What Is Search Intent and Why Does It Matter?

By Miriam Ellis, edited by Emilie Martin, June 3, 2024.

Search intent is the primary goal behind a user's query on a search engine, which can be informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional. Understanding search intent is crucial for both search engines and marketers to deliver relevant results and create content that aligns with users' needs.

For example, a person looking up “how to make vegan cheese” on Google is likely looking for information and recipes. This is categorized as “informational.” However, a search for “vegan cheese near me” indicates an intent to purchase and is categorized as “transactional.”

The more closely your content provides for the perceived intent of a search query, the better its chances of being surfaced in the search engine results.

Understanding search intent helps search engines and marketers provide the right results and create content that matches what users are looking for.

Search engines like Google and Bing need to do their best to understand what searchers are hoping to find when they search so that relevant results can be returned. This is a complex task because intent can often be ambiguous.

For example, if someone searches for “log cabin,” are they seeking information about homes built of logs, or are they looking for the pancake syrup with that brand name? As we can see from the above screenshot, searches like these reveal how search engines aren’t always clear about intent. Does this searcher want to know about a local wedding venue, a branded condiment, or a home construction kit?

Google states that it builds language models to decipher how each search phrase should be matched to the most useful content available in their index. Search engines must continually invest in understanding the intents behind search phrases so that they can deliver relevant answers.

Site owners and marketers also need to understand search intent. The core search engine optimization (SEO) task of doing keyword research yields a list of search terms, but the site owner then needs to determine the intent behind those terms.

For example, if you are the manufacturer of log home kits, you would need to understand three key things about searcher intent:

What the real intent is behind the keywords your research has turned up

Are customers really looking for what you offer when they look up “log cabin,” or can you only be confident of this intent when a search is more clearly modified, such as “log cabin home kits”?

What content searchers hope to find when they make a particular search.

For example, will searchers’ needs best be served by a price comparison sheet, a video, an expert article, a research paper, or a gallery of images when they search for something like “beautiful affordable log cabin kits”? Your organization must continually strive to serve up the exact type of content the searcher was hoping to find in order for your site to earn visitors from the search engine results pages (SERPs).

What search engines believe the intent is behind the phrases that matter to you most.

One of the historic difficulties surrounding understanding search intent is that it’s subjective. You may think that the searcher will best be served by a text-based guide you’ve written when they look up “beautiful affordable log cabin kits,” but if Google has determined that this search represents a desire to look at lots of image-based content, then this is what your organization will need to produce in order to be most visible in the SERPs.

Even when you think Google might be wrong about the genuine intent behind a particular search, it’s vital to study their results to understand how to fulfill their interpretation of intent. If your site and content don’t match Google’s concept of intent, you can’t really expect them to return your assets as a result for searchers in their system.

All three of these factors need to be considered when investigating search intent and planning your SEO, content development, and marketing strategies.

Developing general categories for major intent types makes understanding search intent easier. Andrei Broder, a representative of the early search engine Alta Vista, originally suggested classification in 2002. Today, most SEOs recognize these four intents: informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial. We’ll examine each variety in detail to help you become familiar with them.

The searcher wants to KNOW something — typically an answer to a specific question. Examples of searches with informational intent might include “who owns Target” or “how to braid hair.” For the log home manufacturer, an informational search might be “how to clean a log home."

The searcher wants to GO to a specific online destination, such as a brand’s website or an online resource. Examples of searches with navigational intent might include “New York Times” or “Nerd Wallet mortgage calculator.” For our fictitious log home manufacturer example, a navigational search might look like “EcoGreen log home kits” because it includes their brand name.

The searcher wants to RESEARCH something prior to making a transaction. Examples of searches with commercial intent might include “which EV gets the most mileage” or “compare mobile phone plans.” For the log home builder, a commercial search might be “compare log home kit prices.”

The searcher is ready to DO something, such as buy something now, go to a brick-and-mortar business, or sign up for an event. Examples of searches with transactional intent might include “coffee near me,” “oatly mint chip ice cream,” or “tickets to Journey concert.” For the log home company, a transactional search might look like “log home showroom Denver.”

These classic categories conveniently cover most types of searches, but it’s also important to know that some searches may not fit neatly into them or may be hybrids of more than one sort. For example, if a searcher looks up the title of a song, how would we categorize their intent? It could be navigational if they mention the name of the band or if their goal is to watch a video of the song on YouTube, or it could be informational if they’re trying to find out who wrote the song or what its lyrics are. It could be commercial if they’re trying to find the cheapest way to access an online recording of the song. It could even be transactional if they want to buy a CD or vinyl record album with that song on it.

