{"id":4186,"date":"2020-01-23T05:36:22","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T05:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodiedigital.com\/?p=4186"},"modified":"2022-08-18T01:51:35","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T01:51:35","slug":"search-intent-and-food-blog-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodiedigital.com\/search-intent-and-food-blog-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to optimize your recipes for search intent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Search intent has been written about extensively on the web, but very little has been written about how it applies to food and recipe content specifically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post highlights some of the big benefits that come with satisfying search intent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus we share 3 tips to more closely match search intent<\/a> and a dozen helpful examples<\/a> for ways you can write (or edit) your recipe posts or nutrition articles to more closely match search intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search intent defined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Search intent (also known as user intent) is the practice of more accurately describing your food and recipe content for readers so that it matches what they want in that exact search moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not about keywords \u2014 it’s about the meaning<\/em> behind keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a big part of successful on-page SEO for food blogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know it can be hard to focus on all of the aspects of on-page and technical SEO<\/a> when you\u2019re busy creating new food and recipe content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But learn to satisfy search intent and you will get more organic traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How search intent works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say you want to make a quick dinner using spinach. But you’re going to the theater with friends tonight and you only have 30 minutes to pull something together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You do a Google search for \u201cquick spinach recipes\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first search result you click on looks good, but you see after scrolling down the page to the recipe card that the recipe takes 40 minutes to prepare and cook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you go back to the search results to find a different recipe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And this next time, you land on what you\u2019re looking for: a spinach salad with a vinaigrette dressing. It takes 15 minutes to come together, which exactly what you want.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If enough people who search for \u201cquick spinach recipes\u201d feel the way you do about the spinach salad with vinaigrette dressing, that recipe is going to climb up the search rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because satisfying a user’s search intent is priority #1 for Google. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why you should focus on search intent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With so much high-quality food, nutrition and recipe content published each day, it\u2019s harder than ever to stand out in the search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human attention has become a scarce commodity (thanks social media!). You need to let people know immediately that you are the best, right search result for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google also looks at how people interact with your search result, and all the other results around it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can tell if people don\u2019t love a specific search result, because those people click the back button in their web browser before they clickthrough on a new, different search result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 tips to more closely match search intent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Look at your user signals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Use a keyword research tool<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Use descriptive words in your writing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Look at your user signals<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Instead of guessing or making an emotional gut decision about why a recipe isn’t performing well, look at your Google Analytics and Google Search Console<\/a> data. Numbers don’t lie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At Foodie Digital we regularly track key metrics for members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This includes (amongst others):<\/p>\n\n\n\n