SERP Intent Classifier

Step-by-step guide

1. 1
   Paste your keyword list
   Enter up to 50 keywords in the textarea, one per line. You can paste directly from a keyword research tool, spreadsheet, or any plain-text list. Keywords are processed entirely in your browser: nothing is sent to a server.
2. 2
   Click 'Classify Intent'
   The tool scans each keyword against intent signal word lists. Navigational signals include brand names, 'login', and '.com'. Transactional signals include 'buy', 'price', 'discount', and 'hire'. Commercial Investigation signals include 'best', 'review', 'vs', and 'compare'. Everything else is classified as Informational.
3. 3
   Review the intent table
   Results appear in a table with four columns: Keyword, Intent, Confidence, and Recommended Content Type. The Intent column uses colour-coded badges: blue for Informational, amber for Commercial, green for Transactional, violet for Navigational. The Confidence column shows High, Medium, or Low based on the strength of the intent signals found.
4. 4
   Use the summary badges to spot the intent mix
   Above the table, summary badges show a count of keywords in each intent category. This gives you an instant overview of your keyword list's intent distribution, which is useful for planning your content mix and identifying gaps in your topical coverage.
5. 5
   Export as CSV
   Click 'Export CSV' to copy the full results table to your clipboard in CSV format. The CSV includes all four columns and can be pasted directly into Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion, or any other content planning tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the four types of search intent?

Search intent (also called user intent or query intent) describes the primary goal behind a search query. The four standard categories are: Informational (the user wants to learn something, e.g. 'what is domain authority'), Commercial Investigation (the user is researching before making a decision, e.g. 'best SEO tools 2024'), Transactional (the user is ready to take action, e.g. 'buy Ahrefs subscription'), and Navigational (the user wants to reach a specific website or page, e.g. 'Google Search Console login').

Why does search intent matter for SEO?

Google's algorithms are designed to surface content that best matches the intent behind a query, not just content that contains the keyword. If a user searching 'best project management software' gets a product page instead of a comparison article, they are unlikely to find what they need: and Google will rank the comparison article higher because it matches the commercial investigation intent. Aligning your content type to the dominant search intent for each keyword is one of the highest-leverage SEO tactics available.

How is confidence scored?

Confidence reflects how many intent signals were found in the keyword. A keyword containing two or more strong Transactional signals (e.g. 'buy cheap seo software discount') scores High confidence Transactional. A keyword with just one signal scores Medium. Keywords classified as Informational by default (no specific signals found) score High if they start with a question word (how, what, why, etc.) or contain guide/tutorial terms, Medium if they are long-tail phrases (3+ words), and Low for short, ambiguous head terms.

Can the same keyword have multiple intents?

Yes, some keywords are genuinely mixed-intent. The word 'insurance', for example, could be Informational ('what is insurance'), Commercial ('best insurance companies'), or Transactional ('buy car insurance online'). This tool classifies based on the dominant signal in the full keyword phrase. For truly ambiguous head terms, you may want to run both the head term and its modified variants through the classifier to see how the intent differs across the keyword family.

What content type should I create for each intent?

The tool provides recommendations, but as a general rule: Informational keywords perform best with Blog Posts, Guides, How-To articles, FAQ pages, or Definition/Explainer pieces. Commercial Investigation keywords work best with Comparison pages, Review articles, 'Best X' listicles, and Versus pages. Transactional keywords need Landing Pages, Product Pages, or Service Pages with a strong CTA. Navigational keywords are typically served by the brand's own homepage, login page, or specific app page: they are not usually worth targeting with new content unless it's your own brand.