What Are the Four Types of Intent in SEO?
People use Google for all kinds of reasons. Some are looking for answers to questions. Others are trying to find a specific website. And some are ready to buy a product or service. The Four Types of Intent in SEO help us understand why someone is searching and what they’re hoping to find.
Keyword research is step one for SEO. Knowing why they’re searching is just as important. It helps us know what content and wording to put on a page. We’ll even know more about how that content needs to be written.
There are four common types of search intent: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional. Each intent tells a bit about what the user is really looking for. Knowing the intent of a keyword helps small businesses create better content, reach out to more users, and improve their SEO.
What Is Search Intent and Why It Matter for SEO?
Search intent is the reason behind someone’s search. It’s the WHY behind what they’re doing on Google.
Google wants to show results that match what people are looking for. If someone searches for “how much can a Chevy Silverado tow,” they’re probably looking for towing information. Sending them to a page that only lists trucks for sale won’t do much to answer their question.
Even a great website page can struggle to rank if the content doesn’t match the intent behind the keyword.
The good news is that writing for different types of search intent isn’t all that hard. You don’t need to take writing courses or be an SEO expert. The aim is to know what the person is really looking for and where they likely are in the buying process.
That intent will change what we write for content and what we encourage the visitor to do next.
Choosing the right keywords is about more than how many people search for them. You also need to know why they’re searching. At Full Scope Creative, we help small businesses find the right keywords and create content that connects with their customers. Let’s talk about what might work best for your business.
Informational Intent: People Looking to Learn Something
Informational intent, also called educational intent, are keywords where someone is wanting to learn something or find an answer. They might be researching a product or service. It could be learning how to do something. It might be simply looking up information.
Examples of informational keywords include:
- How much can I tow with a pickup truck?
- Is four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive different?
- How often should you change the oil in a truck?
These users aren’t necessarily looking to buy something. They’re intent is to find information. The content on your site needs to answer questions. The intent is not to sell a product.
Blog posts are a great way to use Informational intent keywords. You should still include a call to action (CTA), but it shouldn’t be a hard sales pitch in any way.
At Full Scope Creative, we target informational keywords a lot with our blogs. We love sharing what we know and helping others learn. These blogs can bring more traffic to our website, introduce people to Full Scope Creative, and help build our authority.
That’s three pretty good benefits from one blog post.
Someone reading an informational blog might not become a customer today. But when they’re ready to buy, they may already know who you are.
Navigational Intent: People Looking for a Specific Website
Navigational intent keywords are ones used by a user looking for a specific website, brand, or page. They already know the product or business they are looking for. Now they just need to find it.
Examples of navigational searches include:
- Bergstrom Chevrolet Green Bay
- Chevrolet official website
- Chevy owner login
These are often called branded searches because the person is looking for a certain company or brand.
If someone searches for your business name, that’s a good sign. Your marketing has worked well enough that they know who you are!
For these keywords, make sure your business name is used naturally throughout your website. If you have a tagline or phrase you use in your marketing, include that where it makes sense too. Just don’t overdo it with the keywords.
The content should also make it easy for visitors to find what they need. Someone searching for “Chevy owner login” shouldn’t have to search through several pages to find the login.
The same goes for someone searching for “Full Scope Creative mailing address.” They’re looking for our address, so we should make it easy to find.
Commercial Intent: People Comparing Their Options
Commercial intent, also called commercial investigation, means someone is thinking about buying but is still looking at their options.
They know they want a truck. They’re just trying to figure out which truck is right for them.
Some examples of commercial keywords include:
- Chevy Silverado vs Ford F-150
- Best pickup trucks for towing
- Chevy Silverado reviews
These people are further along in the buying process than someone with informational intent. They aren’t trying to decide if they need a truck. They’re comparing trucks to see which one they should buy.
The content should help them take the next step in the buying process. Or at least move closer to it.
This is where you can cover the benefits of your products. Go through what makes them different. Explain why they should buy from you. Use things like reviews, comparisons, and product details to help with this.
Be sure to explain the next logical step. That step could be requesting a quote or talking with the sales team.
Someone searching with commercial intent might be days, weeks, or even months away from buying. They’re not quite at the cash in hand stage yet.
At Full Scope Creative, we target a lot of these keywords too. They give us a chance to introduce people to our services, creativity, and solutions. When they’re ready to make a purchase, we want them to know we’re an option worth considering.
Transactional Intent: People Ready to Take Action
Transactional intent keywords one where the user is ready to make a purchase.
These are the folks who walk into a car dealership and say, “I want a red Chevy Silverado.”
Examples of transactional keywords include:
- Chevy Silverado for sale near me
- Buy a new Chevy Silverado
- Chevy dealership Green Bay
The difference between commercial and transactional intent is pretty simple. Commercial is someone saying, “I know I want a truck, but which one should I get?” Transactional is someone saying, “I want a Chevy Silverado. I’m ready to buy one.”
With transactional intent keywords, the content should help the user to take the next, and nearly final, step.
List products, pricing, inventory, and any information the user (and soon to be buyer) is looking for. Have buttons like “View Inventory,” “Schedule a Test Drive,” or “Request a Quote” that are easy to find.
Transactional keywords shouldn’t have a page explaining why someone should buy a pickup truck. They’ve already made the decision to buy a truck.
That isn’t a pass to skip useful information about your products. It is absolutely not a call to skip information about your business. People want to know they’re buying from a good company. That goal is to not make them work too hard to get what they’re looking for. What they’re looking for is likely to make a purchase.
Can a Keyword Have More Than One Type of Search Intent?
Not every keyword fits perfectly into one of these four groups. Sometimes there’s a bit of an ice cream swirl of different intentions mixed together.
Take the keyword “Chevy Silverado.” Someone searching might want to learn about the truck, compare models, visit Chevrolet’s website, or find one to buy.
That could cover all four types of intent.
Sometimes we need to decide which intent is most likely and build the page around that. Other times, it makes sense to include content that covers two or three different types.
One way to figure out the intent of a keyword is to see what Google is showing for results. Are the results blog articles, product comparisons, or pages clearly offering sales options?
You also need to know your customers. What questions do they ask? What information do they need before buying?
There’s no need to force every keyword into one type. Focus on giving people the information they’re looking for.
Why Your Website Needs Content for Different Types of Search Intent
A good SEO strategy targets all four types of search intent. Each speaks to different people at different points in the sales cycle. Each will provide a benefit to your business in different ways.
- Informational: Help people learn and introduce them to your business offerings
- Navigational: Make it easy for people who know your business to find it
- Commercial: Help people compare their options and consider your company
- Transactional: Make it easy for people to make a purchase
Think of it like the sales funnel. You can reach out to a large group of people looking for information. When people are researching a purchase you can target that smaller group with commercial intent keywords. And as they’re ready to make the purchase you can target that smallest group with transactional keywords.
Navigational searches don’t fit perfectly into that funnel. Someone could search for your business name at any point.
Someone might find your business through a blog today and come back ten months later to buy something. Or they might go from learning about a product to buying it in ten minutes.
If you only target people who are ready to buy, you’re missing opportunities to reach all those other potential customers.
A complete SEO strategy will target all four types.
Understanding Search Intent Improves SEO
Knowing the four types of keyword intent will help you choose great keywords and write great quality content that works for your visitors.
You don’t need to become a professional copywriter. You know a lot about your customers, like the questions they ask and when. Using that knowledge, write content that answers those questions and helps users to take the next step.
At Full Scope Creative, we help small businesses find the right keywords and develop great quality content for what their customers are searching for. Check out our SEO blogs for more ideas, or reach out to Full Scope Creative to talk about which keywords might work best for your business.