Let me tell you about the basic SEO misconceptions. Yet 99% of SEOs get it wrong and some even ignore it. And that is search intent!

To understand this, let’s take an example. Suppose, we have a plant that's rooted in fertile soil. For understanding, let's call this your content. And then we have sunlight. It provides energy for the plant's health, just like backlinks do for your site's organic rankings.

Here, don’t you think we are missing something. Despite having fertile soil and an abundance of sunlight, something crucial is missing. Water. Without it, our plant wilts, its leaves lose their luster. And growth is not possible!

Water is like search intent in the world of SEO. When your content doesn't align with the searcher's intent, your SEO efforts, much like your plant, aren't going to make it. And that's because Google's job is to give the best results for any given query.

Now, let me tell you how to use intent to improve your content and boost your Google rankings. But first, let’s address the main question: why aren't SEOs getting intent right? 

The simple and straightforward answer is: we search for our target keyword. Look at the titles and think easy. Create a blog post recommending a list of these products. Tons of experience here.

Understanding search intent is doing due diligence. And if you're passing this step off as a secondary priority, no wonder you miss the mark.

People's interests change, world events happen, and therefore, Google adapts and changes the search results to give the searcher what they want then and there. We can simply update our pages to better match intent when this happens, there's a bigger reason we can't get intent right. And it's something out of our control.

That's the fact that searcher intent is extremely nuanced.

Intent should be what guides the things you'll include in your content. Not only will this help you rank higher in search engines, but you'll be in a better position to convert visitors into customers because you're giving them what they want. As you're satisfying intent, trust is built, and you have an opportunity to direct them to whatever you think they'd want or need next.

While some of you may continue to pass off search intent as a secondary priority. Those who invest significant time in thoroughly understanding their audience and analyzing their page visitors gain a subtle advantage over their competitors.

Developing Your Content with Intent

First, pay attention to everything you see in the Google search results pages or SERP. SERPs are examples of what Google believes to be the best match for the query. SERP features often get ignored, but they can actually tell us a lot about micro nuances to intent.

Just brainstorm what you need to include in your post, how it should be presented, and who you're going to be writing for. And the SERP will basically be your guide to getting a high-level overview of intent.

Now, in the end we can say that simply knowing what searchers want won’t be enough. You have to actually structure, write, and design your piece to create a great user experience for your visitors.