Search Intent

Definition

Search intent is the reason behind a query, the real need a person is trying to satisfy when they search. It's usually grouped into informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional intent. Matching your page to the right intent is the single biggest factor in whether it ranks and converts.

In depth

Search intent generally falls into four buckets. Informational queries want an answer ('how much does a kitchen remodel cost'), navigational queries want a specific site ('WellBuilt agency login'), commercial queries are comparing options ('best kitchen remodeler near me'), and transactional queries are ready to act ('book a remodeling estimate today'). Google has gotten very good at reading intent, so it ranks the page format that best fits, whether that's a how-to article, a comparison list, or a service page with a clear booking path.

Getting intent right is what separates a page that ranks from one that doesn't. If you write a long blog post but Google sees the query as transactional, you'll lose to competitors with a tight, conversion-focused service page. The fastest way to read intent is to search the term yourself and study what already ranks: the existing results show you exactly what format and depth Google expects.

A common mistake is forcing a sales pitch onto an informational query, or burying the call to action on a page where someone is ready to buy. WellBuilt maps every target keyword to its intent before writing a word, so each page is built to do one job well rather than half-serve two.

Worked example

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