Keyword intent, also known as search intent or user intent, is the goal behind a person’s search query. When people enter a search term into Google, they typically want to learn something, make a purchase, compare options, or find a specific location. Understanding this intent helps marketers tailor content to match user expectations, enhancing chances of higher rankings and increased engagement. For instance, someone searching “how to fix a leaky faucet” is likely looking for DIY tips, whereas “plumber near me” suggests they want to hire a professional.

Whether you're working on organic traffic, PPC campaigns, or both (go you!), Matching user search intent is the same foundational task of driving potential customers to relevant content on your page. We all want to show a return on investment, which is partially assisted by applying principles of conversion rate optimization (CRO.)

In PPC, it's arguably a more targeted approach, focusing on the very tipity top of the funnel, bidding on high-intent keywords to achieve a significant return on investment.

In SEO it's not so different in theory, if a little less direct: Google aims to provide users with the best results to keep them engaged and satisfied. Aligning your content with keyword intent boosts your chances of reaching the right audience. Identifying intent during content planning ensures you address your audience’s questions and needs, leading to higher-quality traffic and better conversion rates.

To do this effectively, identify keyword intent during the content ideation stage. This approach ensures you're answering the right questions and meeting searchers' needs, as identified by Google, which can lead to higher-quality traffic and better conversion rates for your site. 

Just to be clear on the basics: Conversion rate optimization is the practice of increasing the percentage of users who perform a desired action on a website. Desired actions, also called conversions, can include purchasing a product, clicking 'add to cart,' or filling out a form. If you can track your traffic sources, you can track your conversions. You can combine the two into a simple conversion rate percentage and track that over time to see the impact of your work. 

Showing up in relevant organic searces isn't just about visibility, although it is, and it's not just about traffic, although it definitely is, and it's not just about someone landing on your site and clicking on a button and becoming a customer although it is most certain is. It's about all these things happening in unison across hundreds and perhaps thousands of keywords. 

So, does it work, and what are the benchmarks for conversions from organic by industry? The average conversion date across 14 industries is 2.7%, according to ruleranalytics.com. It's higher for certain industries and lower for B2B. In this linked article, there is mention of requiring a certain number of backlinks to rank for certain terms. We all know that it's not about quantity; it's about quality. If you're confused about this, I highly recommend looking at how to Benchmark Difficulty for a more accurate way of anticipating the level of effort required to perform well for certain keyword topics right now. 

Remember, if you perform well in organic search, you can potentially drive free organic traffic that converts without burning through your paid budget. That's why matching intent matters and why organic search is such an appealing and potentially lucrative channel for growing your customer base. If your organic conversion rate is higher than the benchmark for your industry, then you're in a good starting place. The challenge is segmenting your tracking by high-performing and low-performing pages to really amp up your intent and organic search model.     

There are four primary types of keyword intent: informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational.

Informational keyword intent 

Users with informational intent are looking for knowledge or answers. They might search for how-to guides, explanations, or details on specific topics. Tailoring content to this intent helps establish your site as a trusted information source.

Examples of informational keyword intent include:

• “How does a wind turbine generate electricity?” – The searcher seeks an explanation of wind turbines.
• “What are the benefits of an air purifier?” – The searcher wants to understand air purifiers’ advantages.
• “Where can I find the exhaust on a car?” – The searcher needs a guide for locating their car’s exhaust.

Informational keyword modifiers may look like:

• how to use a standing desk
• what is cloud storage
• benefits of drinking green tea
• guide to setting up a home office

They often include “how to” and” what is,” indicating that the searcher wants to learn or know something. 
Impactful content at this stage can help grow awareness and build trust, such as:

• How-to guides: Detailed step-by-step instructions or tutorials
• Blog posts: Educational content that answers "what" and "how" questions
• FAQs: Answers to common questions about a product or topic
• Infographics: Visual explanations of complex concepts or processes

Commercial keyword intent 

With commercial keyword intent, the searcher is researching products or services to inform a future purchase decision. These searchers are typically looking for information that helps them compare options, evaluate features, and read reviews to guide their buying choices. Understanding commercial intent allows you to create targeted content and resources that address potential buyers' needs and concerns, positioning their offerings as favorable choices in the decision-making process.

