Your ultimate guide to search intent

About 68% of online experiences start with a visit to a search engine like Google or Bing. This means you need to think about how people search for your eCommerce store!

While it’s important to consider the keywords people use to find you, it’s vital to understand the underlying goal of the keywords too. Are people trying to find a solution to a problem they have, or are they ready to buy right now?

This is known in SEO as ‘search intent’.

In this easy-to-follow guide, we’ll explain how search intent works, the four types of search intent, and how to optimise your content to appeal to customers at different stages of the buying process.

Article topics

1. What is search intent
2. Why is search intent so important?
3. The four different types of search intent
4. Is it possible for a keyword to have multiple search intents?
5. Search intent: Frequently asked questions

What is search intent?

Search intent (or user intent) refers to the specific purpose behind a particular search query – the reason why someone searched for something.

Say someone types ‘apple’ into Google. There could be lots of reasons why they searched for this particular keyword:

• They want to know more about Apple products
• They want to buy an Apple product
• They want to find recipes containing apples
• They want to buy apples

Google and other search engines use a series of algorithms, as well as a user’s previous search history, to determine what results to show.

So if Google knows someone has searched for recipes before, it’s more likely to show recipes again.

Why is search intent so important?

You can use search intent to your advantage if you run an eCommerce store. By understanding the specific context of a keyword, you can optimise your content accordingly in order to appeal to customers.

This means higher engagement on your website and an increase in sales.

Good search intent can also increase your rankings in the search engine. Positive user experience is a ranking factor, which can mean your website is more likely to appear on the first page of Google.

The four different types of search intent

There are four main types of search intent behind customer keywords: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.

1. Informational

An informational (or ‘know’) query is one where a customer wants to learn something or find an answer to a question. The customer is at the top of the sales funnel; it’s highly likely that they have a problem, but they don’t know what the solution is yet.

Over 80% of search engine queries are informational, making this the most common type of search intent.

How to optimise your eCommerce store for informational queries

Provide customers with as much information as they need to understand that your products and services can help solve their issues.

Creating long-form blog posts is a great starting point. Make them as clear and easy to understand as possible – videos and images provide additional value and make customers more likely to remember your content.

Adding a ‘frequently asked questions’ section to your blog posts can increase the odds of your content being picked up in Google’s AI Overviews.

2. Navigational

A navigational (or ‘website’) query includes your website address or the name of your brand, product, or service. The customer is aware of your brand and wants to find a specific page on your website.

This type of search intent is the easiest to rank for, as it typically uses keywords that are unique to your business.

How to optimise your eCommerce store for navigational queries

Make sure your brand, product, and service names are prominently displayed across your website, including your homepage, contact page, and footer.

Good metadata can help too – ensure you have clear, unique page titles and meta descriptions for each page of your site.

3. Commercial

A commercial (or ‘know/do’) query) is one where the customer is looking for a solution to a problem, but is not yet ready to buy. They want to do their research and see which product or service is the right fit for them.

How to optimise your eCommerce store for commercial queries

Creating comparison and listicle blog posts where you compare your product or service to other similar ones can get you noticed in the search results.

Adding product details and specification sheets to your product pages can provide the search engines with more information too. You can use a Product Information Management (PIM) system to keep all your documents up to date.

4. Transactional

A transactional (or ‘do’) query is one where a customer is at the bottom of the sales funnel and is ready to buy, often right away.

They may also be ready to convert in another way, like signing up for a newsletter or webinar.

How to optimise your eCommerce store for transactional queries

If customers are using certain pages to access your site and buy your products and services, it’s vital to make sure they’re as user-friendly as possible. Make sure these pages have high-quality product images, up-to-date pricing, and clear call-to-action buttons.

Also include reviews on your product pages. These not only provide additional context to the search engines, but can help customers make a purchase decision.

Is it possible for a keyword to have multiple search intents?

Yes – some keywords can often cover multiple types of search intent.

Take the keyword ‘cost of accounting software’. This keyword is informational because the customer wants to learn about pricing. But it could also be seen as commercial, as the customer wants to compare different platforms.

