Contributor Jacob Baadsgaard takes a look at why intent is an important part of keyword research and explains how to use Google to guide your SEM and SEO keyword strategies so you're not losing time or money.
专栏作者Jacob Baadsgaard为我们阐述为什么意图是关键词研究中非常重要的一个部份，以及我们如何以Google为制定SEM和SEO关键词策略的指南，使你不会浪费时间和资金。
资料来源：http://searchengineland.com
作者：Jacob Baadsgaard
翻译：思亿欧外贸快车市场部
“
Whether paid or organic, when it comes to search marketing, keywords are king.
无论是付费排名还是自然排名，当说到搜索营销时，关键词为王。
Good keyword research is at the heart of any successful search marketing campaign, so it pays to get it right from the get-go.
好的关键词研究是搜索营销成功的核心，所以从头开始就要把它做对。
Good keyword research, however, isn’t just about search volume,competition level, suggested bids or any of the other metrics you see in a keyword research tool like Google’s keyword planner.
然而，好的关键词研究绝不仅仅只是关于搜索量、竟争水平、建议出价，或者你在像Google关键词规划师这样的关键词分析工具上看到的其它指标。
While all of these metrics are helpful, the most important trait of any keyword is the intent behind it.
当然所有这些指标对于关键词研究都是有帮助的，但是任何关键词最重要的特性，是隐藏于其后的搜索动机。
From a data perspective, a keyword can look like a perfect fit, but if most of the searches related to a term aren’t related to your business, that keyword probably isn’t worth your time or money.
从数据的角度，一个关键词可能看起来是完美契合的，但是如果多数有关于此关键词的搜索背后的意图都是与你的业务无关，那么这个关键词就不值得你去花费时间和资金了。
Unfortunately, Google’s keyword planner doesn’t tell you a lot about the intent behind a keyword. But that doesn’t mean you have to guess. Google can still tell you a lot about the intent behind a keyword; you just have to know where to look.
不幸的是，Google关键词规划师工具并不能告诉你一个关键词背后的全部搜索意图。但这并不意味着你必须要靠猜测。Google仍然可以告诉你关键词背后的搜索意图，你只需要知道去哪里发现。
In this article, we’ll take a look at why intent is such an important part of keyword research, how to get at the intent behind a keyword and ways to use intent to guide your search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO) keyword strategies.
在本文中，我们将一起探讨搜索意图为什么对于关键词研究如此重要，如何去发现关键词背后的搜索意图，以及如何以搜索意图为指南来规划你的SEM和SEO关键词策略。
To begin, let’s start by taking a look at how the intent behind a keyword can affect your SEM and SEO efforts.
首先，我们来看关键词背后的搜索意图是怎么影响你的SEM和SEO的。
”
Intent and SEM
搜索意图与SEM
The easiest way to demonstrate the importance of intent in search marketing is to look at a search engine marketing example.
证实搜索意图对于SEM的重要性的最简单办法，就是看一个SEM的例子。
Why? With SEM, you pay for every click, so if you’re targeting the wrong intent, you can waste a lot of money… fast!
为什么？因为在SEM，你要为每一个点击付费，所以如果你锁定到了错误的搜索意图，你会非常快速的浪费钱！
For example, one of my company’s clients offers business translation services (documents, international deals and so on). During our initial audit of their accounts, I noticed something interesting: They were bidding on the keyword “translate.”
例如，我有一个客户公司是提供翻译服务的（文件、国际商务等），在我们对于其账户的初审时，我发现一个有趣的事情：他们竟然为“翻译”这个关键词出价。
At first glance, this keyword seems to make sense. Their business is all about translation, so “translate” seems like a no-brainer keyword, especially when the keyword gets hundreds of millions of searches every month.
初看起来，这个关键词是没有问题的。他们的所有业务都是有关于翻译的，所以“翻译”似乎是一个毋庸置疑的关键词，尤其是当这个关键词每月有数亿的搜索量。
Not surprisingly, bidding on “translate” had won them a lot of clicks: $150,000 worth of clicks, to be precise.
不足为奇，对于键词“翻译”的出价为他们赢得了相当多的点击，准确地说有15万美元的点击消耗。
This would have been great, except for one little thing: Those clicks didn’t turn into sales.
这个是很棒的，如果不是因为这样一个小事：这些点击并不带来销售。
Despite the fact this keyword and many others looked relevant to their business and had great search volume, their SEM campaigns were a colossal waste of money. The intent behind their keywords was wrong.
虽然这个关键词和许多其它的关键词的确看起来与他们的业务是相关的，并且有大量的搜索，但是他们的SEM却浪费了巨大的资金。因为关键词背后的搜索意图是错误的。
While “translate” is a great match for what this business does, most people who use the word “translate” in an online search aren’t looking for business translation services. In other words, the keyword was right, but the intent was wrong, and the end result was $150,000 down the drain.
