Definition
Search intent is the reason someone searches - not the typed word, but the underlying need. Four base types: informational (understand something), commercial (compare options), transactional (buy/act) and navigational (find a specific page).
Google now primarily judges whether a page satisfies the intent - not whether the keyword appears often enough. Serving a purchase page for 'CRM software' when searchers want to compare won't rank, however optimised the page is. The results page itself reveals the intent: what Google shows there is the answer it deems correct.
In practice: before writing, look at the current results page for the keyword. Guides there mean the user wants to learn. Product pages mean they want to buy. The content must match the dominant format - otherwise you fight the search engine's expectation.
Why it matters
The best technical SEO is useless if the content serves the wrong intent. Search intent is the filter that decides whether a page even qualifies as a fitting answer.
In practice
- 01'what does a website cost' = informational → a guide ranks, not the hard-sell pricing page.
- 02'website agency vienna' = commercial/local → provider lists and local results dominate.
- 03A glance at the current results page reveals the intent Google assumes - the best available brief for your own content.
