Understanding Search Intent: How to Read Searchers’ Minds Like an Open Book

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Search intent is the reason a searcher puts a keyword in Google. It explains what type of information the searcher is looking for.

But as simple as it sounds, understanding search intent deeply is hard.

Because it’s difficult to imagine the situation a searcher is in before performing a search.

To nail search intent, you have to think and research a lot.

Otherwise, it’s easy to miss out on the search intent and create useless content for searchers and your business.

To prevent that, I’ll explain important thought processes and research steps to understand search intent for your content pieces.

Let’s jump in.

Is search intent only useful for SEO?

While understanding search intent is usually a task for SEO, it makes your content much better for every reader.

No matter where they come from.

Meeting search intent for a content piece means you’re answering the questions of anyone who wants to read this content piece.

And even if the reader is coming from social media, will this not make the content more valuable for them?

But even beyond that, meeting search intent improves the chances of achieving your goal for a content piece.

If you meet search intent for informational content, you’ll likely deliver valuable information and build trust with the reader.

If you meet search intent for content aimed at conversions, you’ll provide the information the reader needs to convert.

So, even if you’re not big on SEO, understanding search intent helps you provide the information your reader is looking for.

The basic categories of search intent

Here are 4 categories of search intent that SEOs agree on:

Informational intent

A searcher has an informational intent when they search a keyword to get information about a topic.

This includes blog posts like how-tos, benefits of, and guides.

Examples of informational intent keywords include:

• How to create a Google slide
• Benefits of intermittent fasting
• How to write a meta description 

These keywords are good for brand awareness, but rarely lead to conversions. Even worse, Google serves AI Overviews for many informational keywords, which means lower organic traffic.

Navigational intent

Navigational intent keywords are used when searchers want to visit a specific page.

Examples of navigational intent keywords include:

• Facebook login
• Amazon
• Delta airlines booking

There’s no point optimizing for these keywords since the searcher is looking for a specific page.

And Google will just present this page in the search engine results page (SERP).

Commercial intent

For commercial intent keywords, the searcher is close to buying a product but is researching to decide.

Examples of commercial intent keywords include:

• Salesforce vs hubspot
• Best CRM software
• MailChimp review

When targeting commercial intent keywords, provide information that will help the searcher decide.

Transactional intent

When searchers use transactional intent keywords, they’re ready to buy.

Examples of these keywords include:

• Buy Nike Air shoes
• HubSpot free trial
• New York to San Francisco flights

These keywords are valuable since they tend to convert searchers into buyers. 

So, if you have a page that meets this intent, optimize it for conversions.

Sometimes, keywords can have overlapping search intents. For example, a keyword like “Hubspot pricing” can have both navigational and transactional intents. 

Most searchers of this keyword likely want to visit the HubSpot pricing page, which is navigational. But they’re also considering buying HubSpot, which is transactional. 

So, consider these nuances when grouping keywords by intent.

However, understanding search intent goes beyond just throwing your keyword into one of these search intent buckets.

You need to go deeper.

Understanding searcher intent: 5 steps to uncover what searchers really want

1. Understand what your ideal audience is looking for

Sometimes, two searchers can have slightly different intent even if they’re searching for the same keyword.

For example, a project manager in a billion-dollar company and a freelancer are probably looking for different information when they search “project management software.”

The project manager is probably looking for information on collaboration and extensive features, with less emphasis on pricing.

Meanwhile, the freelancer may be looking for basic features with more emphasis on affordability.

So, if you run a blog for a project management software company, you should focus on what your ideal buyer is looking for.

You’re no longer asking, “What’s a searcher looking for when they search this keyword?”

But, “What’s my ideal buyer looking for when they search this keyword?”

After all, you’re not just trying to rank for a keyword for the sake of it.

You’re trying to rank to position your product as the best solution for your ideal buyer.

And if you meet the search intent of your ideal buyer, you’ll convert more of your organic traffic.

How do you know your ideal audience well enough to understand the information they’re looking for?

• Engage with them on LinkedIn: Follow and connect with industry experts on LinkedIn. Some of them post industry trends and common problems they face. 
• Engage in relevant Reddit communities: Because of its relative anonymity, Reddit contains unfiltered information about what professionals experience daily. So, join relevant subreddits.
• Listen to industry podcasts: Doing this delivers knowledge about your industry. But beyond that, you’ll hear how professionals explain problems, which can tell you more about the solutions they want.
• Subscribe to industry newsletters: Many of these newsletters are run by experts. They regularly write about practical issues in the industry.

These activities go beyond preparation for a single blog post.

They’re activities that help you immerse yourself in the terms your ideal audience uses, their common frustrations, and how they think.

For example, I spend time in the SaaS subreddit to understand industry experts and their challenges.

With research and community engagement, you’ll better understand what your ideal audience is looking for when they search a term.

2. Know the jobs to be done (JTBD)

Knowing your ideal audience alone is insufficient.

What job are they trying to do with this content?

