What is search intent?
What are the four types?
The split into four is a convention, not a law. It is still useful.
- Informational. The person wants to learn something.
- Navigational. The person wants to reach a particular site or page.
- Commercial. The person is comparing options before buying.
- Transactional. The person is ready to buy.
Why does it matter for ads and content?
Two searches can share most of their words and want different things. An ad for a product page suits the transactional one. A guide suits the informational one. Mix them up and you pay for clicks that were never going to order, or you write a page nobody who is ready to buy will read.
For paid search, that makes intent a budget question. Each keyword you buy carries an intent, and intent is part of what the click is worth. For organic search, it decides what the page needs to answer. A results page, or SERP, also shows which kind of answer the search engine thinks fits.
Intent also separates branded vs non-branded search: a query that names your company is usually a different intent from one that names only a need.
Our view: label each paid keyword with an intent, then check which intents bring orders.
For where intent sits next to AI answers, see AEO vs GEO vs SEO. GEO (generative engine optimisation) is the name for optimising content for visibility in generative AI answers.
Worked example
Easily confused with
Search intent vs Keyword
The words. Intent is the reason behind them.
Search intent vs Search volume
How many people search. It says nothing about what they want.
Search intent vs Branded vs non-branded search
Whether the query names a brand. It correlates with intent, but it is a different cut.
Buzzword alert
"We target high-intent audiences"
Usually means: a keyword list or audience label chosen because it sounds close to buying.
Ask: which action shows the intent in this audience?
"AI understands intent now, so keywords no longer matter"
Usually means: the words people use are being waved away rather than read.
Ask: which search terms did we actually pay for last month?
FAQ
Is search intent the same as a keyword?
No. A keyword is the words. Intent is the reason someone used them.
Are there only four types of search intent?
Four is the usual grouping, not a fixed standard. Some people split it further.
Sources
- What is Search Intent?Vendor
Let’s find what’s actually working.
Next step. See whether the clicks you buy pay back on explicit assumptions with the Is your ROAS real? calculator.