The difference between user intent and search intent

User intent and search intent are two crucial concepts within SEO and conversion optimization. Although they are closely related, they differ in important ways. Read about what these differences are and how to make the most of them in your SEO strategy.

What is search intent?

Search intent refers to the purpose behind a search. When someone uses a search engine, they are trying to answer a specific question or fulfill a need. Search intent can be divided into three main types:

  • Informational: the user seeks information on a specific topic, such as “How does link building work?
  • Commercial: the user compares products or services, for example, “Best SEO tool 2024.
  • Transactional: the user intends to perform an action, such as make a purchase or contact, e.g., “hire SEO specialist.

By properly understanding search intent, you can create content that perfectly matches what users want to find.

What is user intent?

User intent goes a step further than search intent. This concept revolves around what a visitor actually wants to accomplish on your Web site after they land on a page.

User intent includes factors such as navigation. This answers the question: does the user want to find a specific page quickly? Information consumption is about whether the user seeks in-depth knowledge or a quick summary. Then there is conversion intent: does the user want to proceed directly to a purchase, or do they want contact first?

Whereas search intent focuses on interaction with the search engine, user intent focuses on interaction with your Web site.

How do you apply both in SEO?

A successful SEO strategy combines search and user intent to achieve both high rankings and conversions. You do this by optimizing content based on search intent, to better match what people are searching for in Google. You can also improve the user experience, by adjusting your content and navigation to match your visitors’ intent. It is also wise to integrate strong call-to-actions, tailored to the stage the user is in.

By effectively combining these strategies, you will not only get more visitors, but also increase conversion and improve engagement on your website.

Senior SEO-specialist

Ralf van Veen

Senior SEO-specialist
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I have been working for 12 years as an independent SEO specialist for companies (in the Netherlands and abroad) that want to rank higher in Google in a sustainable manner. During this period I have consulted A-brands, set up large-scale international SEO campaigns and coached global development teams in the field of search engine optimization.

With this broad experience within SEO, I have developed the SEO course and helped hundreds of companies with improved findability in Google in a sustainable and transparent way. For this you can consult my portfolio, references and collaborations.

This article was originally published on 2 February 2025. The last update of this article was on 2 February 2025. The content of this page was written and approved by Ralf van Veen. Learn more about the creation of my articles in my editorial guidelines.