Quick answer
Search intent is the goal behind a search. Most SEOs use four types: informational (learn something), navigational (reach a specific site), commercial (compare options) and transactional (buy, book or sign up). Google's own rater guidelines use similar labels: Know, Do, Website and Visit-in-person. Match each page to the intent the search results already show.
In 2001, a researcher at AltaVista put a pop-up survey in front of random searchers and asked them what they were trying to do. Out of 3,190 valid answers, fewer than half were looking for information. The rest wanted to reach a particular website or get something done. Andrei Broder published the results in 2002, and his three categories still shape how SEOs talk about intent today.
Twenty-four years later, the labels have multiplied. Some guides list three types, some four, some six. Google uses its own set of terms in the handbook it gives its human raters. This guide sorts it all out with real queries, shows how the industry's four types line up with Google's own labels, and explains how to pick the right page for any keyword.
What search intent means
Search intent is the reason someone types a query: the problem they want solved or the task they want done. Two people can type similar words with very different goals, and the page that ranks is the one that best fits the most common goal.
Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines, the September 11, 2025 edition, describe the job of judging results this way: raters "focus on user needs and think about how helpful and satisfying the result is for the users." Scoring a result by how well it meets the need behind the query is central to how Google evaluates search quality.
One clarification helps here. Raters don't change rankings. The guidelines state plainly that "No single rating can directly impact how a particular webpage, website, or result appears in Google Search." Their scores help Google test whether its systems work. But the guidelines show what Google is aiming for, and that makes them the best public description of how Google thinks about intent.
For a business, intent decides which page should target which keyword. A blog post can't win a query where people want to book a service, and a service page rarely wins a query where people want a step-by-step explanation.
The 4 search intent types, with real examples
The four types most SEOs use are informational, navigational, commercial and transactional. Each one calls for a different kind of page.
Informational intent
The searcher wants to learn something: an answer, an explanation or instructions. These are the most common searches.
- "how long does a water heater last"
- "why is my AC blowing warm air"
- "what does a home inspection include"
What the results usually show: guides and articles, an AI Overview or featured snippet, People Also Ask boxes and videos.
Navigational intent
The searcher wants to reach a specific website, page or brand. They already know where they're going; search is the shortcut.
- "Home Depot hours"
- "PG&E login"
- "Angi pro sign in"
What the results usually show: the brand's own site at the top, often with sitelinks, plus a Business Profile panel for local brands.
Commercial intent
The searcher is comparing options before deciding. They plan to buy or hire, just not yet.
- "best HVAC company near me reviews"
- "tankless vs tank water heater"
- "Trane vs Carrier AC"
What the results usually show: comparison articles, review sites, listicles, the local pack with star ratings, and forum threads.
Transactional intent
The searcher is ready to act now: buy, book, call, sign up or get a quote.
- "book plumber online"
- "emergency electrician near me"
- "buy furnace filter 16x25x1"
What the results usually show: service pages, product pages, the local pack with call buttons, shopping results and ads.
Local searches add a twist. A query like "emergency electrician near me" is transactional and local at once: the person wants help now, from someone nearby. That's why the local pack often appears above the regular results for these searches, and why your Google Business Profile carries so much weight for them.
How Google itself labels intent
Google's rater guidelines don't use the industry's four labels. Section 12.7 of the guidelines groups queries into Know, Do, Website and Visit-in-person, and the overlap with the industry model is close.
Here's how Google defines each one:
- Know: "The intent of a Know query is to find information or explore a topic."
- Know Simple: a special kind of Know query whose answer fits "in 1-2 sentences or a short list of items," such as a person's height or a store's hours.
- Do: "The intent of a Do query is to accomplish a goal or engage in an activity," such as downloading, buying or interacting with a site.
- Website: the intent "is to locate a specific website or webpage." Google's example is [reddit login].
- Visit-in-person: searches for places to go, such as "finding nearby coffee shops, gas stations, ATMs, restaurants."
| Industry type | Closest Google label | Example query |
|---|---|---|
| Informational | Know (and Know Simple for quick facts) | how long does a water heater last |
| Navigational | Website | Home Depot hours |
| Commercial | Know or Do, depending on the query | best HVAC company near me reviews |
| Transactional | Do | book plumber online |
| Local (extension) | Visit-in-person | plumber near me |
- InformationalGoogle: Know / Know Simplehow long does a water heater last
- NavigationalGoogle: WebsiteHome Depot hours
- CommercialGoogle: Know or Dobest HVAC company near me reviews
- TransactionalGoogle: Dobook plumber online
- LocalGoogle: Visit-in-personplumber near me
Source: Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines, sec. 12.7, September 2025.