All this emphasizes the subjectivity of search intent, and it’s not uncommon for site owners and marketers to have to make the best guess at which intent a particular phrase represents. Fortunately, it’s typically possible to do more than just guess, and we’ll look at two key options for deciphering search intent next.

There are 2 main tactics for understanding the intent behind a search phrase and identifying high-intent keywords. Using both methods will ensure you have covered all the bases to create content that converts.

We’ve looked at how the meaning behind a broad search like “log cabin” can be nebulous and how this lack of clarity can be reflected by Google returning such widely varying results as a local destination, pancake syrup, and a log home-building kit. But if we look more closely at the results, we can start to get a better sense of what Google feels the dominant intent is for this search phrase.

For example, the image results within the SERPs for this search indicate that Google is more convinced people are looking for some type of log home than for a brand name condiment. Our fictitious log cabin manufacturer could then rule out that the main intent is a transactional search for pancake syrup. However, as we can see from the above results, it’s still unclear as to whether Google thinks this searcher wants to book a stay at a log cabin (transactional), compare/ buy a log home kit (commercial or transactional), or learn about the care and history of log homes (informational). We can also see from this image feature that different types of content are being returned, including image, video, and text-based content.

Next, we see that Google is returning a ‘local pack’ result for our search, indicating that they associate a strong transactional intent with this search phrase. The results being returned are local restaurants and event venues, and if we click the “more places” button, we also find historical landmarks. For the log cabin manufacturer, our business could only really be tied to this type of intent and result if the business has a physical showroom near the location of the searcher. That’s important information.

Important clues come to light in the ‘People also ask' SERP feature, where Google reveals a strong informational intent in the questions most closely associated with this search phrase.

As we can see, searchers are routinely looking for answers to questions about multiple aspects of log homes, and if we click on one of these types of questions, we see that a log home manufacturer’s website is being cited as the answer, meaning there’s a good chance to fulfill this intent with informational content if your business sells log homes:

Further clues are to be found in the ‘Related Searches’ feature of Google’s results:

Again, we note the syrup confusion, but we also see multiple ways in which a log home business might fulfill these intents with its kits, drawings, and photos. And we can get a similar list if we start to type the search phrase into the search box and see what Google suggests as related searches in the dropdown that appears below it:

Finally, we can look at the top 20 or so organic results to see if a dominant intent theme emerges. In the top 20 results for this search, we see:

• 2% of the results relate to the branded condiment

• 25% of the results are occupied by informational sources like Wikipedia and similar publications

• 35% are destinations such as event venues and vacation home bookings

• 35% are log home kit companies

Given numbers like these, our fictitious log cabin manufacturer could see a good opportunity to be included in the SERPs for this search by developing strong content that fulfills informational, commercial, or transactional intents.

It’s a smart practice to do at least some manual research, like the above, to study the clues Google gives you as to their interpretation of intent for your most important keyword phrases, but this task is time-consuming to scale across multiple keywords. Thankfully, tools like the Keyword Suggestions feature of Moz Pro enable you to look up any search phrase and see data like this about intent:

The Search Intent column provides a categorization on the basis of a combination of an expert heuristic layer with AI technology, indicating the most probable intents of each phrase. In this case, we can see that the tool suggests that the search for “log cabin” has a high degree of informational intent, whereas the search “for log cabin kits” has a stronger transactional intent. The use of tools like this one will enable you to analyze dozens, hundreds, or thousands of keyword phrases and identify opportunities to expand the reach of the site you’re marketing by fulfilling more intents.

The main goal of fulfilling a search engine’s concept of search intent is to increase the chances that your site and assets will be returned as results for desired phrases. The better your resources match what Google thinks the intent is of a particular search phrase, the more likely it is for you to earn a place in the SERPs.

We’ve seen that there’s a strong informational intent associated with the phrase “log cabin,” and our manual research has also indicated that Google believes many people have a commercial or transactional intent when typing in this search term. A log home manufacturer could logically go in any of these three directions (or all three!) with their marketing strategy, but before investing in the development of new assets, it’s time to look back at the SERPs again.

We’ve identified intents and need to identify dominant content formats. What types of media and which SERP features is Google returning for this phrase? A brief look turns up this format:

• Text-based organic results

• Local pack results

• Image pack results

• Video results

• People also ask feature

• Related searches feature

If we modify our search to the more specific “log cabin kits,” we also see:

• Sponsored ads

• Product blocks

• Discussions and forums feature

• Knowledge panel

In another industry or for a different search phrase, we might also see:

• News results

• Social media results

• Graphs

• Carousels

• Other SERP features

Each different medium and feature may represent a unique opportunity for the enterprise you’re marketing to develop content that fulfills user intent. This knowledge becomes especially strategic for a site owner who, for example, is struggling to be highly visible in the text-based organic SERPs for an important search phrase but who realizes that if they were to produce a video, it might help them get their foot in the door. Or, in a different case, the insight might be gained that more effort needs to be put into the organization’s social media presence because Google is featuring such results highly for a particular search term.

