Most agencies, freelancers, and even business owners will tell you they “get SEO.”
But based on what I’ve seen, a lot of them treat search intent like that dusty gym membership they keep paying for but never use.
It’s one of the most ignored aspects of SEO, right next to proper keyword research.
Maybe they don’t know it exists.
Maybe they don’t understand it.
Or maybe, just maybe, they think “intent” is a self-help book.
We recently onboarded a client in the reverse recruitment niche who wanted to attract the right audience – executives and high-paying jobseekers. They’d worked with seven agencies before us. Seven! And yet when I checked their SEO, the main keyword they were optimised for was… “recruiter.”
No wonder their leads were flatlining and their traffic graph looked like a ski slope.
If you’re a senior exec looking for a $250k role, you’re not typing “recruiter” into Google. That’s what fresh grads and people lost on Indeed are searching for.
They didn’t have a traffic problem, they had an audience mismatch.
Which is why, as a marketer, the first thing I do with any new client is figure out their audience:
- Who they are: their role, needs, and decision-making power
- What they’re searching for: the exact search queries and keyword intent that bring them in
- Why they’re searching: the user intent that drives them to act
That’s user intent in action.
And yes, my team has heard me say this so many times on our weekly calls that I’m pretty sure last week someone muted me, nodded along, and went back to eating lunch.
What Is Search Intent and Why It’s Important for SEO
Search intent (sometimes called user intent) is the reason behind a person’s search. It’s the “why” behind the words they type into a search engine. In SEO, this matters more than almost anything else because if you get it wrong, you might be attracting traffic that will never convert.
Think about our reverse recruiting client. Their audience isn’t searching for vague, broad terms like “recruiter.” They’re typing specific search queries like “executive job search service” or “help finding high-paying jobs.” That’s a completely different type of search and a completely different audience.
When you understand the types of search intent, you can optimise your content to match what the searcher actually wants. That means creating the right content for search whether the goal is to answer a question, direct them to a product page, or help them make a purchase.
Search intent for SEO is about more than ranking on the search engine results page. It’s about showing up with the exact content type your audience expects when they click.
4 Types of Search intent
Here’s the thing about search intent: it’s not just one thing.
There are different types of search intent, and each one changes the kind of content for search you should create if you want to actually convert clicks into customers.
Think of it as the four “moods” of a searcher. If you ignore those moods, your SEO strategy will always feel… off. You might get traffic, but it won’t be the right people search.
Let’s break down the 4 types of search intent so you can stop guessing and start matching your content type to the user’s search.
1. Informational Intent
This is when someone is looking for information. They type a query into a search engine because they want answers, not a sales pitch.
Example: “how does reverse recruitment work” or “best leadership interview tips.”
If your target audience has informational search intent, you need to create content like guides, FAQs, or blog posts. The goal is to be the best answer on the search results page so you can win SERP features like a featured snippet.
2. Navigational Intent
Here, the user search is about finding a specific brand, tool, or page.
Example: “LinkedIn job search login” or “YourCompany executive career portal.”
Optimising for navigational search means making sure your landing pages rank for your own brand terms and navigational queries. If you miss this, you risk losing warm leads to competitors running ads on your own name.
3. Transactional Intent
This is when someone is ready to make a purchase or sign up.
Example: “buy executive resume writing service” or “best reverse recruiter pricing.”
With transactional search intent, your content for search intent needs to focus on conversions. That means clear CTAs, product/service details, and an optimise your content approach that guides them straight to action.
4. Commercial Investigation (aka Commercial Intent)
This sits between informational and transactional. The searcher is researching before committing.
Example: “best executive job search companies” or “reverse recruiter vs headhunter.”
Here, you want comparison pages, testimonials, and detailed service breakdowns. This is where keyword search intents and audience intent overlap – they’re not ready to buy yet, but if your content answers their questions better than anyone else, they soon will be.
How to Identify User Intent in Keyword Searches
If you want your SEO to actually work, you can’t just throw a keyword into a blog post and hope for the best.
You have to figure out the intent behind that keyword search because two people could type the same thing into Google but be looking for completely different things.
Here’s how I approach it when I want to optimise for search intent and make sure I’m speaking to the right user intent.
