Let’s get right into the subject at hand with an easy-to-understand search intent example. (Buckle in, because by flipping and flopping this example we’re going to quickly and easily clear all your search intent confusion up)..

But First: Why Understanding Search Intent Can Help Your Business Succeed

Back in the day when I was just starting out as a copywriter, I would write blog posts or other website content without caring too much about search intent.

Though I was a pro at researching keywords, choosing high-search volume ones that could get me leads, and creatively introducing those search terms into my blog copy…

I wasn’t as much a pro at driving traffic to those posts.

Because as well-written as my website content was—and as “behind the scenes” optimized as they were for that target keyword—my words didn’t match what the searchers were looking for when they typed their query in.

And that made them click away from my page real fast.

Which was a recipe for losing out on leads, stagnating my audience growth, and leaving Google ranking my pages lower in the search engine results.

Don’t be like the “just starting out” version of me.

By understanding different search intent examples—and writing your pages to perfectly meet your audience’s expectations when they search any term—you can earn your reputation as an expert in your field…while making it a “no brainer” for Google to rank you at the top of the search results.

Which won’t just make your blog post or content page a smash—it will help grow your business and give you the kind of visibility you’re looking for when optimizing for the search engines.

That’s what we like to call a perfect win-win.

The Starting Point: Commercial Search Intent

Commence example start:

I’m a wannabe chef in the market for a Mediterranean cookbook. But I also happen to be vegetarian. Which means I don’t want just any Mediterranean cookbook, I want to discover the “best mediterranean vegetarian cookbook.”

So I pop that keyword phrase—“best mediterranean vegetarian cookbook”—into Google.

And Google, being the oh-so-helpful search engine it is, delivers me a list of the top products that match my inquiry, as well as some helpful web pages that offer expert reviews and compare-contrast breakdowns of the different options available.

With this kind of search, I’m showing commercial search intent in action.

I know what I want…

I just don’t know what product I want to buy quite yet.

Which is where Google comes in.

Searchers who are showcasing commercial search intent have their eye on the “BUY” button, but they’re still weighing the possible options and trying to make an educated decision about what product will be best for them.

Other examples of commercial search intent include:

As the last example in this list shows, many local searches (or searches that are interested in finding solutions or fixing problems with local answers, like: music shops in portland, nice hotels in boise) fall under the commercial search umbrella.

That’s because these local searchers already know what they’re looking for (nearby music shops that will help them make sweet tunes, hotels for a very specific city or district) they just need a little help from Google to find them.

Flipping our Example Up: Transactional Search Intent

Let’s pretend that in a parallel universe, I never popped on Google to look for the “best mediterranean vegetarian cookbook.”

Instead, I happened to get a call from a friend—a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and certified Real Chef—who invites me to a quick coffee.

Over coffee, we chat about my recent interest in vegetarian cooking of the Mediterranean variety. Which leads her to recommend a book that she’s been totally loving to cook from herself: Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman.

The cookbook she recommends sounds like exactly what I’m looking for (yay!). So I go home and type “mediterranean harvest martha rose shulman” into my search bar. 

Google gives me back a list of sellers willing to offer me the cookbook at a steal, and I choose the one that offers me the best price or has the best coupon options available now (because you know I’m all about saving a little $$$).

This is an example of transactional search intent at the forefront.

With transactional search intent, the buyer already has a clear idea what they’re looking for—they are ready to say yes to the metaphorical dress—they just need to find the right place or the right info to get that deal done.

Other examples of transactional search intent include:

In these situations, the buyer doesn’t want to see other product alternatives or be swayed to try something new.

They know what they’re looking for.

They just want help finding and buying it.

Same Example, Another Way: Navigational Search Intent

Let’s say that instead of recommending a cookbook for me to buy, my chef friend does me one better: she tells me that she just tried a recipe for lentil and eggplant stew that is just *chef’s kiss.*

She says she found it on the Ottolonghi food blog. Home to plenty of home cook-loved recipes by a famous chef and author.

It sounds too good to resist.

So once I get home, I type “ottolenghi food blog lentil stew” into my search bar.

Google can tell that I know exactly what I’m looking for, so they don’t mess around. My search results feature the exact recipe I want without any extra fanfare.

When it comes to navigational search intent, the searcher already has a destination page in mind.

They’re just using Google as the middle man to try to land on the correct site. Without any other misdirection, confusion, or extra minutes spent hunting around.

Other examples of navigational search intent include:

It doesn’t matter how many words a searcher has to use to get there (their search can even be as long as the last one in the list above). Any time that a searcher is looking for something super-specific, their intent is navigational.

The Final Flip: Informational Search Intent

I’m actually in a rush.

Though I’d love to search around for a fabulous Mediterranean cookbook or get my chef friend involved in my purchasing decisions, I have friends coming over for a dinner party in T-minus two hours.

Which means I don’t have time to hunt down a recipe online or bother with getting a cookbook shipped to my door.

Instead, what I need is information.

Information like…can I substitute heavy cream for milk when making pasta?

And also information like…how many tablespoons are in 1/4 cup?

Not all informational searches have to be framed as questions (searching “Who is Bobby Flay?” has the same intent as searching “Bobby Flay”).

But they do have to seek out additional information, demonstrate an interest in wanting to learn more, or pose a question that the searcher wants answered.

Other examples of informational search intent include:

Where to Go From Here: How to Use Search Intent

Did you ever play memory games as a kid? Specifically, the one where you lay out a bunch of cards upside-down on the table and flip one over one at a time, trying to find each card’s perfect match?

In my mind, search intent is kind of a matching game.

By giving your audience exactly the content they’re looking for when they type a search into Google (with not a single part of that card’s picture different or out of place) you’re rewarded with longer read times and a higher ranking in the results pages.

Which doesn’t just help you win the SEO game, it helps you spend time producing content that will actually be seen.

So that with this search intent example, producing content isn’t just another thing on your to-do list. It’s a high-powered way of getting on your ideal clients’ radar.