To learn more about fulfilling search intent, watch the following video:

Ideally, you will want to fulfill as many different, relevant search intents as possible with all of the content and SERP feature formats people are seeking and using when trying to find what you offer. These assets may be published on your website or shared on social media platforms, forums, video platforms, local business directories, and other third-party destinations. In order to achieve maximum visibility and reach, you’ll need to learn to optimize each of your assets surrounding intent.

Preparing your assets to most closely match the search intent of a specific group of searchers comes down to:

• Knowing SEO best practices

• Knowing the best practices for each third-party platform

Including the search phrases used by searchers in the various fields, tags, and multimedia content of your website’s pages is basic search engine optimization. If SEO is new to you, get a firm foundation by reading The Beginner’s Guide to SEO, and when you have become familiar with the best practices it describes, move on to The Professional’s Guide to SEO, which will teach you more advanced techniques.

If the business you’re marketing serves a local customer base face-to-face, you should also read The Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide and then increase your proficiency with The Local Business Content Marketing Guide. All of these resources are free and will teach you how to research keywords and implement your findings into the content you publish, enabling your enterprise to make the most of intent matching.

Meanwhile, suppose your research into search intent reveals that becoming visible on a third-party platform like YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, or Google’s image search index will be the best way for you to earn more traffic and conversions for a particular search phrase. In that case, you’ll need to put in additional work to study the best practices surrounding that environment. Each platform has its own guidelines, culture, and opportunities, and you’ll want to search for guidance on current best practices from trusted sources.

Beware of advice that stems from authors and channels that focus on get-rich-quick schemes or exploitative practices. Your goal in optimizing for search intent should never be to trick searchers but rather to authentically satisfy their intent so that they come to trust your enterprise to meet their needs.

Just as marketers have labeled the four main types of search intent to make understanding searchers' needs more manageable and convenient, the concepts of customer journeys and marketing funnels help us envision the process by which people move through the internet in stages.

There is a great deal of variation in how people search and navigate the web when they’re looking for something, but knowing the basic models can help you see how intent matching plays a big part in fulfilling needs. We’ll look at a common version of both a marketing funnel and a customer journey here.

Most marketing funnels envision user progress as ideally moving through these four stages: discovery, consideration, conversion, and retention, and we’ll look now at how each relates to intent, using the example of our fictitious log home manufacturer.

1. Discovery — A person considering buying a log home discovers your content and brand via a Google search. They may never have heard of your business before, but now they’ve been introduced to you and clicked from the SERPs onto your site or other assets. This is considered the top of the funnel.

2. Consideration — Moving into the middle of the funnel, the searcher now considers your offer of log home kits. They consider whether to transact with you.

3. Conversion — The middle-bottom tier is where you successfully convert the person from visitor to customer. They purchase a log home kit from you.

4. Retention — The bottom of the funnel is where you hope to retain the customer for future purchases. While the customer may not buy another log home from you any time soon because it is such a major purchase, they may return to your site to purchase related products, such as a log home cleaning kit, or to read your content about the log home lifestyle, or to enter a contest for photos of the most beautiful log home. This stage of retention can also sometimes include the desire for customers to recommend you to their friends and family or on social media as part of a loyalty program.

At each stage of the marketing funnel (aka the “sales funnel”), the intent of the customer matures and must be served with the appropriate content that supports discovery, consideration, conversion, and retention. For example, a customer at the top of the funnel needs to first learn about your brand, perhaps via your home page. They may want to see a comparison chart of your different log home models for their consideration, and then they will need the appropriate amenities like sales copy and a shopping cart to purchase a kit. Then, they will need to be given reasons to keep interacting with your business, such as a blog, a newsletter, sales events, or loyalty programs.

When a searcher is looking for something like a quick cup of coffee nearby, their simple intent may move them quickly and faithfully through the funnel we’ve depicted. They’ll go to Google with a transactional search like “coffee near me,” quickly scanning the transactional/informational results provided by one of Google’s local packs or maps, looking at a price comparison of several nearby coffee houses with a commercial intent in the consideration phase, looking at the map for navigational directions on how to get to a particular business, and then actually going there for a transaction at the conversion stage. Then, if they like the coffee, they may be retained for future purchases and even tell others in their circle about the business.

If you’re at the stage in your strategy where you’re ready to fully understand how the marketing funnel applies to your business and your big goal of fulfilling intent, read Content and the Marketing Funnel for multiple examples of the types of content that best serve each stage.