尽管“翻译”与他们的业务十分相关，但是多数以“翻译”为关键词来进行搜索的人并不是为了寻求翻译服务。换句话说，关键词是对的，但是搜索意图不对，结果是15万美元打了水漂。
Intent and SEO
搜索意图与SEO
Intent isn’t just an SEM problem, though.
搜索意图不仅仅是SEM要考虑的问题。
For example, someone in my company recently wrote an article focused on pay-per-click (PPC) tactics. It was a cheeky piece that used Wes Craven’s Freddie Krueger slasher film as a framework for discussing why different PPC branding tactics were so effective.
例如，我们公司有位同事写了一篇讨论PPC策略的文章，顽皮地用Wes Craven的Freddie Krueger这部恐怖片为框架来讨论为什么不同的PPC品牌策略会如此有效。
Almost overnight, traffic to our blog increased 497 percent. It was our first real blogging breakthrough!
几乎在一夜之间，博客的点击量增加了497%，这是我们博客的第一次真正意义上的流量突破！
Which would have been great… except that no one was converting.
这本来应该是件很棒的事情…除了，没有转化。
Our traffic wasn’t finding us because they were not searching for things like “PPC branding” or “branding tactics,” they were searching for “freddy krueger tactics.”
这些流量并不是想要找我们的，因为他们不是通过“PPC品牌策略”或“品牌策略”搜索过来的，他们是搜索“freddy krueger策略”过来的。
Somehow, we had ended up as the #1 article for “freddy krueger tactics,” and we were getting hundreds of clicks a day from fans of the knife-fingered serial killer.
总之，这篇文章最后成为了“freddy krueger策略”关键词排名第一的文章，每天都会有来自匕首连环杀手粉丝们的几百次点击。
Our content was targeted on the right keywords, but the intent we were targeting was wrong, horribly wrong.
我们的内容是锁定了正确的关键词而创建的，但的关键词背后的搜索意图的锁定却是错误的，大错特错。
Bad traffic is bad news
劣质的流量是坏消息
Now, before you argue that free traffic is always good for your content, even if the intent is wrong, try searching on Google for “PPC branding tactics”:
现在，在你判断就算意图错误，但是免费的自然流量对于内容始终是有好处的之前，请Google搜索一下“PPC品牌策略”这个关键词：
Yes, our company article ranks #1, but it isn’t our Freddy Krueger article. Even after all those thousands of clicks, that article doesn’t rank on the first page for the keyword it was optimized for. In fact, it doesn’t even show up for this search.
没错，我们公司的文章排在第一位，但不是上面说的那篇Freddy Krueger的文章。即便是有那么多的点击，那篇文章并没有因为我们所优化的关键词（“PPC品牌策略”）而排在首页。实际上，它根本就没有在搜索结果里。
Instead, the article that matches the intent behind the keyword “PPC branding tactics” is the one that ranks.
取而代之的是与“PPC品牌策略”关键词背后的搜索意图相匹配的文章取得了排名。
Wondering why? Because Google is dedicated to understanding intent. For Google’s algorithms, an article that gets a lot of clicks from people searching for “Freddy Krueger tactics” probably isn’t a good match for people who are searching for “PPC branding tactics,” even if that’s what the article is actually about.
想知道为什么吗？因为Google一直致力于理解搜索者的意图。对于Google的算法，一篇文章如果被众多搜索“freddy krueger策略”的人点击，那么它与关键词“PPC品牌策略”就不能很好地匹配了，即便这篇文章就是写PPC品牌策略的。
Obviously, we didn’t write this article with the goal of dominating the keyword “Freddy Krueger tactics,” but the article was written to catch the eye of “Nightmare on Elm Street” fans, so we inadvertently ended up targeting the wrong intent and completely missing our target audience.
很明显，我们写这篇文章并不是为了优化“freddy krueger策略”这个关键词，但是它却成功抓住了猛鬼街电影粉丝的眼球，所以无心之中我们锁定了错误的搜索意图，错过了真正的目标人群。
Whether it’s SEM or SEO, the intent behind your keywords has an enormous effect on the success of your marketing. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get clever with your content or ads, but if you want to succeed at search marketing, you need to match your marketing to the intent behind your keywords.
不管是做SEM还是SEO，关键词背后的搜索意图对于营销的成功都有着非常重大的影响。但这并不意味着你在做内容和广告的时候会一直被蒙蔽，如果你想要取得营销的成功，你必须锁定和匹配关键词背后的搜索意图。
Figuring out intent
弄清楚搜索意图
Fortunately, when it comes to intent, you don’t have to guess, Google has actually done a lot of the work for you!
