Are you targeting the right keywords for your business? If not, you might be missing out on valuable traffic and conversions, even if you're ranking well.
It's a common mistake for businesses to chase high-volume keywords without considering the intent behind those searches. While ranking for popular terms might look impressive in reports, it won't help your bottom line if you're attracting the wrong audience.
Google processes 3.5 billion+ searches every day, so there's enormous potential to reach your target audience through SEO. But here's the thing - you need to understand and target the right kind of searches. In order to do that, you have to look beyond what people are searching for and figure out why they're searching.
In this article, we'll show you what keyword intent is, why it matters, and, most importantly, how to use it to drive real results for your business.
Understanding search intent
Keyword intent (or search intent) is the "why" behind a query typed into Google. You can think of it as the difference between someone researching how cars work versus someone ready to buy a specific model. Sure, it's the same topic, but the intentions are completely different.
Intent is generally put into 4 main categories:
- Informational
- Navigational
- Commercial
- Transactional
Understanding and targeting the right intent is crucial because it impacts everything from your rankings to your conversion rates. People searching with specific intent are looking for content that matches their needs or interests. If you ignore this factor, you could be missing out on folks who are actively interested in what you're selling or offering.
Recent studies also show that creating content that matches user intent is far more likely to rank higher and maintain its position in search results. This is likely why 35% of marketers say most of their high-quality leads come from SEO.
Image: WPForms
Types of search intent
Each of the four main categories represents a different stage in the user journey and requires a different approach to content creation.
Let's look at each one in more detail.
Informational intent
Simply put, this is when people are looking for answers or information.
Image: WPBeginner
They might want to:
- Learn how something works
- Find an answer to a specific question
- Understand a concept or process
- Research a topic
For example, someone searching "how to start an online store" or "what is keyword research" is showing informational intent.
These searches might not lead to immediate sales, but they're crucial for building trust and authority with your audience and are a key starting stage on the user journey.
Commercial intent
Commercial intent searches happen when people are considering a purchase but aren't quite ready to buy. These searches often include terms such as:
- Best
- Top
- Reviews
- Comparison
- Vs. or versus
Think of searches like "best SEO tools 2025" or "Wordtracker reviews". These users are actively evaluating their options and getting closer to making a decision.
If you win visitors over with detailed, engaged content that aligns with their intent, there's a good chance they'll remember you in the future.
Transactional intent
They've done their research, they've narrowed it down, and now people searching with this intent are ready to buy.
It's not uncommon to see some of these words or phrases in their searches:
- Buy
- Purchase
- Order
- Discount
- Pricing
- Free trial
If someone searches "buy SEO software" or "Wordtracker pricing," they're showing clear signs they're ready to convert. These are your highest-value searches from a business perspective.
Navigational Intent
These are the simplest searches to understand - people looking for a specific website or page. Examples include:
- Facebook login
- Amazon homepage
- Wordtracker blog
While these searches are straightforward, they're important to consider for brand awareness and user experience.
Understanding these different types of intent is just the first step. The real power comes from knowing how to create content that matches each type of intent and guides users toward conversion.
Why intent matters for your business
Recent data shows that 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and that organic search is the second highest traffic source at 29%.
That's a lot of potential customers starting their journey with a simple search.
Understanding their intent at this crucial moment can make the difference between winning their business or losing it to a competitor. With increasing competition for organic visibility, businesses that understand and cater to user intent have a significant advantage over those that don't.
This is particularly important as search engines become more sophisticated at understanding user intent and matching it with relevant content. Recent studies show that pages matching user intent are more likely to maintain their rankings over time and see higher engagement rates.
Creating intent-focused content
Creating content that matches intent about having the right conversation at the right time. If someone asks about pricing, they don't want a lengthy explanation about your company history.
Similarly, if they're just starting to learn about a topic, diving straight into technical details might make them feel overwhelmed.
The key is to understand where your audience is in their journey and provide exactly what they need at that moment. This means creating content that follows a logical progression and caters to different stages of the buying process.
Informational content strategy
The key to creating content around informational searches is to focus on producing comprehensive, educational material that builds trust and demonstrates expertise. At this stage, visitors are in learning mode, so your content should guide them through concepts clearly and logically.
Homeware store B&Q's guide to changing a tap washer takes you through the steps, the tools you'll need, and has detailed instructions and videos for the various stages.
Image: B&Q
Start with fundamental concepts before building on more complex ideas, and use real-world examples and visual aids to illustrate your points.
We've found that including a mix of content formats - text, images, videos, and interactive elements - can help keep readers engaged and accommodate different learning styles.
While they might not be ready to buy, users are forming opinions about your expertise and authority.
Here's another way to think about it: by providing value upfront, you're establishing yourself as a trusted resource they'll return to when they're ready to make a purchase.
Your goal should be to answer questions, share your experiences, and introduce your brand in a natural way as part of the solution.
Commercial content approach
When it comes to commercial intent, readers are actively comparing options and need content that helps them make decisions. Detailed product comparisons, feature breakdowns, and honest assessments of alternatives serve them best.
Help your audience understand exactly how different options stack up against each other. While features are important, emphasize benefits and real-world applications that resonate with your target audience. Use comparison tables, pros and cons lists, and detailed analysis to make decision-making easier.
Your content should highlight key differentiators while maintaining objectivity to build trust. You'll also want to address potential concerns and objections directly, as most readers will need that final reassurance before they take action.
