A transactional query is a search query where the user intends to transact, such as buying a product, booking a service, or downloading a file.
These queries are important for businesses as it means the user is ready to buy or take a specific online action.
It’s important to note that a transactional query doesn’t have to involve payment. Providing your email address to access gated content is also considered transactional.
That means a search query like “download free notion template” is also a transaction query.
The key thing to remember is this…
Transactional queries signify the user’s readiness to take immediate action.
That means any keyword where the primary search intent is to aquire something is a transactional query.
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Transactional queries are important because they signify that the user is ready to buy.
Ranking for a transactional query is a surefire way to increase:
That’s why they are more competitive than regular search terms.
Think about it like this:
A transactional query is the bridge between a potential customer and your offer.
Your goal is to rank your website so it positions your business as the immediate solution to the customer problem.
An example of a transactional query is “buy running shoes online”.
This query clearly indicates the searcher’s intent to purchase running shoes through an online store.
More examples of a transactional query include:
All of these examples signal a clear intent to take immediate action, which means they are all transactional in nature.
To identify transactional queries you need to understand the search intent and specificity of the search query.
Here are the two ways to identify a transactional query:
Transactional queries usually include:
If the query includes these types of words and phrases, it is likely transactional.
Google your target keyword and see what’s ranking.
If you see a lot of ecommerce stores or landing pages ranking at the top of the search results – This is a good sign that the query is transactional.
But if you see pages that contain more informational content like blogs or forums, then this is a signal that it is not a transactional keyword.
It’s as simple as that!
Think of the Google search results like a crystal ball into your customer’s mind. Whatever currently ranks in Google is there because it provides the users with what they want.
This is the easiest way to identify the keyword type.
Remember:
Understanding a transactional query is simply identifying the search intent. If the intent is to make any kind of transaction (free or paid), you can be confident that it’s a transactional query.
Here’s how to target transactional queries in 3 steps:
Incorporate your target keywords into your content and landing page.
This includes titles, meta descriptions, written content and even URLs so that Google can understand the relevance of your page and the target transactional keyword.
You can even use LSI keywords to help your page rank for other related transactional queries.
Avoid keyword stuffing.
Over-optimising your content is the fastest way to the bottom of the search results.
Stuck on how to optimise your page? Check out our full ecommerce SEO guide.
Your landing page should directly cater to the transactional intent of your visitors.
Here’s what I mean:
The design of your landing page should do two big things:
That means having a nice design that attracts the user to the page and includes a range of elements like CTAs, headlines, bullet points, images and even videos.
Make sure to include the most important information above the fold.
If your website offers a bad user experience – You are losing money!
Create a seamless user experience that makes it easy for users to take immediate action.
That means having a fast-loading website, an intuitive layout and a straightforward checkout or sign-up process.
Minimise the steps between the user visiting your landing page and buying your product/service.
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