Search intent is the goal behind the words. Near-identical wording can come from two people who need entirely different pages: one is troubleshooting at their kitchen table, the other is standing in water looking for a phone number. Intent is what decides which page Google shows, and it is where most pages fail long before keywords matter.
Briefly explained
- The goal behind the words, which is rarely the words themselves.
- Four broad types: informational, commercial, transactional, navigational.
- The results page tells you which one Google has decided on.
- Matching intent beats matching keywords, every time.
What are the four types?
- Informational: Someone wants to understand something. “Why is it making that noise.”
- Commercial: Someone is comparing before buying. “Best option for a house this size.”
- Transactional: Someone wants it done. “Emergency service near me.”
- Navigational: Someone is looking for a specific company by name.
The boundaries blur, and that is fine. The useful distinction for most local businesses is between people learning and people hiring.
How do you find the intent for a search?
Read the results page. Google has already decided, and it publishes the decision every time somebody searches.
A page full of service listings and a map means it has judged the search transactional. A page of articles and People Also Ask means it has judged it informational. Publishing the other format is a choice to lose, however good the page is.
Why do most pages miss?
Because they were written from a keyword list rather than a results page.
A service page built to sell cannot rank for a question people ask while troubleshooting. A long troubleshooting article will not out-convert a service page for a search typed at eleven at night with an emergency underway. Both pages can be excellent and still be in the wrong place.
What do you do about mixed results?
Treat them as an opening.
When a page shows both guides and service pages, Google is hedging. That is the easiest kind of search to win, because you can supply the format the current winners are not supplying, and the page has room for it.
What do the terms mean?
- Intent: The goal behind the search.
- Query: What was actually typed.
- SERP: Where Google publishes its own reading of the intent.
- Transactional: Ready to buy or book.
- Keyword cannibalization: Two of your pages chasing one intent, and both losing.
Owner questions