But the truth is, for so many customers, movement through the marketing funnel isn’t quick and straightforward, particularly when a purchase or other conversion goal requires a major commitment of money or time. For example, a potential customer is unlikely to suddenly resolve to buy a log home and make the purchase all in one day. Their process could span weeks, months, or even years before a transaction occurs. And this is why marketing funnels often have to be embellished with a broader and more comprehensive concept called the “customer journey.”

Customer journeys are also sometimes called “consumer journeys” or “buyer journeys,” and they typically look like some version of the above graphic, broken down into the three stages of awareness, consideration, and decision. Sometimes, models also include a retention stage.

As is excellently described by Rejoice Ojiaku in the following video, you can take your list of discovered keywords from a keyword research tool like Moz Keyword Explorer and match the intent behind each search phrase to a specific phase in the customer journey:

Thus far, customer journey terms look almost identical to the stages of the marketing funnel. Where things get less tidy, however, is when we get into that middle stage of either the funnel or the journey. The consideration phase of both models has come to be known as the “messy middle” because searchers and consumers can move in so many different directions while making up their minds before an important transaction.

As illustrated in the following graphic, customer journeys seldom move in a straight line. Though it can be typical for enterprises to focus all their energy on getting visitors to the end of the journey or bottom of the funnel, it’s only by embracing the messy middle that we can see and serve all the nuances of searchers’ exploration and evaluation processes.

Watch the following MozCon presentation in which Dr. Peter shines a bright light on how focusing too much on end goals can obscure our understanding of how potential customers are actually experiencing Google search and using it to make eventual purchasing decisions:

In your research into intent, your enterprise may discover that it's within the messy middle that you have the best chance to compete for visibility and traffic so that you are there for potential customers all along the many loops of their journey. By accompanying them throughout their process with the appropriate content, hopefully, they will choose your business when they’re ready to make a final decision.

Planning content for all of the intents in that middle phase could include but not be limited to:

• Case studies

• Newsletter content

• How-to content that showcases your specific solution strategy or products

• Product descriptions and data sheets

• Testimonials

• Reviews

• Case studies

• Comprehensive guides

• Comparison content

• FAQs

• Statistics

• Social content

To learn more about funnels, journeys, and intent, read The SEO’s Guide to Content Marketing.

Mapping search intent to marketing funnels and customer journeys

Having now learned about the four types of search intent and the common models of customer journeys and marketing funnels, you are prepared to take almost any keyword phrase in your list and map it out.

In the above graphic, we can see that a navigational search for “EcoGreen log homes” fits in the discovery/awareness phase, a commercial search for “cheaper log home kits” fits in the consideration phase, a transactional search for “log home showroom denver” fits in the transaction/decision phase, and an informational search for “log home members club” fits in the retention phase. With a map like this, you can easily plan out the right type of content to fulfill searchers at every phrase for every search variant.

You can get started right away by mapping out a large list of keywords in any convenient spreadsheet, but you can also learn more about advanced, software-powered intent matching by reading A Guide to Setting Up Your Very Own Search Intent Projects.

Next search intent

No discussion of this topic would be complete without mentioning that, in looking at funnels and journeys, it is critical to always think ahead to the next stage the searcher might take so that you can fulfill this, too.

If, for example, a visitor to your site is in the consideration phase and has just looked at your comparison chart of different log homes, ask these two key questions:

• What are they most likely to want to do next?

• What do you want them to do next?

Every asset should be equipped with calls-to-action (CTAs) that effortlessly guide the visitor to the next stage. This might take the form of a link, a clickable button, a coupon, a phone number, a booking calendar, or some other actionable element.

Watch this video from Ola King to further explore the concept of fulfilling “next search intent”:

Manual research and the use of features like the Search Intent column of Moz’s Keyword Suggestions tool will give you the strongest foundation for earning the SERP visibility and multi-phase searcher actions your enterprise needs. In addition to this, it will be beneficial for almost any business or organization to bring an openness to experimentation and fresh thinking to the process of understanding search intent.

World news, pop culture trends, and other constantly evolving circumstances mean that new intents can appear overnight. If a celebrity builds a log home, new opportunities for developing assets that meet the intent of interested searchers suddenly arise for any manufacturer practicing awareness.

Meanwhile, hidden search intents can exist that few others have noticed before. SEO Logan Bryant recently showcased a memorable example of this in his realization that people searching for a term like “Paypal international fees” weren’t all looking for a list of those fees; many were looking for how to avoid these charges and required different content to serve that need.

At a glance, the intent behind any keyword phrase may seem obvious, and studying the existing SERPs both manually and via high-quality tools provides major clues, but there may be lucky days on which your enterprise encounters a new trend or a hidden intent because it's your policy to approach search with an inquiring mind. Experimentation is golden when it comes to finding new search intent opportunities as the site you're marketing develops and grows.