What is search intent, and why does it matter for SEO?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Intent is the goal behind a query
- Main types: informational, navigational, commercial, transactional
- Check current results to understand intent
- Page type must match intent to rank
Model answer
Search intent is the reason behind a search, what the person actually wants. The common types are informational, like "what is GST"; navigational, like "Flipkart login"; commercial investigation, like "best laptops under 60000"; and transactional, like "buy iPhone 16 online". It matters because Google ranks pages that satisfy the intent. If people want a comparison list and I offer a single product page, I will struggle to rank even with perfect keywords. The best way to understand intent is to search the keyword and study the top results: are they guides, product pages, videos or local listings? Then I create the page type and format that fits, while adding something better or more original than what already ranks.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed easy round and get scored on every answer.
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