How to Measure User Intent with Google Analytics

As a new website owner, you must be careful about the user intent. After all, it shows you why your people end up on your website in the first place. It will tell you what you rank for and what content would be more useful in bringing people to your page.

Whether your visitors are looking for products, ratings, or detailed information about a service, user intent could help you create content that is more targeted toward your audience. Google Analytics is an efficient tool that helps you with reports, but you also need to learn how to use it. 

If you have just begun using Google Analytics, you might not know where precisely to look for user intent. We are here to help you with some ways in which you may gain insight. 

1. Search Queries

If your campaigns are mainly run through Google Ads, chances are that you already have an account linked to Google Analytics. This is probably the easiest way to get reports on searches and obtain user intent data, as it gives you details on the keywords that were previously used.

Search queries are important to know because they are the exact phrases a user types down when looking for a product. Google Analytics will record this data, informing you exactly what they looked for when reaching your website.

2. Engagement Rate

The engagement rate, while it doesn’t report a list of keywords, is a good way to measure user intent. This is because it shows if your web pages can appeal to your audience, allowing them to connect. Google Analytics reports will tell you exactly what your engagement rate is.

For example, if your audience remains on your website for more than 10 seconds and navigates the pages, it means that they are interested. They “engage” with what you want to present them, meaning that you will likely meet their needs. You met the user intent, which means that they will probably make a purchase from you at some point.

That being said, if you have a low engagement rate (20% or less), it means that people are exiting your website before they have the chance to browse. This can suggest that you are not meeting the user intent, in which case an update to your SEO strategy may be essential. 

3. Search Starting Point

While new Google Analytics updates don’t include too many pre-configured reports for site searches, they do give you an idea of where the search started. This can be very useful for you because their first search on your website is usually what they needed. What came afterward is usually what they adapted to throughout the session. 

Go to user reports and compare them against the “Page Location” within the exploration report. There, you will be able to track down where people began their searches. Some analysis may be required along the way, so you may want to employ the help of some SEO outreach services.

Once you find out the page where they started their search, you can compare it against data such as the engagement rate. This will tell you if you are giving the clients what they need and if their user intention is understood. 

4. Internal Search Words

Each website often has an internal search function. Even if it doesn’t, people can still search on Google, with the mention being on your website. Still, if you do have the search feature, Google Analytics will begin collecting data, offering extra insights. 

Check the enhancement measurement feature to predict what people are searching for. When you understand what people are looking for beyond accessing your website, you will be able to catch their intent and address it appropriately. 

5. Configured Conversions 

Configuring conversion data on Google Analytics can also offer insight into user intention. After all, your ultimate goal as a website owner should be to convert. The more you convert, the more successful you will be. 

When the conversion rate is good, it means that people came to your website with a specific purpose. If the conversion rate is high, it means that the performance of your website was successful and you managed to meet the users’ intent. Low-configured performance may suggest a failure in following user intent, which will require an SEO strategy update.

Final Thoughts

Determining the user intent can be rather tricky, but Google Analytics has several ways for you to do that. You just need to access the specific reports and cross-reference the data. This will help you create the best SEO strategy based on your client’s needs.