Search Engine Usage Behaviour

Search Engine Usage

Whenever we talk about search engines in Singapore, the first thing that comes to mind is Google. Google’s dominance of search engines has even led it to become a transitive verb where you hear people say, “google it”.

According to statista, 95.81% of Singapore at the time of writing use google as their search engine, with yahoo and bing coming in as a far away second and third choice with 1.78% and 1.56% respectively.

This brings into focus the topic of search intent. Search intent, also known as audience or user intent, is defined as the purpose of a user’s search.

Search Intents can be broken down into several categories:

• Navigational. The user wants to find a specific page or site. They will search for “Linkedin” instead of keying in the actual URL of linkedin. Navigational intent are dominated by branded keywords. Choose keywords that are of interest to your target audience and create landing pages for the products and services you are promoting.
• Informational. The user has a question and seeks for an answer. These queries will include “how to,” “what is,” “where is,” “why do,” and other interrogatives. These queries make up the majority of searches performed on Google. People who are seeking information provide your organization with sales opportunities (lead acquisition, follow-up sales call, etc.). It establishes your company as a thought leader and allows you to showcase what you have to offer.
• Transactional. The user wants to complete an action (conversion). This isn’t restricted just to purchases. It could be an email signup, lead generation form submission, store visit, or a phone call. This can be a key revenue generator for your business. Create landing pages that allow users to transact directly on your landing page. Your landing page should include signup forms, lead submission forms, or add-to-cart buttons. This allows you to capture valuable information and transactions in a few simple steps.
• Commercial. Similar to transactional intent, commercial intent is a great place to offer free versions of products and get yourself in front of their eyes. Explore the idea of creating free versions or trials of your products or services. Much like with informational queries, you can use these queries for brand or product awareness, lead generation, and future conversion.

With these categories in mind, you will be able to plan your search engine marketing campaigns around the categories.

These are some examples: 

• Navigational: Make sure to choose keywords that are of interest to your target audience and you have landing pages for your products, services, and other offerings.
• Informational: These queries make up the vast majority of searches performed on Google, so you can’t afford to ignore them. People on search engines who are seeking information can be an opportunity for you to acquire leads to be converted later, establish your brand as an authority, and make people aware of what you have to offer.
• Transactional: These are the main money makers for your business. Create landing pages that allow users to make the transaction/conversion directly on the landing page. That means signup forms, lead submission forms, or add-to-cart buttons that allow them to navigate with ease. 
• Commercial: Explore the idea of creating free versions or trials of your products and/or services. Even if you don’t have a specific product that answers their needs, you can still get value from these users—curate lists of free resources. Much like with informational queries, you can use these queries for brand/offer awareness, lead generation, and future conversion.

With the wide adoption of search engines, having an online presence and embarking on search engine marketing (SEM) is critical for businesses to be competitive. Most businesses engage digital marketing agencies to help them with the set up, analysis, implementation, monitoring, management and reporting to ensure while they focus on their business operations. 

If you like to explore engaging a digital marketing agency for your organisation? Contact us at +65 64431415 or email us at contact@mustardseedigital.com