Search intent is the purpose behind a search query: what does the person searching want to know, find or get done? Someone searching for ”running shoes review” wants to compare. Someone searching for ”buy running shoes” wants to order.
Google is built to recognise this intent. Rankings therefore do not go to the page with the most keywords but to the one that best matches the intent.
How does search intent work?
There are usually four types:
- Informational: someone wants to know something, such as ”what is tartar”.
- Navigational: someone is looking for a specific website or brand.
- Commercial: someone compares options before buying, such as ”best accounting software for SMEs”.
- Transactional: someone wants to buy, book or enquire.
The search results themselves reveal which intent sits behind a keyword: does Google show guides, product pages or comparisons? That is exactly the format your page needs too.
Why does search intent matter?
Product pages do not rank for knowledge questions, and guides rarely rank for ”buy”. If you miss the intent, you get clicks without revenue or no rankings at all. For shops and medical practices, commercial and transactional intent pay off most, because that is where enquiries come from.
AI answers often satisfy informational intent directly, without a click. That makes pages for the moments before a decision all the more important. With ongoing SEO management, you match every important keyword with the right intent and the right page format.
