Cracovia
Varsavia abitanti Cartina Polonia
Poznan Katowice Visitare Auschwitz da
Breslavia
Città vicino a Breslavia Distanza Breslavia
Varsavia
Gross Rosen
Auschwitz dove dormire Distanza Cracovia
Auschwitz
Breslavia meteo
Breslavia mappa Breslavia regione
36. Natale Mercatino di Natale Mappa Gnomi
Polonia Piazza del Mercato Capodanno Nano
Zoo Acquario Università Sala del Centenario
Aeroporto Meteo Sky Tower Inverno
Cracovia Fontana Cattedrale di San
Govanni Battista
Municipio
Birreria Souvenir Dicembre Statua
Lampionaio Panorama
Raclawicka
Neve Rynek
Ponte Fiume Stadio Monumento
Mercato coperto Hansel e Gretel Centro storico Chiesa
Lampione Chiesa di Santa
Elisabetta
Hotel Lothus Cibo
Città vecchia Palazzo Reale Turismo
37. The Google Suggest can offer us
supplemental ideas, but mostly similar
to related searches
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
38. And now you can do your
keyword research in detail
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
39. And now you can do your
keyword research in detail
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
YOUR OWN KEYWORDS
Search Console via Search Console API
EXPANDING THE KEYWORD
DATABASE
Keyword Gap tool by SEMRush
Content Gap analysis by Ahrefs
”Find new URLs” by Keyword Planner
41. Save the columns “CPC” and “Competition”.
If the competition is low, that is a sign of
Informational intent.
However, if the CPC is not equal to 0, then
the KW may also imply a transactional intent
46. Usually these are KWs with almost no Paid
competition, and a reasonable CPC
47. Do like Booking. “Buy” the top of the folder.
Stick in the memory of the users (and win Google)
48. CHOOSE TOOLS THAT
CAN GIVE YOU ALSO
INSIGHTS ABOUT THE
SERPS FEATURES
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
49. 1st, because so you can further enlarge
your “questions” database for content
ideas scraping the People Also Ask
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
https://builtvisible.com/scraping-people-also-ask-
boxes-for-seo-and-content-research/
50. 2nd, because SERPS’ Features
are hints about what searchers’
needs we should prioritize
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
51. Predominance of Ads (all variants of them)
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
Purchase Intent
52. Presence of Knowledge Graph and Carrousels,
Featured Snippet and People Also Ask
Informational Intent
61. In this example, things look clear
Users are searching for information about
tourist places to see in Wroclaw.
If prioritized as a ”Top X Things to See in”,
better, and the guide must have photos to
inspire and guide them.
@gfiorelli1 at @DigitalOlympus – Wroclaw: April 5, 2019
62. If you do your job well, then you can
rank in Top 10 even if you are an
Altervista website with only 3 domains
linking.
Check:
https://siviaggia.it/idee-di-viaggio/breslavia-o-wroclaw-
polonia/123814/
65. IT TARGETS
ALMOST ALL
THE SEARCHES
RELATED TO
WROCLAW
Fiume (Oder & and
river cruise)
Cattedrale di San
Giovanni Battista
Centro Storico Lampionaio /
Lampioni
Ryenek Mercato / Mercato
coperto
Municipio Chiesa di Santa
Elisabetta
Hansel e Gretel Gnomi
Panorama
Raclawicka
Breslavia regione
Chiese Cosa mangiare /
Birrerie
66. Only 3 domains linking to this site
(imagine if it had more…)