Including specific use cases and success stories can help readers imagine in practical terms how your solution might work for them. Remember to update this content regularly as features, pricing and market conditions change, to maintain its relevance and accuracy.
Transactional content focus
When it comes to transactional intent, clarity and simplicity are the keys to success.
At this stage, these visitors know what they want. It's your job to make it as easy as possible for them to take action. Focus on clear pricing information, compelling calls-to-action, and removing any potential barriers to conversion.
This type of content should be focused on showing readers what they stand to gain by investing in your product or service, with every element on the page supporting that goal.
It's a good idea to include trust signals and guarantees on these pages since they are also helpful for overcoming last-minute hesitation. At the bottom of this page, you can see plenty of different social proof signals in action, including links to reviews and the company refund policy.
Image: MonsterInsights
The goal is ultimately to guide visitors toward the next logical step in their journey. Whether that's subscribing to a newsletter, requesting a demo, or making a purchase, your content should create a clear path forward.
This means having a clear content hierarchy that supports users at every stage of their decision-making process.
Satisfying navigational intent queries
With navigational searches peopel are looking for a specific website or page. It's crucial, therefore, to ensure your website is logical and easy to navigate, properly optimized and accessible, so the user can find what they want quickly and you don't miss out on valuable traffic.
Keyword research for intent-based SEO
Finding high-intent keywords
Identifying keywords with strong conversion potential goes beyond just looking at the search volume. You need to understand the language your potential customers use at different stages of their journey.
The most valuable keywords often combine intent signals with your target topics.
For example, modifiers like "best", "vs.", and "review" typically indicate commercial intent, while terms like "buy", "pricing", and "cost" signal transactional intent. While these keywords might have lower search volume than broader informational terms, they often deliver significantly better conversion rates and ROI.
Keyword tools will help you with your research in this area. Wordtracker provides a number of metrics including intent, which is the likelihood of a click on this keyword resulting in a desired action.
Analyzing search results and competition
Before targeting any keyword, analyze the current search results to understand what type of content Google considers most relevant. Look at the format, depth, and style of the top-ranking pages.
You can also see where there might be a gap in the market for a type of content you could usefully provide.
You'll want to pay special attention to featured snippets and other SERP features. This data provides actionable insights into user intent and helps you come up with brand new content ideas.
They also help you find ways to boost visibility beyond traditional search results, for instance, ranking under Google’s videos category or securing a good featured snippet.
You can also use Wordtracker’s domain search feature to discover the keywords your competitors are ranking for and again, any gaps you might usefully fill.
Measuring intent-based success
Key performance metrics
SEO metrics like rankings and traffic are important, but they don't tell the whole story when it comes to intent optimization. You need to track metrics that indicate whether you're attracting the right kind of visitors and successfully guiding them toward conversion.
Consider metrics such as:
- Time on page for informational content
- Page progression for commercial content
- Conversion rate for transactional pages
- Return visitor rates across all content types
Testing and optimization
Regular testing is crucial for improving your intent-based strategy. What works for one audience or intent type might not work for another.
Set up A/B tests, to see which of multiple versions of the same variable achieves better results, and then optimize accordingly.
Here are a few things you could test:
- Headlines and meta descriptions
- Content structure and formatting
- Call-to-action placement and wording
- Page layouts and navigation paths
Adapting to changes in search intent
Monitoring intent shifts
Search intent isn't static - it can change based on seasons, trends, or major events. For example, a search for "office chairs" might have primarily transactional intent during a sale period but shift to commercial intent during regular times.
Stay alert to these changes by regularly monitoring:
- Search result variations
- Featured snippet changes
- Related searches
- ‘People also ask’ boxes on Google
- Social listening
Analysis of your own data will also show you when some strategies are waning in success over time.
Updating content strategy
As you identify intent shifts, be prepared to adapt your content accordingly. This might mean:
- Creating new content to address emerging needs
- Updating existing content to match current intent better
- Adjusting your internal linking strategy
- Modifying calls-to-action based on seasonal patterns
Putting it all together
Creating a content balance
A successful SEO strategy needs content that addresses all types of intent. Think of it as an ecosystem where each piece plays a specific role in moving visitors toward conversions.
While transactional content might drive immediate results, informational and commercial content builds the trust and authority needed for long-term success.
Every business is different, so you'll want to experiment to see which type of content attracts the right people to your site, meaning people who convert or show interest.
You'll want to try different mixes of content so you can find a balance that helps you capture potential customers at every stage of their journey.
Internal linking for intent
Strategic internal linking helps guide visitors through your content based on their intent.
For example, informational articles should naturally lead to commercial comparison pages, which in turn should point to relevant transactional pages. This creates a logical progression that matches the typical buyer's journey.
Remember to update these internal links regularly as you create new content. A well-maintained internal linking structure helps with SEO and also improves user experience and conversion rates.
Final thoughts
Keyword intent is crucial for attracting qualified traffic and driving conversions. Understanding the different types of intent allows you to create content that resonates with the people who visit your site
Getting started with intent optimization doesn't have to be overwhelming. A good starting point is to analyze your existing content and identify gaps in your intent coverage. Then, create a plan to address these gaps while optimizing your current pages for better intent matching.
The most important thing to remember is that intent-based SEO isn't just about rankings - it's about creating content that genuinely helps your audience while moving them toward your business goals. By focusing on intent, you're building a sustainable foundation that you can grow from for years to come.