幸运的是，当谈到搜索意图时，你无须猜测，Google已经为你作了很多的工作了。
Google is dedicated to understanding search intent. It has invested enormous resources into creating algorithms that can identify the intent behind a search and deliver the results you’re looking for. Instead of picking keywords that seem right and hoping for the best, why not use Google’s algorithms to identify the intent behind your keywords?
谷歌一直致力于理解用户的搜索意图，在算法中投入了相当大量的资源以识别搜索行为背后的意图并展示用户想要的搜索结果。与其挑选那些看起来正确的关键词然后期待着最好的结果，为什么不利用Google的算法来识别关键词背后的搜索意图呢？
Warning signs
警示信息
To show you how this works, let’s jump back up to our translation company example and take a look at the search results for “translate”:
为了让你明白这是怎么回事，让我们回到那个翻译公司的案例，看看“翻译”这个词的搜索结果：
First off, the fact that the first result is a giant Google Translate widget should be a big red flag.
首先，第一个结果是巨头Google翻译的小工具这一事实就是一个重大的警示。
If so many people type in “translate” because they want to quickly translate a word or phrase that Google has created a dedicated widget for meeting that need, that keyword probably isn’t one a business to business (B2B) translation business should be targeting.
如果许多人搜索“翻译”是因为他们想翻译某个词或短句，而Google已经创建了一个工具来满足这一需求，那么“翻译”这个关键词可能就不是一个B2B翻译服务业务应该锁定的词了。
Even if we ignore the widget, none of the first-page results are related in any way to business translation. Same goes for the second page of results.
即便我们忽略这个翻译工具，首页的搜索结果中也没有一个是与翻译服务业务相关的，第二页也没有。
In fact, translation services of any type don’t show up until the third page, and those translation services are for individuals, not businesses:
事实上，翻译服务直到第三页才开始出现，而这些翻译服务是针对个人的，而不是企业：
Now, I’m not saying Google is perfect at predicting or interpreting intent, but based on the results Google is showing here and 450 million other times a month, I’d wager that almost no one who types in “translate” is looking for a business translation service.
现在，我不是说Google在意图的预测和说明方面做的非常好，但是Google在这里以及每月4.5亿次在其它地方展示的这些搜索结果，我打赌几乎没有一个搜索“翻译”的人是为了寻求商务翻译服务的。
Positive indicators
积极的迹象
On the other hand, let’s take a look at what we get if we search for “business translation”:
另一方面，让我们看一下搜索“商务翻译”这一关键词会得到怎样的结果：
First off, unlike the “translate” keyword, the first thing you see from this keyword is ads.
首先，不同于“翻译”这个词，你看到的第一个搜索结果是广告。
If you’re thinking about running SEM ads, that’s actually a good sign. Yes, it means you’ve got competition, but it also means that other companies think the intent is good enough to run their own ads on the keyword.
如果你正在考虑做SEM广告，这是一个好的信号。没错，它意味着你面临着竟争，但是它同时也意味着其它公司认为这个词的搜索意图对于他们的广告是有利的。
But let’s see what Google thinks people who search for “business translation” are after. Here are the organic search results:
但是让我们来看一下Google认为搜索“商务翻译”的人们到底想要什么。以下是自然排名结果：
The keyword “business translation” could imply a lot of different intents, ranging from educational intent (“what is business translation?”) to the actual desire to know what the word “business” is in another language.
“商务翻译”这一词可能暗示着多种不同的意图，从教育意图（“例如商务翻译是什么？”），到真正想要知道“商务”这个词翻译成另外一种语言是什么的意图。
However, from these business listings, it looks like Google thinks people who search for “business translation” are looking for a business translation service. This seems like a good intent to target.
然而，从这些搜索结果来看，Google似乎是认搜索“商务翻译”的人是想要寻求商务翻译服务的。这似乎是一个值得去锁定的搜索意图。
Of course, the monthly search volume for “business translation” is several orders of magnitude lower than the search volume for “translate,” but it’s much better to get 100 conversions a month than 1 million clicks a month from the wrong traffic — especially when you’re paying for those clicks.
当然，“商务翻译”一词的月搜索量与“翻译”一词远远不是同一个量级，但是每个月100个转化要好于每月100万的无效流量----尤其是当你需要为流量付费的时候。
As a quick aside, if you want a real eye-opener, take a look at your search terms report and try typing in the searches your ads are showing up for. Your ads just might be showing up in some of the most unexpected places.
多说一句，如果你想要知道真相，可以看一下你的搜索报告，并且试着将你的关键词放到你的广告展示平台搜一下看结果，你的广告有可能被展示在你最不想看到的地方。
SEM vs. SEO: Targeting the right intent
SEM vs. SEO：锁定正确的搜索意图
While checking the search engine results page (SERP) for a keyword seems simple, in my experience, many search marketers, especially paid search marketers, never bother to look at what Google thinks is relevant content for a keyword.
