What Is Search Intent?
Why it matters
Matching search intent is the difference between ranking and being ignored. Google's whole job is to satisfy the searcher, so it rewards pages that give people exactly what they came for. If someone searches 'how to tie a tie' and you serve a product page, you'll never rank, no matter how strong your links are. Understanding intent lets you create the right content format and win the query.
Example
Someone searching 'best running shoes' wants comparisons and reviews, so Google ranks buyer's guides, not a single product page. Someone searching 'buy Nike Pegasus 41' has transactional intent and wants a product page ready for checkout. The same topic demands different content because the intent behind each query is completely different.
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