What is search intent?
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Search intent is the goal behind what someone types into Google. People searching “what is an electronic invoice” want to learn; those searching “issue electronic invoice MEI” want to act; those searching “accountant for MEI in Rio Preto” want to hire. Google shows the page best matching the intent rather than the one repeating the term most.
For a small business, this changes what you write. Sales pages do not appear for people wanting to learn, and explanatory articles do not convert people already ready to buy.
What types of intent are there?
Four in practice. Informational: someone wants to understand something, such as “how installment Pix works.” Navigational: they want a specific destination, such as “Registro.br sign in.” Commercial: they are comparing before deciding, such as “best card reader for MEI.” Transactional: they want to act now, such as “buy Pix card reader.”
Each type calls for a format. Informational intent needs a guide like this one. Commercial intent needs comparisons, tables, pros and cons. Transactional intent needs a service or product page with prices, timelines and a contact button.
A Rio Preto auto shop creates an “Oil change” page with only a price and WhatsApp button. It appears for “oil change near me” (transactional) and converts. But it never appears for “how often to change oil” (informational) because it does not answer that question.
How do I identify a search’s intent?
Search the term on Google and look at the results. Explanatory articles and videos indicate informational intent. Store and service pages indicate transactional intent. “Top 5” lists indicate commercial intent.
Then write one page per intent. Searches for “how to choose” and “hire” the same service call for two pages rather than one. See one page for each customer question.
What to do now
Take your business’s five most important keywords, search each and note the page type Google shows. Compare that with your pages. For a website organized by intent from the start, with Search Console configured, see avilaops.com/presenca-digital-para-pequenas-empresas or WhatsApp wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Can one page serve two intents?
Rarely well. A service page can have an FAQ section answering questions, but there should be one main intent. If both are equally important, split them.
Why does my page appear but nobody gets in touch?
Often because it appears for informational intent while being a sales page, or vice versa. Check which queries show it in Search Console and compare with what it delivers.
Does search intent apply to AI tools too?
Even more so. People describe problems in full sentences when asking AI, and the tool looks for a page answering exactly that question. A clear page focused on one intent has a better chance of being cited.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
Tell us about your company and what you want to improve. We can explore the right tools, integrations or custom project together.