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Search: capturing intent (Google, YouTube, AI assistants)
6 minutes · 8 steps · workout 2 of 6 in this module
What you'll be able to do
By the end of this workout, you'll be able to read the intent behind a search query, turn cost per click into cost per order, and explain what changes when the answer comes from an AI assistant instead of a list of links.
A first look: Search doesn't create demand. It catches it
When someone types a search, they already want something. Your job is to be there with the right answer. That's what makes search different from every other channel: the intent is written in the query. Read it in four levels. Informational: a question or a problem (“why does my back hurt from my backpack”). Commercial: comparing options (“best laptop backpack for cyclists”). Transactional: ready to buy (“northpack commuter 20L discount code”). Navigational: looking for a specific site (“northpack”). You can show up in two ways: paid search ads (Google Ads, you pay per click) and organic results (SEO, free per click but slow to earn). Search is usually the first paid channel a small business should test, because the people are already looking.
Example: Green Garden Skincare bids on “vitamin c serum for sensitive skin” (commercial intent) and writes a blog post for “does vitamin c serum sting” (informational intent). Two intents, two different pages.
What this workout covers
- Search doesn't create demand. It catches it
- Case: “Put it all on the branded keywords”
- YouTube and AI assistants are search too
A question from this workout: “Put it all on the branded keywords”
Green Garden Skincare runs two search campaigns. One bids on generic terms like “vitamin c serum.” The other bids on the brand's own name. The founder looks at the numbers and says, “Branded is ten times cheaper per order. Move the whole budget there.”
- Generic: clicks / CPC / conversion rate
- 800 / $1.20 / 4%
- Generic: spend / orders
- $960 / 32
- Branded: clicks / CPC / conversion rate
- 150 / $0.40 / 12%
- Branded: spend / orders
- $60 / 18
- Branded searches available per month
- about 150
What do you tell the founder?
- Agree. The cheapest cost per order wins, so move everything to branded
- Keep branded on (it's cheap and protects the name), but it can't grow: only about 150 people a month search the brand. New customers come from generic, so that's where extra budget goes
- Pause branded. People searching your name would find you anyway
- Split the budget 50/50 to be safe
Pick your answer first, then open the reasoning below.
Show the answer and the reasoning
Answer: B. Keep branded on (it's cheap and protects the name), but it can't grow: only about 150 people a month search the brand. New customers come from generic, so that's where extra budget goes
Branded searches come from people who already know you, usually because of another channel. There are only about 150 of them a month, and the campaign already catches all of them. Adding budget there buys nothing. Generic terms are where strangers become customers, even at $30 per order. The most common mistake is chasing the lowest cost per order without asking how many orders are actually available at that price.
The other steps work the same way: you decide first, then see why each option is right or wrong.
How you practice here
- 2 short concept cards
- 2 multiple-choice questions
- 1 campaign case with real-looking numbers
- 1 put-in-order exercise
- 2 guided calculations
Part of the module: The Digital Channel Map
Search, social media, marketplaces, email and messaging: what each channel is good for and where your customers actually spend their time.
More workouts in this module
- Paid, owned and earned media
- Social media: creating demand
- Marketplaces: where many shoppers start (Amazon, Etsy, eBay)
- Email, SMS and WhatsApp: reaching your own audience
- Choosing channels on a tight budget
Programs that include this workout