User Intent (Search Intent)

User intent (also called search intent) is the underlying purpose behind a search query: what the searcher is actually trying to accomplish. Google's ranking systems since the 2015 RankBrain update treat intent as more important than literal keyword matching, which is why ranking for a head term often requires producing the content format Google has decided that query deserves — guide, comparison, product page, video — even if a different format would technically include the keyword.

The standard taxonomy breaks intent into four categories: (1) informational — the user wants to learn ("what is generative engine optimization"); (2) navigational — the user wants a specific site or page ("kubnal bridge case studies"); (3) commercial investigation — the user is evaluating options before a purchase decision ("best CRM for B2B SaaS," "X vs Y"); (4) transactional — the user is ready to act ("buy [product]," "sign up for [service]"). Many queries blend two: "best CRM" is commercial but also informational.

Determining intent for a target query is a 30-second exercise: search the query in an incognito browser and look at the top 10 results. If the SERP is dominated by 3000-word "ultimate guides," intent is informational. If it shows product pages, intent is transactional. If it shows "X vs Y" listicles, intent is commercial. Trying to rank an informational guide for a transactional query is one of the most common SEO failure modes — the content is fine, the format is just wrong.

Intent shifts with SERP features. A query that historically returned 10 blue links may now return AI Overviews + 3 blue links + People Also Ask. The intent signal hasn't changed, but the click economics have: informational queries are increasingly answered by Google directly, pushing organic results below the fold. The right strategic response is to produce content that's "deeper than the AI summary" — examples, original data, decision frameworks — so the click that still happens has clear value.

Intent-stratified content strategy is the modern alternative to keyword-stuffing. Map each target keyword to its intent bucket, decide the page format the intent demands, and ensure the page delivers on that format completely. A "best GEO agency" query needs a comparison page with comparison criteria; a "what is GEO" query needs a definitional guide. Trying to make one page rank for both fails for both.