You have to understand the job they want to do with the information they’re looking for

The jobs to be done (JTBD) framework proposes that marketing messages should focus on the job a buyer is trying to do with the information they’re looking for or the product they want to buy.

For example, some of the jobs a project manager may be trying to do with project management software are:

• Ensuring every team member performs their tasks at the right time
• Ensuring that team members can collaborate effectively during projects
• Ensuring team members can use the software quickly without losing work time or money
• Tracking how effectively each team member performs

Meanwhile, a freelancer may be trying to do these jobs:

• Plan tasks to be more productive
• Track the progress of work for each client
• Track the amount of work done for each client

Even though they’re both looking for project management software, they want to do different jobs with it.

So, whatever topic your content is about, think about the job your ideal audience wants to do with the information.

This will guide how you present the information in your content

But more importantly, you’ll likely deliver useful information to your ideal audience.

3. Determine the type of keyword you’re targeting

There are 2 main types of keywords based on length:

• Broad/short-tail keywords
• Long-tail keywords

It’s easier to determine the search intent for long-tail keywords. 

For example, “how to knot a tie” is a long-tail keyword.

For this keyword, the search intent is obvious.

But what of the keyword “SEO?”

This is a short-tail keyword with multiple intents.

Does the searcher want the definition of SEO? Do they want to learn how to do it? Are they looking for an SEO tool?

It’s difficult to pick one intent for short-tail keywords.

And that’s why Google usually serves multiple intents for these keywords.

For example, when I search “SEO,” the pages in the top 10 include:

• A definition page
• An SEO starter guide
• A WordPress SEO plugin
• An SEO site checkup tool
• An SEO blog homepage

With this, Google is trying to ensure it serves all possible intents.

For your SaaS company, targeting such broad keywords can be difficult because you can’t pinpoint the search intent.

And these keywords are also difficult to rank for.

So, you’ll put in a lot of effort for little gain.

Before writing a content piece, determine if you’re targeting a short- or long-tail keyword.

Whatever type of keyword, perform a Google search to see which pages already rank.

If the keyword is short-tail, the intent will likely be vague. But you want to see the search intents Google is serving on the SERP.

Then, target the search intent that’s most beneficial to your business.

Pro-tip: If your website has a low domain authority, you’ll get better results going after long-tail keywords first. Their search intents are usually obvious, and they’re easier to rank for.

4. Know how fast the topic evolves

Generally, some industries evolve faster than others.

For example, home automation and cybersecurity are evolving faster than accounting.

But even when you dive into each industry, some aspects evolve faster than others.

For example, telemedicine is evolving faster than childbirth in health.

As an expert, you know the fast- and slow-evolving topics in your industry. 

When a topic evolves fast, the search intent can also change with time.

For example, people buying smartphones in 2025 are looking for different information compared to those buying smartphones in 2010.

A content piece about a fast-evolving topic will require regular updates to ensure you keep up with the search intent.

Apart from that, think of the possible shift in search intent over time. This lets you touch on where the topic may shift towards in the future.

Understanding how fast a topic evolves will let you determine its current search intent and where it may shift to.

5. Determine the topic maturity

Topic maturity is how well a topic has developed over time.

In most cases, new topics lack maturity. However, an old topic can also lack maturity if there are few applications of the topic.

For example, Elon Musk first talked about the concept of hyperloop transportation in 2013. But the topic is still far from mature because of the lack of implementation in cities worldwide.

A new topic that lacks maturity is AI in marketing because people differ widely on how to implement AI in marketing.

So, even authoritative sources differ on the information they provide about this topic.

That said, how can we determine the topic maturity of a topic?

Usually, a topic has matured when most authoritative sources in an industry say similar things about it.

So, a lot of consensus content about a topic points toward topic maturity.

And Google will assume that the information on these pages represents the search intent for that topic.

It’s easier to determine search intent for a mature topic, but creating unique content for it is hard.  

This maturity also increases the chances that Google will serve an AI Overview to meet the search intent.

For example, a keyword like “how to gain followers on Instagram” will trigger AI Overviews because most pages about the topic have similar information.

So, mature topics can be unattractive if you want to attract more organic traffic to your website.

Google the term and see what comes up.

However, it’s more difficult to determine search intent for a less mature topic, but easier to create unique content.

While executing your content strategy, you’ll probably create content about both mature and less mature topics.

But determining topic maturity will help you understand the level of risk you can take in terms of information on a page.

For a mature topic, you can’t veer too much from the established information on authoritative websites.

However, a less mature topic gives you the opportunity to experiment with the information you think searchers are looking for. These topics also give you opportunities for thought leadership content.

So, determine topic maturity to understand how volatile the search intent is.

Pro tip: Focus on topics less likely to trigger AI Overviews. Otherwise, you may rank high and only get little traffic. Consider topics with diverse opinions. These topics will help you show your expertise.

Conclusion

When you get search intent right, your content reads like a conversation with a friend.

And searchers can feel that you understand their problems.

Understanding search intent helps you create content that builds trust and converts visitors to customers.

Need someone to execute this process for your SaaS company?

Reach out to me about your writing needs.