Intent means intention. Search intent can then be translated as search intent.
You may also realize on your own that when you want to order a meal, you will type different terms into a search engine than when you want to cook a meal or find out what the best restaurants in your city are.
And Google knows it.
Based on how you ask, it guesses what your intent (what you’re looking for) might be and serves you the optimal results.
From the other side… If you want to rank in the search engines for a keyword, you need to hit the intent that people have when they search for that word.
In addition, search intent is playing an increasingly important role for SEO.
A good start is to look at what other results are topping the search engines for that word and conceptualize your content in the same way.
What are the 4 main types of search intent?
1. Informational
People are looking for information, nothing more, nothing less, they’re just interested.
An example of an information search intent might be:
- Best books to read this year,
- How to start writing a newsletter,
- How much does a wedding cost,
- Is home birth safe?,
Information intent is probably the most prevalent and most of your articles will fall into this category.
2. Navigation
People know what they are looking for and want to get to that place “just”.
An example of a navigational search intent might be:
- Facebook registration
- Vojtěch Bruk contact
- Restaurant on the Square opening hours
- News.cz
Navigational search intent is usually covered by good technical optimization of the pages (so they index and have proper meta descriptions and headings). However, if people are searching for a downright navigational term and they don’t find it on your site, it’s definitely a good idea to find out as soon as possible (perhaps using some SEO tool) and fix it.
3. Comparative/commercial
Comparative intent is what people have when they wonder which product category is the best.
- Best Restaurant Brno,
- Best Ski Camera,
- Air Conditioner Comparison 20222
However, they may also want to look purely at what the options are (hence the commercial)
- Restaurant Brno
- Kadeřnctví Opava
- Harry Potter posters
Both categories have in common how far along people are in the buying cycle: They know they are interested in the item and are exploring alternatives to best get it.
4. Transactional
People have transactional intent if they are already decided and more or less “just” want to buy the item. It’s no coincidence that e-shops fight as hard as they can for this intention.
Examples:
- buy groceries online,
- order food,
- Barcelona flight tickets,
- Acer monitor 32
A common “mistake” then tends to be that people create informational content on transactional intent and vice versa.Word of Conclusion
I’ve quickly introduced all 4 main search intents:
- Information
- Navigation
- Comparison/Commerce
- Transactional
Then, if you’re creating any content, start by figuring out what intent people have when they search for the item and make sure the format of your post matches their search intent.And let me know in the comments what experience you have with search intent and your content on your site!