查看某个关键词的搜索结果（SERP）看起来是一件简单的事情，根据我的经验，很多的网站主，尤其是那些广告主们，却从来没有思考过Google会认为怎样的内容是与关键词相关的。
That is unfortunate, because the wealth of insight Google offers can save you from wasting a ton of money and/or time on the wrong keywords.
这是很不幸的，因为Google给出的insight会让你免于在错误的关键词上面花费太多的资金或时间。
Depending on whether you’re trying to pick the right keywords for an SEM or an SEO campaign, however, the “right” intent can mean very different things. Here are some things to keep in mind while picking SEM and SEO keywords:
取决于你是想要为SEM还是SEO挑选正确的关键词，“正确的”意图会意味着不同的东西。以下是为SEM和SEO挑选关键词时需要注意的一些事情：
SEM keywords. SEM keywords are expensive. Every click costs you, so if you’re going to target a keyword in your SEM campaigns, you need to target keywords with high purchasing intent. So, if none of the first page search results for a potential keyword indicate purchasing intent (home pages of sales or lead-gen orientated sites, product pages, services pages and so on), it may not be a good SEM keyword. No matter how right a keyword seems, a SERP filled with links to forums, question and answer (Q&A) sites, blog posts, Wikipedia pages or other informational sites usually isn’t worth spending money on. People in information-gathering mode usually don’t want to buy right away, so paying to get them to your site or landing page is usually a waste of money. However, if the SERP is filled with links to businesses, especially competitors, you’ve probably just discovered a great candidate for your SEM campaigns.
SEM关键词会很贵，每一个点击都是成本，所以如果是要做SEM，你需要锁定非常高的购买意图的关键词。所以，如果一个潜在关键词的首页搜索结果里面没有一个是预示着购买意图的（商城的首页或是lead导向性的网站、产品页面、服务页面等），那么它就可能不是一个好的SEM关键词。不管一个关键词看起来有多么正确，如果搜索结果中多数是论坛、问答、博客、维基百科词条或者其它信息类的链接，那么这个词通常是不值得你去花钱的。处在信息搜集阶段的人们通常是不会立刻购买的，所以将他们带到你的网站或登陆页上是浪费钱的。但是，如果搜索结果多数是商务相关的，尤其是竟品的页面，那么你就是找到了很好的SEM词组了。
SEO keywords. SEO keywords, on the other hand, are fairly cheap. As long as the intent behind a search is relevant to your business (i.e., not “Freddy Krueger”), an SEO keyword doesn’t need to be particularly high-intent to be profitable. That is important, because ranking organically for high-intent keywords can often be difficult and time-consuming. With SEO keywords, it’s often a good idea to target a wide range of keywords that indicate an interest in what your business offers. Even if those keywords don’t translate into an immediate purchase, they help you build brand awareness with a relevant audience. So, if you type in a potential keyword and see a lot of blog posts, Q&A sites or forums that are discussing topics that are directly related to your core business offering, you’ve found a great keyword.
相比较页言，SEO关键词是相当便宜的。只要关键词背后的搜索意图是与你的业务相关的（比如，不是前面提到的“Freddy Krueger”那样的），就不需要特别考虑非常高的搜索意图。这是很重要的，因为购买意向高的关键词的自然排名通常很难做，而且需要花费较长的时间。所以对于SEO的关键词，通常来说好的做法是锁定较多和宽泛的关键词，只要其搜索意图表示了对你的业务的兴趣。即便这些词不能立即转化为购买，他们也帮助你与相关受众建立了品牌认知。所以，当你搜索一个潜在关键词，发现结果中有很多在讨论与你的核心业务直接相关问题的博客、问答或论坛页面，你就是找到了一个很棒的关键词。
Creating content around those keywords will help put you in front of the right audience and will eventually improve your organic ranking for high purchasing-intent keywords. So it’s a double win!
围绕这些关键词去创建内容，会把你带到正确的受众面前，而且最终会提升你的购买意向性高的关键词的自然排名，所以这是一件双赢的事情！
Conclusion
结语
Whether you’re trying to pick SEM keywords, SEO keywords or both, the key to successful search marketing is picking keywords with the right intent. No matter how much search volume a keyword might have, if those searches aren’t relevant to your business, they aren’t worth your time and/or money.
无论你是在挑选SEM的关键词还是SEO关键词，成功的关键词是挑选那些正确搜索意图的词。无论一个词的搜索量有多大，如果搜索意图与你的业务不相关，就不值得你花费金钱和时间。
Fortunately, you don’t have to guess why people use certain keywords in their searches. By conducting those searches yourself and taking a hard look at the results, you can use Google’s algorithms to get at the general intent behind a given keyword.
幸运的是，你不必去猜测为什么人们会去使用某个特定的关键词去搜索。你自己去搜索一下，并且深入分析搜索结果，你就可以利用Google的算法来推断出特定关键词背后的常规搜索意图。
