A common mistake in keyword research is treating all searches for a keyword as equivalent. Someone searching “running shoes” wants to buy shoes. Someone searching “how to run faster” wants advice. Someone searching “Nike running shoes” wants to buy Nike shoes specifically. All three searches use the word “running,” but the person searching has a completely different intent.
Understanding intent is the lens that makes keyword selection make sense.
The four intents
Most searches fall into one of four categories.
Informational. The person wants to know something. “What is SEO?” “How do I fix a leaky faucet?” “Is a tomato a fruit?” The person is not ready to buy. They may eventually convert to a customer, but right now they are gathering information.
Navigational. The person wants to reach a specific place. “Facebook login” “Wikipedia” “Gmail.” They know what they want to find, but they are using search as a shortcut to find it.
Commercial. The person is researching products or services before buying. “Best running shoes” “iPhone vs Android” “Cloud hosting reviews.” They are evaluating options.
Transactional. The person is ready to buy. “Buy Nike running shoes” “Book a flight to Barcelona” “Hire a plumber near me.” The intent is to complete a transaction.
A search engine’s job is to match the searcher’s intent with the right result. A result that satisfies the intent ranks higher than a result that does not, regardless of how well-written the result is.
Why intent matters
If you optimize for the wrong intent, you get no traffic even if you rank highly for the keyword.
Example: You run an online running shoe store. You write an article about “how to choose running shoes.” This targets the informational intent. You rank #1 for the keyword. But searchers clicking through see an article about types of shoe construction, heel-to-toe drop, pronation analysis. They want to buy shoes, not read a lesson in shoe physics. Your bounce rate is high.
The person you wanted to reach was someone ready to buy. That person was searching “buy running shoes” or “best running shoes for [my needs].” By targeting the informational keyword, you attracted the wrong searcher.
Researching intent
Start by searching the keyword and looking at the results. What does Google return?
If Google returns 10 blog posts and a Wikipedia result, the intent is informational. That is the intent to target.
If Google returns product listings, shopping comparisons, and review sites, the intent is commercial or transactional. Informational content will not rank.
If Google returns only paid ads and shopping results, the intent is transactional.
This observation should guide your choice of whether to target the keyword at all, and what type of content to produce.
Matching intent to your business
If you are a SaaS company, you are interested in keywords with transactional or commercial intent. “How to manage projects” is informational and might bring traffic, but “project management software” or “best project management tools” is commercial and more likely to convert.
If you are a blog or publisher, informational intent is your strength. You should target “how to” keywords and topics where people want education.
If you sell products, you need to target keywords where people are ready to buy or actively comparing.
Trying to rank for informational keywords when your business model is transaction is wasting effort.
Long-tail intent
Long-tail keywords (less common, longer phrases) often have clearer intent than short keywords. “Hiking boots” is ambiguous — are they looking for advice, a review, or to buy? “Best hiking boots for women with narrow feet under £100” has very clear commercial intent.
Long-tail keywords are often easier to rank for because there is less competition, and they convert better because the intent is more specific.
Intent shift by stage of customer journey
The same person searches with different intent at different stages.
Day 1: “What is cloud hosting?” (informational — they didn’t know the term) Day 5: “Cloud hosting reviews” (commercial — they are comparing) Day 10: “Buy cloud hosting from Linode” (transactional — they have decided)
Capturing them at each stage requires different keywords and content. A strategy that only targets transactional keywords gets customers already decided. A strategy that targets informational keywords from day 1 can build a relationship as they move toward purchase.
The searcher vs. the marketer
From a marketer’s perspective, every search is an opportunity. From a searcher’s perspective, each search serves a specific immediate need. Marketing that tries to convince someone at informational stage that they should buy now usually fails. People aren’t ready.
Better approach: Provide genuinely good informational content for informational queries. Build credibility and trust. When that person moves to commercial or transactional stage, they remember you.
This is called top-of-funnel marketing, and it is much more effective than trying to sell to people who are just learning about what you offer.
Building a keyword strategy around intent
1. Map your target customer’s journey: what do they search as they move from awareness to decision? 2. List keywords for each stage (informational, commercial, transactional). 3. For each keyword, check what Google returns to confirm intent. 4. Create content that matches the intent. 5. Measure conversion differently at each stage. Informational content succeeds if it attracts relevant readers and captures email. Transactional content succeeds if it converts to customers.
A strategy that targets all three is more effective than one that only targets transactional keywords, even if transactional keywords have higher immediate value.
The common error
Building an entire content strategy around high-intent, high-conversion keywords, then wondering why the strategy isn’t working. The reason is that you are trying to convert searchers who haven’t even considered whether you are the right option. You need content for earlier stages.
Likewise, building a blog that attracts a massive audience of people in informational stage and then discovering they do not convert is not a failure of content marketing. It is a mismatch between the content and the intent. You succeeded at the informational stage. You did not build a pathway from there to transaction.
Intent is not the entire story of search marketing, but it is the foundation. Get intent right and everything else becomes easier.