Search intent

What is search intent?

Search intent is the real goal behind a query — what the user actually wants to achieve when they type something into Google. In SEO it is usually split into four types: informational, navigational, commercial investigation, and transactional. Google itself describes user goals a bit more broadly as “Know”, “Do”, “Website”, and “Visit-in-person”, but the point is the same: a page’s content has to match what the searcher is really after.

Why does search intent matter?

Google consistently tries to surface the results that best fulfil the user’s goal, so matching the dominant search intent is a prerequisite for ranking. Write an informational guide for a purely transactional keyword — or point a product page at a question people want answered — and you create an intent mismatch, which leaves the page struggling no matter how well it is otherwise optimised. The same holds for organic traffic: it only arrives once the content type fits the intent.

Common use cases

• Keyword research. For each keyword, judge whether the user wants to read, compare, or buy before you decide on a page type.
• SERP analysis. Look at which page types Google already ranks for a keyword — product pages, collections, or articles — to read the dominant intent.
• Content mapping. Distribute keywords across product pages, collections, and blog posts based on where the user is in the buying journey.
• Optimising existing pages. Fix content that targets the wrong intent so it matches better.

Shopify perspective

In Shopify, collection pages typically target commercial and transactional intent (“best running shoes for women”), while blog posts cover informational intent (“how to wash running shoes”). Build your collection and product pages to close the sale, and let blog content answer questions and route readers to the right products. Always check the current SERP for a keyword before deciding which page type to target.