Examples of commercial keyword intent include:

• “Best wireless headphones under $100” – The user is comparing affordable wireless headphones.
• “Comparing electric vs. gas ovens” – The user is evaluating oven types for a purchase.
• “Best travel credit cards with no foreign transaction fees” – The user seeks recommendations for travel credit cards.

Commercial keyword modifiers may include:

• best noise-canceling headphones
• iPhone 15 reviews
• compare fitness trackers
• top CRM software for small businesses

They often include “best” or “compare,” indicating the searcher is close to making a buying decision.
Content that guides your audience towards a buying decision at this stage could include:

• Product comparisons: Compare features and benefits of different products
• Reviews and testimonials: User reviews or expert opinions on products
• Case studies: Real-world examples showing success with a product or service
• Product feature guides: Detailed breakdowns of product features and benefits

Transactional keyword intent 

Transactional intent indicates readiness to make a purchase or complete a transaction. These queries are characterized by terms indicating a clear intention to buy, subscribe, book, or otherwise engage in a transaction. Recognizing transactional intent helps businesses optimize their content and offers to meet users’ immediate needs.

Examples of transactional keyword intent include: 

• “Buy organic green tea online” – The searcher wants to purchase green tea online.
• “Schedule a dental cleaning appointment” – The searcher is ready to book a dental appointment.
• “Order custom wedding invitations” – The searcher wants to order personalized wedding invitations.

Transactional keyword modifiers sometimes look like:

• buy wireless earbuds online
• electric scooter rental
• moz tool coupon
• air fryers on sale

Now we’re talking conversion content. This content is an art form within itself. You’ll have more impactful results if you explore creating: 

• Product pages: Information about the product with a clear call-to-action to buy
• Special offers and discounts: Promotions, coupons, or sales pages
• Checkout pages: Optimized, easy-to-use purchase pages
• Free trial sign-up pages: Offer users a trial or demo

Navigational keyword intent

Navigational keyword intent is when searchers are looking to reach a specific location, website, or web page rather than seeking general information or making a purchase. This type of search is driven by a clear goal: finding a particular site or page, such as a login portal, customer support page, or a brand’s homepage. Understanding navigational intent helps you optimize your site structure and improve your visibility in search results for users who are directly seeking you out.

Examples of navigational keyword intent include:

• “Moz keyword explorer” – The user wants to navigate to the Moz Keyword Explorer tool.
• “Spotify Wrapped” – The user wants to access their Spotify Wrapped playlist.
• “Apple Store NYC” – The user is looking for a specific Apple Store location in NYC.

Navigational keyword modifiers sometimes look like:

• Netflix login page
• Facebook account settings
• nearest Starbucks location
• Apple support contact number

Your loyal audience is seeking you out! Improve their experience with pages that are easy to use so they can return time and again. Look at the design of your:

• Homepage: Central hub for users looking for your brand or service
• Contact pages: Easy access to support or sales team information
• Login portals: Direct pages for existing customers to sign in
• Store locators: Tools to find physical locations or service areas

Start with your core keywords

Begin by establishing a list of core keywords related to your products or services. These will serve as the foundation for your keyword research.

Get inspiration from the SERPs

Use tools like Google’s “People also ask” and related searches to discover additional keyword ideas. These suggestions reflect common queries related to your core keywords.

Keep location & language in mind

If you're tracking globally, word choice matters. For instance, in the UK, you push a “pram,” not a “stroller,” and wear a “jumper,” not a “sweater.” It’s important to make sure your keywords reflect the language of the regions you’re targeting.

With the MozBar browser extension, you can set up local profiles to see search results just like someone in a different location would. Just enter the country, region, and name your profile, and you can switch between profiles anytime and get a local view of search results.

Add your intent modifiers

Now, it’s time to get into keyword intent. Intent modifiers vary, and what works for one business might not work for another. Here’s a loose guideline to help you structure and classify intent in a way that makes sense for your goals.