1. Start with Real Keyword Research
Before anything else, I run a deep keyword research session. The goal isn’t just finding search terms with high search volume. It’s spotting the intent keywords that show me whether it’s informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial search intent.
Look for clues in the query itself.
If someone types “what is reverse recruitment” — that’s informational search.
If they type “reverse recruitment service near me” — that’s transactional or commercial.
2. Study the SERP for That Query
Google tells you a lot about user search intent just by showing you the search engine results page.
If you see blog posts, guides, and “people also search” boxes, it’s likely informational intent.
If you see product pages, pricing tables, and ads, it’s probably transactional intent.
This SERP review is part of my understanding of search intent process. It’s how I determine the search intent before creating a single word of content.
3. Check Related and “People Also Search” Terms
These are gold for spotting different types of search intent. They help you see the bigger intent categories and understand what people are looking for around that topic.
Sometimes a common search will have more than one intent type, which is why intent is crucial to get right.
4. Map Keywords to Content Types
This is where SEO professionals either make or break their strategy.
Once you know the keyword’s search intent, you can create content that matches it perfectly.
- Informational intent keywords → guides, tutorials, FAQs
- Navigational search → brand landing pages, login pages
- Transactional search intent → product/service pages with strong CTAs
- Commercial search intent → comparison charts, case studies, testimonials
When you optimise your content this way, you stop wasting time on clicks that will never convert and start ranking for searches that actually matter to your business.
Need help optimising your content for the right search intent?
We’ll help you determine intent, target the right keywords, and optimise your content so it reaches the people search that matter most.
Optimising Your Content for Search Intent Categories and Searcher Needs
Now that you know how to identify user intent in keyword searches, the next step is making sure your content actually delivers what the searcher is looking for.
Because here’s the harsh truth: even if you’ve nailed the keyword intent, if your page doesn’t match the search intent, you won’t rank or worse, you’ll rank but nobody will click.
This is where you optimise for search intent by aligning your content for search intent with the types of search intent you’ve uncovered during keyword research.
Fine-Tune Content After Publishing
A lot of SEO professionals hit publish and never look back. But search intent changes, and so should your content.
Here’s how I keep content aligned with different types of search intent long after launch:
- Review SERPs regularly: If your page was written for informational search but the top results start showing product pages, you might need to pivot your approach.
- Check Search Console data: See which search queries you’re actually ranking for, and whether they match the user’s intent you were aiming for.
- Expand with related terms: Use “people also search” suggestions to capture new angles and related intent keywords.
- Test different CTAs: Sometimes the searcher is closer to taking action than you think.
Structure Your Content for Easy Relevance
When I optimise content, I think of it like being a good dinner host. If someone comes in hungry, you don’t hand them a list of recipes. If someone comes in curious, you don’t shove a bill in their face.
That’s why understanding search intent is critical. You need to make the content type match the query intent naturally. No fluff, no mismatch.
Make Your Content Clear for Both Search Engines and Humans
It’s not enough to just create content that “feels” right. You have to make it obvious to both the user’s intent and the algorithm by:
- Using intent keywords naturally in headings and meta descriptions
- Covering related search queries that people also search for
- Updating content when search intent changes over time
- Checking performance in Search Console to see if you’re still matching the query intent
This is why search intent for SEO is so powerful. It connects what people are looking for with what you publish, making it more likely you’ll get qualified clicks, not just empty traffic.
Ready to Be Seen by the Right Audience?
Here’s the good news: if you know how to combine solid keyword research with a clear understanding of user intent, you’re already ahead of most businesses.
When you optimise for search intent and align your content for search with the types of search intent your audience uses, you make it easy for search engines to match you with the exact people search you want to reach.
Instead of chasing traffic that will never convert, you’ll start ranking for search queries that actually bring in your target customers – whether that’s executives, buyers, or decision-makers. This means higher search quality, better leads, and content that works harder for you.
The truth is, search intent is important because it’s the bridge between your brand and the audience that’s ready to engage. If you can determine the intent behind a search and optimise your content to match it, you’ll not only want to rank… you’ll deserve to rank.
And if you’re not sure where to start, or you’d rather have an experienced team handle the search intent analysis for you, get in touch with us. We’ll help you optimise your SEO and content so you’re not just visible online — you’re visible to the right people.
