Search intent in practice: why a good article does not always rank

The most common reason a good article does not rank is not quality but type. Google has already decided what kind of content belongs on that query — and if yours is a different type, it will not compete no matter how well it is written.

Read the results page before you write

Search your target term and look at what the first ten results are: guides, product pages, comparisons or videos. That is Google’s reading of intent, and it is the only reading that matters.

The four basic types

• Informational: the searcher wants to know something.
• Navigational: the searcher is looking for a specific site.
• Commercial: the searcher is comparing options before buying.
• Transactional: the searcher is ready to act.

One page, one intent

Do not try to serve two intents on one page. A page that tries to be both a guide and a product page loses to the specialists on both sides.