What are the types of search intent in SEO?

SEO commonly recognizes four types of search intent: informational, when someone wants to learn something new; navigational, when they are looking for one specific site; commercial, when they are actively comparing options; and transactional, when they are ready to buy right now.

Matching content to the right intent matters more than simply matching the keyword itself. A commercial-intent search for best options wants an honest comparison, not a hard sell, while a transactional search wants a clear, direct path to purchase.

Getting intent wrong is a common reason a page ranks for a term but never actually converts. The keyword matched fine, but the page ended up answering the wrong kind of underlying question entirely.

Matching pages to the right intent automatically is part of the keyword research automatic SEO software runs before writing anything.