How to Get the Right Visitors to Your Website

Getting the right visitors to your website has almost nothing to do with volume. It comes down to one thing most people skip when they’re doing keyword research: search intent, or the reason someone is actually typing that phrase into Google.

Why “More Traffic” is the Wrong Goal

When I ask clients what keywords they want to rank for, they usually show up with a list. They’ve thought about their niche, their industry, the specifics within it. What they haven’t thought about is why someone would search that term in the first place.

Ten thousand visitors sounds great until you realize they’re the wrong ten thousand. A high-traffic keyword that attracts people who were never going to buy from you, book with you, or read past your headline isn’t a win. It’s just a bigger number on a screen that doesn’t convert.

What is Search Intent?

Search intent is the reason behind the search. Someone typing “cardboard boxes” might want to buy them today, or they might be researching packaging materials for a school project. Same keyword, two completely different people, two completely different reasons to land on your site.

I have a client who ranks for “Bible verses.” Most people searching that term want to reference a verse, not buy anything. So even with high search volume and low competition, that keyword was never going to bring the right people to her website if the goal was sales.

Can Informational Keywords Drive Sales?

Yes, and this is the part people miss. Not every keyword needs to be transactional, like “buy dog food.” An informational post, say, “10 best podcasts in [your niche],” can still lead somewhere. It drives traffic to your own podcast, that traffic turns into subscribers, and some of those subscribers eventually become customers. The path is longer, but it’s still a path.

How Do You Actually Check a Keyword’s Intent?

Google it. That’s the whole method. Look at what’s already ranking on page one: product listings, articles, videos, high-authority sites, forums. Whatever dominates that page tells you exactly what Google (and the people searching) expect to find.

Say you’re a dietitian looking at “type one diabetes.” If page one is wall-to-wall WebMD and Healthline, you’re not beating that with a blog post, no matter how good it is. Get specific instead. Look for the version of that keyword where the results page is full of blogs and articles from smaller sites, not medical institutions with a decade of domain authority behind them.

What the Search Results Page is Telling You

That page is doing your research for you. It shows you intent, sure, but it also shows you what related angles people care about. Lots of videos? Your audience wants to watch, not read. Images and infographics? They want a visual answer. A row of product listings? They’re ready to buy, and an educational blog post probably won’t outrank a storefront.

Keyword research can feel like a lot, but search intent is the piece that turns a big traffic number into actual visitors who stick around, read, and eventually buy. Check the results page before you commit to a keyword, and you’ll know within thirty seconds whether it’s worth chasing.

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