Two people can type the same words while expecting very different things. “wordfence” may mean “take me to the Wordfence website”, “I want to install it” or “is it a good plugin?”. The search engine has to guess the most likely need and put together a results page that meets it. For a publisher, understanding that intent often matters more than the exact choice of keywords.
The main types of intent
Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines classify queries by user intent:
- Know: get information. “Know Simple” queries expect a short, precise answer, such as a date or a number.
- Do: accomplish something, such as downloading, buying, signing up or using an online tool.
- Website: reach a specific site or page.
- Visit-in-person: find a physical location, often nearby.
Marketers more often use another, similar model: informational, navigational, transactional and commercial intent (comparing before buying). The two classifications overlap; what matters is knowing which question the page should answer. The same query can also carry several intents, in which case Google mixes result types.
How to identify the intent behind a query
The most reliable method is still to look at the current results page, in a private browsing window:
- Guides and blog posts: informational intent.
- Product pages, pricing pages, listings: action or purchase intent.
- Comparisons and “best tools” roundups: commercial intent.
- A featured snippet at the top: a short answer is expected, at least by some searchers.
Examples for a WordPress site
| Query | Likely intent | Best format |
|---|---|---|
| what is xml-rpc wordpress | Informational | Definition, then explanation |
| disable xml-rpc wordpress | Practical information | Step-by-step guide |
| best wordpress security plugin | Commercial | Reasoned comparison |
| wp masquerade pricing | Navigational and purchase | Pricing page |
On our site, a reader torn between two plans, with commercial intent, will find what they need in the comparison between WP Masquerade Free and Pro, while a specific technical question calls for a blog post or a definition like this one.
Common mistakes
- Forcing a sales page onto an informational query: a sales page optimized for “what is a brute force attack” rarely ranks, because the reader first wants to understand.
- Targeting several intents on a single page: separate pages linked together along the reader's journey work better, as a topic cluster does.
- Neglecting specific queries: in the long tail, intent is almost always clear, and that is where a small site can stand out best.