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Search intent is the goal behind a search query: what does the person actually want to achieve? Google ranks pages by how well they satisfy that goal, not just by whether a keyword appears on the page.
The four types of search intent
- Informational: the person wants to learn something, such as “what is ROAS”.
- Navigational: they are looking for a specific website or brand.
- Commercial: they are comparing options, such as “best Google Ads agency”.
- Transactional: they want to act, for example buy or send an enquiry.
How do you identify search intent?
The simplest way is to look at the SERP: does Google show guides, product pages, comparisons or local results? The format of the top results tells you what kind of page is expected for that keyword.
Why it matters
A page that does not match the intent ranks poorly and converts poorly. In Google Ads, matching the ad and the landing page to the intent lowers CPC and raises the conversion rate.
Digitalman aligns content and campaigns with search intent. Learn more on our SEO agency page.
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