When creating content, it’s always best to focus on one type of intent, as this means it’s more direct and will have a clearer call to action.

However, if you’re focusing on a keyword that covers two or even three different search intents, you can cover them all as long as your content is well-structured and answers all your customers’ questions.

A good compromise if you’re creating blog posts is to use pillar pages and topic clusters. This is when you have one long article that covers a broad topic, which links out to multiple shorter articles. That way, you’re covering all bases.

Search intent: Frequently asked questions

Got any additional questions about how search intent works? Here are some of the questions we’re most commonly asked!

How can I determine the search intent of a keyword?

Sometimes the search intent of a keyword will be obvious when you look at it. Some common words to look out for at each stage include:

However, there may be some keywords where you’re not too sure. For example, if someone searches for ‘Apple Watch’, is it because they want to know more, or want to buy one?

Additional ways you can easily identify the search intent of a specific keyword include:

• Typing the search query into your search engine of choice and see what type of entries come up
• Using a keyword research tool. Many tools will tell you the intent of a specific keyword
• Using an AI tool like ChatGPT to analyse search intent for you

Which type of search intent is it best to focus on?

If you only have limited time to create and optimise content, focusing on commercial and transactional intent will lead to more sales, as you’re targeting people who are ready to buy.

However, if you have the resources, we recommend focusing on people who are at the beginning of the search funnel with informational content.

This allows you to nurture prospective customers and build long-term relationships, which will lead to improved loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

What type of search intent is most likely to appear in an AI Overview?

When AI Overviews first launched on Google in 2024, they predominantly appeared for informational queries. According to Semrush, in January 2025, 91.3% of AI Overviews were triggered by informational keywords.

However, as time has moved on, the number of AI Overviews for navigational, transactional, and commercial queries has increased. Navigational searches triggered 0.7% of AI Overviews in January 2025, and 10.33% nine months later.

Why the change? The technology behind AI Overviews is getting smarter. Plus, with ads being placed inside AI Overviews, it makes sense for AI Overviews to start appearing for searches that are more transactional in nature.

Are there any other types of search intents?

Technically yes.

Google talks about a fifth type of search intent called ‘visit in-person’. This type of search intent covers people who are using their mobile phones to find locally-based businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, and brick-and-mortar stores.

You can optimise your website for these types of searches by ensuring it loads quickly, is mobile-responsive, and using localised keywords in your content.

SEO Specialist Lily Ray took things further and advised that the four types of search intent are too generalist. She advised that there are multiple types of search intent, including people looking for photos and videos, and researching the reputation of a business.

• Buying a product
• Looking for pictures
• Reading product reviews
• Finding local businesses and activities
• Seeing recent news
• Fact checking
• Defining the word or phrase
• Tutorials and troubleshooting
• Finding stock photos
• Recipes
• Medical symptoms
• Finding government resources
• Seeing pictures
• Booking a trip
• Watching a video
• Hearing a song
• Translating a phrase
• Spell check
• How to
• Lyrics
• Adult videos/images
• Researching reputation

However, in our opinion, unless you want to really dig deep into what people are looking at on your website, sticking to the four types of search intent is more than enough.

How can I learn more about how SEO works?

If you’re interested in improving SEO on your eCommerce website, you may find the following articles useful:

• 9 speedy solutions to improve your page loading time
• eCommerce SEO – everything you need to know
• How to do an SEO audit in 6 simple steps
• Keyword research for beginners – how to find the right words for your eCommerce site
• Your guide to technical SEO

Get your eCommerce store noticed online with Xigen

With search intent, you’re not just identifying what customers are searching for; you’re understanding why they’re searching for it.

This will help you create content that better aligns with their needs and means they’re more likely to buy from your brand.

At Xigen, we specialise in SEO for eCommerce stores. We’ll create and implement an in-depth SEO strategy that makes you stand out in Google, drives customers to your website, and encourages them to buy your products and services.

From first click to final purchase, you’re in safe hands with us. Contact us today to find out more.