Search intent - also referred to as “user intent” - is a term that describes the goal and purpose of the user’s search query. In other words, it tells you why the user chose to type a particular query into the search engine - and what they hoped to achieve with that search.
When users type something into Google’s search bar, they generally have a good reason for doing so - and their satisfaction with search results depends on how well Google understood the intent behind that query.
In SEO, search intent is commonly divided into four types:
Knowing which keywords to target is no longer enough for your pages to rank in SERPs. Google continuously works on improving content relevance, returning only the most relevant pages, and ensuring that the user finds exactly what they need.
With roughly 8.5 billion daily Google searches - with an average length of three words per query - the search engine has to figure out exactly what the user wants, filter the available information, and display results based on that.
And pages that fit not only the search term but the intent behind that specific query are the ones that will rank the highest in SERPs.
In other words, meeting the search intent is one of Google’s primary goals:
Google has been working hard on improving and fine-tuning the search algorithm to identify the intent behind a search query and show results accordingly. There is an entire section called “Understanding User Intent” in Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines.
That’s not to say that other ranking signals don’t matter; they most certainly do. Still, if your page fails to meet and satisfy search intent, it won’t rank well. Matching your content to the user intent should be viewed as a key part of your SEO strategy and the foundation of success.
The better you comprehend search intent, the easier it becomes to:
Search intent is often easily identified based on how the user worded their query. You may not realize this, but there’s a considerable difference in what you’d type in the search bar when your intent is purely informational versus when it’s transactional.
More often than not, people will word their search phrases in a way that reveals intent.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say the main keyword is “diamonds.” A search query that’s phrased as “buy diamonds” has an entirely different user intent at its core than the one phrased as “how to clean diamonds.” The first shows an intention to purchase (transactional intent); the other is informational.
Keywords Explorer can help you uncover keywords that align with specific search intents by simply adding “modifiers” that would indicate the type of intent that’s most relevant to you.
Even though search intent is often obvious enough, it’s still a good idea to check the SERPs and look at the pages that are already ranking for that particular keyword. Those pages have passed the algorithm’s “search intent test,” so they must be doing something right.
On a related note, you should also look at the SERP features.
If the intent of the search is informational, you’ll likely come across a featured snippet - but if the query is transactional, you’re more likely to see shopping results.
One thing you must remember when relying on top-ranking pages to identify search intent is that rankings can fluctuate over a given timeframe.
Suppose you see plenty of fluctuations among the top-ranking pages over a six-month period. In that case, it’s safe to assume that either Google doesn’t understand the actual intent behind the particular search query or that the intent is constantly changing.
Either way, these pages aren’t representative of search intent.
Before you create new content - or update your existing pages - you should take some time to see what your competitors are doing.
They’re obviously doing something right SEO-wise - otherwise, they wouldn’t be ranking so high in SERPs. Look at how the pages are formatted, which points they cover in the content, their tone of voice - and, most importantly, what these pages are missing.
That last bit could be your chance to outdo them in SERPs.
Content type, content format, and content angle are the so-called “3 C’s of search intent” that you can use to figure out the search intent and optimize your content accordingly.
Here is a quick overview of each:
The four widely recognized types of search intent are Informational, Navigational, Transactional, and Commercial Investigation. More often than not, you can determine a user’s intent based on the exact keyword phrasing.
A search type is essentially the same as search intent and can be further split into three distinct groups - Informational, Navigational, Transactional, and Commercial Investigation.