The mapping isn't perfect, and that's useful to know. Google has no separate "commercial" label. A comparison search falls between learning and doing, so Google's guidelines would treat it as Know or Do depending on how close the person is to acting. Google also gives local searches their own category, which the four-type model folds into the others.
Why lists say 3, 4, 5 or 6 types
Different counts come from different starting points, not disagreement about how search works. The three-type model is the original; later models added categories on top of it.
- Three types: Andrei Broder's 2002 paper "A Taxonomy of Web Search", published in SIGIR Forum, sorted queries into navigational ("to reach a particular site"), informational ("to acquire some information") and transactional ("to perform some web-mediated activity"). His AltaVista survey found informational queries made up "less than 50%" of searches.
- Four types: SEO tool companies and agencies later added commercial intent, separating people comparing options from people ready to buy. This is the model most guides use today.
- Five or six types: some lists add local intent (which mirrors Google's Visit-in-person label) and, more recently, AI or conversational intent for long, question-style prompts.
No single count is official. Pick the model your team will actually use. For most businesses, four types plus a note on local intent covers every keyword decision.
Commercial vs transactional intent
Commercial searchers are still deciding; transactional searchers have decided. The words in the query usually tell you which one you're looking at.
| Commercial intent | Transactional intent | |
|---|---|---|
| Searcher's stage | Researching and comparing | Ready to act |
| Common modifiers | best, top, vs, review, compare, alternatives | buy, book, hire, price, quote, near me, open now |
| Example | "best roofing company in Phoenix" | "roof repair quote Phoenix" |
| Page to build | Comparison guide, "how to choose" guide, case studies | Service page with pricing, booking form and phone number |
| What earns the click | Clear criteria, real reviews, fair pros and cons | Fast answers: cost, availability, how to book |
"Price" is the tricky one. "Roof replacement price" can be commercial (someone budgeting) or transactional (someone ready for a quote). Check what Google shows. If the results are cost guides, build a cost guide. If they're contractor pages with quote forms, your service page should target it.
The two types work best together. A comparison guide catches people early and links to your service page. The service page catches people ready to book. Our piece on choosing an SEO company is one example: a comparison-stage page that hands readers on to a booking-stage one.
Mixed intent and how to handle it
Many queries carry more than one intent, and Google treats that as normal. Section 12.7.5 of the rater guidelines says: "Many queries have more than one likely user intent."
Google's own example is [walmart]. One person wants directions to the nearest store; another wants to shop on the website. Both are reasonable, so good results serve both. The guidelines also admit the categories overlap: "the line between Do and Know queries is sometimes blurry."
How to handle mixed intent on your own site:
- Serve the dominant intent first. Look at what most of the top results do. If seven of ten are guides, lead with a guide.
- Link to the secondary intent. A guide on "water heater replacement cost" can end with a clear link to your installation service page and a quote form.
- Don't build one page for everything. A single page trying to explain, compare and sell at once usually does all three poorly.
- Watch for intent changes. Seasonal queries can change. "AC repair" leans transactional in July and more informational in March.
How to identify intent for any keyword
Search the keyword and study what Google already ranks. The results page is the clearest evidence of what Google has learned searchers want.
Check these four things on the live results:
- The types of pages ranking. Guides, service pages, product pages, comparison posts or brand homepages.
- The SERP features. An AI Overview, featured snippet, local pack, shopping results, videos or People Also Ask.
- The modifiers in the query. "How," "why" and "what" lean informational; "best" and "vs" lean commercial; "book," "buy" and "near me" lean transactional.
- The People Also Ask questions. They show the follow-up needs searchers have, which tells you what your page must cover.
Here's how that looks for eight real queries:
| Query | Intent | What the SERP shows | Page to build |
|---|---|---|---|
| how long does a water heater last | Informational (Know Simple) | AI Overview, PAA, guides | Short guide with a direct answer up top |
| water heater replacement cost | Informational / commercial | Cost guides, local pack | Cost guide linking to your service page |
| tankless vs tank water heater | Commercial | Comparison articles, videos | Comparison guide with a clear verdict |
| best plumber in Sacramento | Commercial (local) | Local pack, review sites, lists | Service page plus strong Business Profile and reviews |
| emergency plumber near me | Transactional (local) | Local pack with call buttons, ads | Service page with phone number above the fold |
| book plumber online | Transactional | Booking platforms, service pages | Service page with an online booking form |
| Roto-Rooter phone number | Navigational | Brand site, Business Profile | Nothing, unless it's your brand |
| how to unclog a drain | Informational | Videos, how-to guides, AI Overview | Step-by-step guide with photos or video |
Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs label intent automatically, and they're useful for sorting large keyword lists. Treat their labels as a starting point, then confirm with the live results for any keyword you plan to build a page around.
