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Navigational Intent
Navigational intent refers to search queries made by users who are trying to reach a specific website, page, or brand — such as searching "Facebook login" or "Ahrefs blog." The user already has a destination in mind and uses the search engine as a navigation shortcut. These queries are typically dominated by the brand they reference.
Navigational intent keywords are identified using Google Search Console (branded queries receiving high impressions) and Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer (filtering by branded terms). Optimizing for navigational intent involves ensuring branded pages rank first, maintaining accurate sitelinks, and protecting brand terms in Google Ads.
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Commercial Intent
User queries that are made by users who intend to make a purchase but want to do research and obtain information beforehand are called queries with commercial intent.
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Informational Intent
User queries that are carried out to gain information about a topic, to get answers to a question, or to satisfy one's curiosity about a topic are called queries with informational intent.
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Transactional Intent
User queries made with the aim of purchasing a product or service are called queries with transactional intent.
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User Intent (Search Intent)
The underlying purpose behind a search query — typically classified as informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional — and the primary signal modern search algorithms use to decide which page format to surface.