Skip to main content

Search Intent

Search intent is the actual goal behind a search query.

What Does Search Intent Mean?

Search intent, also known as “Search Intent” in technical jargon, is the intention behind a search query. It’s not the words typed themselves, but rather the need the searcher has. Two people can enter different terms but still have the same intention behind them. The reverse is also true.

In SEO, search intent is often divided into four types:

Informational search: Someone wants to know or understand something, such as “How does a heat pump work?”

Navigational search: Someone is looking for a specific website, for example, by searching for a brand name.

Commercial search: Someone is researching and comparing options before making a potential purchase decision, such as “best CRM software for small and medium-sized businesses.”

Transactional search: Someone wants to take action, make a purchase, or submit an inquiry, for example, “buy industrial scale.”

When a query is entered, search engines attempt to recognize this intent and display corresponding results.

Where does the term “search intent” come from?

Google increasingly sought to grasp the meaning of a query rather than simply searching for the entered terms. Key milestones included the Hummingbird update in 2013 and the BERT natural language processing system in 2019, which enabled a better understanding of the context and meaning of search queries.

As a result, aligning content with search intent has become a central principle of search engine optimization.

Why is search intent important?

Even the most technically brilliant content can struggle to rank if it misses the mark in terms of the searcher’s intent. That’s why it’s important to incorporate search intent into your content so that it addresses what searchers are expecting.

A sales pitch for a term that actually hides an informational query behind it will consequently struggle to rank. Understanding search intent, therefore, determines the form, depth, and next steps that content should offer.

In paid advertising, it also prevents budget from being spent on terms that do not indicate an actual intent to take action.

Advantages

  • Search intent reveals what people expect.
  • Appropriately tailored content can improve rankings, reduce irrelevant visits, and increase the number of inquiries.
  • In paid advertising, budgets can be targeted specifically at terms with genuine intent to take action.

Challenges

The intent behind a search term isn’t always crystal clear. Other terms can serve multiple intents at once. Assessing this requires experience and can be inferred, among other things, from actual search results and search terms—which in turn requires careful analysis. Furthermore, search intent can shift over time, meaning content must be adjusted accordingly.

Example

A provider of accounting software has a landing page for the term “sales tax return.” It isn’t ranking, and there are no inquiries.

An analysis of the search results shows that those searching for this term primarily want an explanation of how the sales tax return works.

The provider replaces the sales page with a guide and places information about the software at the end. The page is now better positioned to rank highly, as it aligns much more closely with search intent. This can also be reflected in rising visitor numbers, some of whom will later become customers.

Related terms

Keyword A keyword is a search term that users enter into a search engine to find something. Keyword Research Keyword research identifies which terms the target audience actually uses when searching. Long-tail keyword A long-tail keyword is a search query that is searched for relatively rarely and is often very specific. Landing Page A landing page is a specifically designed webpage intended to guide visitors toward a specific action.