Your own Search Console data adds a second check. Open the Performance report, click a page and look at the queries it already appears for. If a service page earns impressions for "how to" and "why" questions but few clicks, Google sees informational intent behind those searches, and a separate guide will likely serve them better. If a blog post shows up for "near me" and "cost" queries, people are closer to buying than the post assumes, so add a clear link to your service page or build one. Repeat the check every quarter, since the queries a page attracts change as it gains rankings.
Want a keyword plan matched to intent? We'll sort your keywords by intent and map each one to the right page on your site. Talk to our keyword research team
Search intent and AI Overviews
Know Simple queries, the quick-fact searches, are the ones Google most often answers directly on the results page. When the answer fits in one or two sentences, an AI Overview or featured snippet can satisfy the searcher without a click.
That changes how to write informational content, not whether to write it:
- Answer first. Put a clear, two-sentence answer directly under the heading. Pages that answer cleanly are easier for AI features to cite. We explain the citation side in getting cited in AI Overviews.
- Add depth below the answer. Searchers who click past the Overview want more: examples, costs, steps, local details. That depth is what earns the visit.
- Target the follow-up questions. "How long does a water heater last" has a quick answer. "Should I repair or replace my 12-year-old water heater" doesn't. The second kind of query rewards a full page.
- Match local intent with local detail. For searches like "should I fix a 15-year-old furnace," a general answer can't account for local prices, climate or permit rules. A page that covers them gives searchers a reason to click through.
AI assistants like ChatGPT handle intent in a similar way: quick facts get a direct answer, while complex decisions get longer responses that often cite several sources. Our guide to ranking in ChatGPT explains how to become one of those sources.
Search intent mistakes
Most intent problems come from building the page you want rather than the page searchers want. These four cause the most trouble.
Avoid these intent mistakes:
- A blog post targeting a transactional query: people searching "hire electrician near me" want a phone number and a booking form, not a 2,000-word article.
- A service page targeting an informational query: a sales page won't rank for "how to fix a leaking faucet," because searchers want steps, not a quote form.
- One page for several intents: a page that explains, compares and sells at once rarely ranks well for any of the three.
- Ignoring what the SERP shows: if Google ranks ten comparison guides, your product page is unlikely to break in. Build the format Google already rewards.
If an older page targets the wrong intent, you don't always need a new page. Refreshing an old blog post around the intent the results show is often faster.
Search intent FAQs
What are the four types of search intent?
The four types are informational (learning something), navigational (reaching a specific site), commercial (comparing options before buying) and transactional (ready to buy, book or sign up). Google's rater guidelines use related labels: Know, Do, Website and Visit-in-person.
What is an example of keyword intent?
"How long does a water heater last" has informational intent: the searcher wants a fact. "Book plumber online" has transactional intent: the searcher wants to act now. "Tankless vs tank water heater" has commercial intent, and "Home Depot hours" is navigational.
What does commercial intent mean?
Commercial intent means the searcher plans to buy or hire but is still comparing options. These queries often include words like "best," "top," "vs," "review" or "alternatives." The best page for them is usually a comparison guide or review, with clear links to your service or product page.
What is transactional search intent?
Transactional intent means the searcher is ready to act: buy, book, call, sign up or request a quote. Queries often include "buy," "book," "hire," "quote" or "near me." Service pages and product pages with clear pricing, booking forms and contact details fit these searches best.
What are the three C's of search intent?
The three C's are an industry model for matching a page to intent: content type (blog post, product page, service page), content format (how-to, list, comparison, guide) and content angle (the hook, such as "for beginners" or "in 2026"). It's an SEO convention, not a Google term. Check all three on the live results before you write.
For more on building pages around the right keywords, read our keyword research guide, our on-page SEO checklist and our content marketing strategy for small business. When you're ready for help, our keyword research team maps every keyword to the page it belongs on.
Sources
- Google, Search Quality Rater Guidelines, September 11, 2025 (sec. 12.7 user intent, sec. 13.0 Needs Met): https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf
- Andrei Broder, "A Taxonomy of Web Search," SIGIR Forum, vol. 36, no. 2, Fall 2002: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/792550.792552