• Informational Modifiers: “how to,” “what is,” “benefits of”
• Commercial Modifiers: “best,” “compare,” “reviews”
• Transactional Modifiers: “buy,” “order,” “schedule”
• Navigational Modifiers: “login,” “support,” “location”

Audit your keyword list

Once you have a big list of keywords, it’s time to audit and see which ones are worth your energy. Keyword auditing is the process of reviewing your list to find the terms that’ll drive the best results for your goals. It’s key to making sure your SEO efforts stay focused and effective. Ask yourself: Are these keywords relevant to your site? Are you balancing high-search-volume terms with niche ones? What kind of clicks and impressions are they getting, and how tough will it be to rank against competitors?

Moz’s tools to the rescue! Keyword Explorer features Search Intent, generated by Moz AI, to help provide direction to your content strategy. It also gives you a Difficulty score, showing just how tough it’ll be to land on that first page of the SERP.

Step 1: Access Moz Keyword Explorer

Yes, we have a free option, but you can do so much more with a paid subscription, so sign up for a free trial to try it out.

1. Sign up/log into your Moz account.
2. Navigate to Keyword Explorer

Step 2: Enter keyword

1. Enter your target keyword or phrase
2. Select Market

Step 3: Analyze keyword metrics

1. Look at key metrics such as search Monthly Volume, Organic CTR, Difficulty, and Minimum DA. These will help you understand how competitive and valuable each keyword is.

Step 4: Identify keyword intent and SERP Features

1. Scroll down for Search Intent, generated by Moz AI. As you can see from the screenshot below, the keyword intent for this query is Commercial, which provides guidance on the type of content that would best serve this intent.
2. Additionally, we can see the SERP Features that appear for this query. In this example, we see Images, Related Searches, and Reviews. This offers insight into elements to include in our content to fulfill search intent.

Step 5: Discover related keywords

1. Click on Keyword Suggestions in the menu on the left
2. Scroll down to see keywords you may not have thought of. You’ll be able to compare Volume, Search Intent, and Difficulty side by side to identify target keywords.

Step 6: Identify target keywords

1. Segment keywords by intent by clicking on 3 dots in the Search Intent column, and select your desired Search Intent.

2. Click High under Group by lexical similarity.  This will create a list of targeted keywords by topic for your selected Search Intent. As you can see in the example below, we see a list of keywords to optimize a page for “camping tent” that meets Transactional Search Intent.

You now have an extensive intent-based list of keywords with which to organize and optimize your content.

To boost conversions, you need to organize your keywords in a way that makes content creation easier and more effective.

First, group them based on search intent: 

• Informational: Users looking for information
• Navigational: Users searching for a specific brand or page
• Commercial: Users who are comparing options
• Transactional: Users who are ready to buy

Each type deserves its own kind of content, like blog posts for informational keywords or product pages for transactional ones.

Next, think about content lift:

• Do you need to create a piece of totally new content?
• Can you refresh and optimize what’s already there? Repurposing content can save time while still delivering results.

Finally, organize by content type:

• Blog posts
• How-to guides
• FAQs
• Product pages
• Comparisons
• Case studies
• Category pages
• Checkout pages
• Home page
• Contact info
• About page

After sorting it all out, use this to guide your content creation and optimization. Make sure to monitor and report your progress—you’ll see the difference.

Focusing on high-intent keywords maximizes conversion opportunities, making you the hero by delivering stronger overall results. These search terms show that people are ready to take action—whether that's making a purchase or engaging with your site. By targeting them, you're more likely to get conversions, making every marketing dollar count.

Plus, high-intent keywords make your content more relevant and engaging because you're giving people exactly what they're looking for. This leads to a smoother, more satisfying user experience. When you target these keywords, you’re staying ahead of the competition by reaching those ready-to-convert users first.

To deliver a great user experience and boost conversions, it’s essential to capture keyword intent at every stage of the buyer’s journey. By understanding your audience’s needs—from early research to final purchase—you can create a more personalized interaction with your brand.

Tailor content to match where users are. At the awareness stage, educate them. In the consideration phase, offer comparisons. When they’re ready to buy, make your calls-to-action clear and compelling. Optimizing for all keyword intents guides users smoothly toward conversion.

Focusing on intent builds trust and keeps people engaged. Want to try it out? Check Moz Keyword Suggestions to explore Search Intent for yourself!