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What Is Search Intent? How Is AI Changing Search Intent Marketing?

See how AI is changing search intent marketing. Understand user behavior with predictive analysis, content optimization and more.

Search intent — it’s more than just an SEO buzzword. 

Knowing what your users really want when they search and find your pages is what’s going to take your ranking, traffic, and conversions to the next level. 

Being able to discern what your audience wants and create high-quality content that uniquely addresses that need is what search intent is all about. 

At the same time, as technology continues to advance and AI becomes more integrated into workflows, the way we approach search intent is also changing. AI’s ability to analyze incredible amounts of complex data means marketers and content publishers alike can glean more detailed insights than ever. 

Whether you want to personalize content to your unique audience through the use of long-tail keywords or better understand your audience’s intent, there’s no doubt that AI is shaking up the landscape. 

Take a closer look at precisely how AI is changing search intent and search intent marketing

What Is Search Intent? 

Search intent is the reasoning behind a user’s search when they type their search into Google or another search engine. 

Knowing the motivation behind why the user is searching can help you craft targeted content to answer their question

Search intent as a concept is broken down into four categories: 

Informational

Informational intent is when the user is specifically looking for information

Examples of searches designed to get guidance and direction:

  • “How to train for a marathon”
  • “What equipment do I need to start my own pastry shop?”

Users at this level of search intent may be looking for a simple answer to a question. Alternatively, they might want more details, such as a walkthrough or step-by-step guide

Navigational

With a navigational search intent, the user wants to go to a specific website

Examples of a navigational search intent include:

  • “Amazon return policy”
  •  “UPS shipping calculator”

When this reflects your brand, your goal is to provide a seamless experience that helps them navigate easily

That could mean creating branded landing pages, like “(Your brand name) Login” or “(Your brand name) refunds” complete with clear, large CTA buttons that indicate the next step. 

Transactional

Users at the transactional stage of the process are ready to make a purchase or take another action like subscribing, signing up to an email newsletter, or requesting a quote. These are high-conversion opportunities. 

Examples of transactional search intent often reference words like:

  • “Best”
  • “Buy”
  • “Coupon code”

All of these words indicate that a user is considering and ready to make a purchase.

Commercial

People at the commercial stage of the buying cycle are also looking for information

The difference between them and informational search intent is that they’re beyond the first step of just scratching the surface. 

At this point, they’re deeper into the research phase, which often includes examples like:

  • “Nike vs. Adidas running shoes” 
  • “Review of (product)”
  • “Best (product or software) for small businesses”

These types of keywords indicate the user is actively searching for the best options. 

AI and Search Intent Marketing

So, how does AI affect search intent marketing? AI can help website owners and content publishers hone their marketing efforts to analyze context to improve user experience and gain a competitive advantage with predictive SEO.

Analyzing context for a better user experience

AI models and AI search engines look deeper into the context of the search itself. Depending on the tool, they can analyze the relationship between words or the context to determine the type of search intent behind the long-tail search inquiry. 

A better understanding of the context provides marketers with more insight into what’s motivating the search. As a result, they can tailor content marketing and help users find exactly what they’re looking for.

This creates a better user experience and helps increase search engine rankings over time. 

Predictive SEO

Search intent isn’t static. Whether you’re optimizing for local search intent or you’re looking to narrow down “what is search intent?” into concrete actions that move the conversion needle, you have to be prepared for ongoing changes and shifts. 

Predictive SEO and SEO forecasting, are a key part of this. These SEO strategies analyze data such as search intent, keyword analysis, or historical search trends — often with AI-powered tools — to gain competitive insight that forecasts potential search patterns.

Google Incorporates Generative AI in Searches

In addition to staying up to speed with the latest AI advancements for search intent, it’s also essential for marketers to stay informed about upcoming AI integrations (and how they’ll advance search intent understanding) within search engines.

For instance, Google incorporates generative AI into its search features.

In Google’s May 2024 announcement, they highlighted that they’re releasing a number of generative AI features to search:

  • AI Overviews to provide users with a quick answer to their search.
  • Answers to complex questions, that include a number of highly specific details such as location, pricing, ratings or reviews, and offers.
  • AI-organized search results pages that are designed for brainstorming and inspiration.

Your Next Steps with Search Intent

AI is great at uncovering patterns, crunching the numbers, and understanding the context behind the search intent. 

For content marketing, this means that now more than ever, you can create even more relevant, tailored, actionable content that directly answers the user’s question. 

Doing this consistently over time also means boosting your search engine ranking by ticking all of the boxes that signal to Google that you’re a reliable source of people-first content

Looking for more ways to improve your content marketing strategy?

Sherice Jacob

Sherice Jacob is a seasoned copywriter and content professional fluent in English, Spanish, and Catalan, with over 25 years of experience crafting high-converting copy. Passionate about AI, she enjoys exploring the new innovations and possibilities it brings to the world of content creation.

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