You know you are dealing with a misaligned search intent issue on your website, but know what? What do you fix, and how do you make sure it’s working?
This article is Step 2 in figuring out mismatched (misaligned) search intent issues. If you’re still trying to figure out if your low viewer counts are due to search intent check out our first article: Is Your Content Reaching the Right People?
If you’ve looked at your rankings or queries and thought, “Why am I getting impressions or clicks for XYZ, when my page is about ABC?”, this article is for you! Figuring out how to get Google to see what your webpage is really about, and find the right people is the actual goal. That’s why you created your business, and your webpage in the first place. You want to reach the people. Not all the people! The right people. You need the people that get it and need your advice and expertise.
Not All Misaligned Search Intent Problems Are the Same
One of the biggest mistakes people make at this stage is treating all intent issues as equal. There are a variety of reasons a page can be misaligned, and narrowing down this issue can mean the difference between fixing a problem or making the problem work.
A page can be misaligned because:
- It’s attracting people who are earlier in the decision process than you expected
- Your page is ranking for a simplified version of a more complex question
- Google interprets the page as informational when you want it to be commercial
- It’s doing two jobs and neither is the most prominent
Each of those requires a difference solution. Let’s look into how you will know, and what what to do about it.
Why is Your Page Misaligned?
Since we haven’t looked at your page, or your intent, we can’t answer that question for you yet, so here is a broad example that may help. Please apply as needed.
We will pretend you have a DIY page for homeowners. Articles range from painting, to decks, to roof repair. You spent quite a bit of time creating an article on how to install a skylight. The pictures are great! The keywords are correct. You even added a video on Youtube that you link to from your page. It’s all coordinated and amazing. However, when you search your queries, you get results for:
- Can I put a skylight in my room?
- Skylight repair?
- How hard is it to install a skylight?
- How much is skylight installation?
These search results are for skylights, but they might not match your intent of showing step by step instructions. Why? The reasons could vary but can include the first misalignment where you are attracting clicks for people who aren’t ready for your information. Or, it could be the second misalignment where they are looking for a repair or installation, and not a DIY solution. Or possibly, there is that kind of information in your post, but it’s also a DIY post and it’s trying to do two jobs at once. Comparing your post with your queries will help you figure out which kind of misalignment you are dealing with.
The Three Decisions That Actually Matter
Once the reason behind the misaligned search intent is clear, most page owners face one of three choices:
- Rewrite the existing page: Line by line fix the page to make sure the words match the meaning.
- Split the content: Separate audiences that shouldn’t be sharing a single page.
- Let the page go :Accept that it’s ranking for something you don’t want to pursue.
On the surface, these options sound straightforward. Pick one and fix the page, check back in two weeks to see if it’s working. Let’s look at each of them individually.
Rewriting your Web Page
Most people choose this action. It feels like doing something. Maybe change a keyword, or in our example above add the word “DIY” five more times to make sure you are getting those searches. This can be the right choice. But it can also be the wrong choice.
In our example above, there are some authority figures already established in the space. Obviously the big hardware stores already have that kind of content on their pages, as well as some large brands. So in this case, it could be an issue of trying to compete with those entities who already have an established authority in the space. If rewriting is your goal, the first step would be to use Google to search the phrases you think people would use to get to your content and look at what shows up. Now ask yourself, what does my page do, that these pages don’t do? How is what I have better, or more helpful, or difference.
Once you have answered that question, that is where you do your rewrite. Focus on the problem you are fixing and how YOUR page addresses it. The goal is not to get more traffic, the goal is to get the right traffic. The people who will read the entire article, pull it up every time they need more information, forward it to their friend, or feel like it was so helpful they want to see what else is on your page.
Without this focus, when you rewrite a page you threaten the rankings you already have, confuse the search engines or push the page into a more competitive space than will work for you.
Splitting your Content to Create Two Pages
This is likely the most obvious choice if you are getting queries for two different search results. Like in our example above, there were queries for repair, installation, and DIY. In this case, splitting the page into different pages (with links to each other) makes more sense. Make sure each page has it’s own focus.
Should you Let Your Page Go?
In most cases, you should not let your page go. It is worth it to fix it and help it make progress. But sometimes it’s ok to let it go as well. To make that decision, ask yourself these questions?
- Does this page support the goals of my website?
- Is this page an outlier compared to the rest of my content?
- Is this information outdated/necessary?
If the first two answers are Yes, or the last answer is No, then it’s ok to let it go. Letting it go means changing it to a draft format, and creating redirections to more up to date or relevant information. Make sure Google knows what your page is for and who it’s for.
If you answered Yes, Yes, No, then don’t give up. Let’s help the right people find your page.
If You’re Stuck Between Options
If at this point you are not sure what to do, or how to get started, this is what I do! I help you look at your page, your site, and your metrics to figure out the next step for your page. Misaligned search intent is one of the most common problems I find, and fix!
If you think you have a handle on this, go for it! I wish you the best of luck and hope this has been useful in making those decisions. If you are not sure or would rather not make that call alone, I work with site owners to evaluate intent misalignment and map next steps so you can feel confident about your site’s potential.
Contact Heidi at ERA Content Optimization for help!
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