Search intent in plain language

You can pick a good keyword, write a good page, and still not show up, because the page is the wrong kind of answer. Search intent is the reason behind a search, and it decides which kind of page fits. This lesson shows you how to read intent and match your page to it.

What search intent is

Search intent is what a person wants to get done when they type a search. The keyword is the words. The intent is the goal behind the words.

Searches can share words and still want different things:

• espresso machine is probably someone starting to shop.
• how does an espresso machine work wants an explanation.
• espresso machine repair near me wants a person who can fix one.

Google tries to show the kind of page that fits the goal. A page built for a different goal has little chance, however well it is written.

The four kinds of intent

Intent is usually grouped into four kinds.

• Informational. The person wants to learn something or solve a problem. Example: how to descale an espresso machine. A guide, a how-to or an explanation fits.
• Navigational. The person wants a specific site or page. Example: hale plumbing opening hours. That company's own page fits, and nobody else's will.
• Commercial. The person is comparing options before buying. Example: best espresso machine under 500. A comparison, a review or a "best of" list fits.
• Transactional. The person is ready to act: buy, book, sign up, download. Example: buy espresso descaling tablets. A product page, a category page or a booking page fits.

These are labels, not strict boxes. Their use is to make you ask one question before you write: what would a helpful result for this search look like?

Read intent from the results page

You do not have to guess the intent. Search for the keyword yourself and study the results page. Use a private browser window, so your own search history has less influence on what you see.

Look at four things:

• The type of page. Are the top results guides, product pages, category pages, comparison lists, videos or local businesses?
• The titles. Do they share words such as "how to", "best", a year or a price?
• The extras. A map with local businesses suggests people want someone nearby. Product images with prices suggest people want to buy. A box of related questions suggests people want to learn.
• The depth. Are the top pages short answers or long guides?

The results page is the best evidence you have of what people want from a search.

If most of the first page is step-by-step guides, a product page will struggle there. Do not fight the results. Build the kind of page that fits them.

Match the page type to the intent

Once you know the intent, choose the format.

Take a coffee shop that wants to appear for best espresso machine under 500. The results are comparison articles, but the shop is trying to rank its category page:

The title changed, but the real change is the page behind it: from a grid of products to a comparison that helps someone choose, with links to each product. Changing only the title tag would not work, because the page has to deliver what the title says. For the wording itself, see how to write title tags that get clicked. The meta description should make the same promise, as covered in write meta descriptions people want to click.

When one keyword has mixed intent

Some results pages show a mix: a few guides, a few shops, a few comparisons. A short keyword such as espresso machine often looks like this. You have three options:

1. Pick one intent. Choose the one that fits your business and that clearly has a place in the results.
2. Serve the main intent first, the second one lower down. For example, a category page with products at the top and a short buying guide below them.
3. Make two pages. If both intents are strong, give each its own page with a more specific keyword, and link the two together.

What does not work is one page that tries to be a guide, a shop and a comparison at once.

A short worked example

A roofer wants to be found for roof repair cost. The page aimed at that keyword is a service page titled "Roof Repair Services", which describes the company and has a contact form.

A look at the results shows mostly articles: price ranges, tables by type of repair, a few calculators. The intent is informational with a commercial edge. People want a number before they call anyone.

So the roofer writes a cost guide. It gives typical price ranges from the company's own jobs, explains what makes a repair cheaper or more expensive, and links to the service page for a quote. The service page stays, aimed at roof repair austin, where the results show local companies and a map.

Two intents, two pages, linked to each other.

This is the first lesson in the Keywords and Content series.

Check your own page

Take one page and the keyword you want it to be found for:

• What is the goal behind that search: to learn, to find a site, to compare or to act?
• When you search it, what type of page fills the results?
• Is your page that type?
• Does your title make the format clear?
• If the results are mixed, have you chosen which intent to serve first?

Once the page type is right, run the free audit to check the page itself.