Search intent

Intent decides if your page is the right answer. If you match it, you can rank and get clicks with fewer links and less domain history.

Example: the query "Stripe pricing" is commercial investigation. A comparison page beats a generic blog post. On yoursite.com/pricing you show tiers and FAQs, not a founder story.

1. 1

   Scan the result types

   Look for news, shopping, maps, images, videos, People Also Ask, or a featured snippet. These hint at intent. Shopping boxes signal transactional. Maps signal local.

2. 2

   Read the top three titles

   Titles and URLs show format and angle. "How to…" and "guide" signal informational. "Best X" and "vs" signal commercial investigation.

3. 3

   Open two ranking pages

   Skim headings. Note the content type and depth. Is it a product page, a comparison, a checklist, or a location page?

4. 4

   Check People Also Ask

   List the sub-questions. They are the jobs to answer on your page. Fold them into headings if they fit your offer.

5. 5

   Decide before you write

   Pick the page type, format and key sections. Example: for "Notion vs Evernote" plan a comparison table, pricing, pros and cons, and who each suits.

Use the Performance report. Filter by page, then scan queries. Your page should earn queries that match its job.

• High impressions, low clicks: title or format may not match intent
• Queries that are too broad: page may be the wrong type
• Queries with verbs you do not serve: intent mismatch risk
• Average position near page one, poor CTR: your snippet may promise the wrong job

Example: yoursite.com/guides/getting-started shows queries like "what is [topic]" and "how to set up [topic]". Good. If it draws "pricing" or "buy [tool]", split that content to /pricing or a comparison page.

1. 1

   Pick the right page type

   Map query to page. Informational: a guide. Commercial investigation: a comparison or pricing page. Transactional: a product or signup page. Local: a location page.

2. 2

   Refit the content

   Change headings, order and media to match the job. Swap a story intro for a checklist. Add a comparison table. Add pricing. Cut fluff.

3. 3

   Align the snippet

   Rewrite the title and meta description to promise the job the searcher wants. Keep the title under about 60 characters.

4. 4

   Split or merge pages

   If two pages chase the same intent, merge and redirect. If one page serves two intents, split into two focused pages.

5. 5

   Link it in context

   Add internal links from related pages with anchor that matches the job, for example "compare X vs Y" or "set up in 5 steps".

A fixed page looks like yoursite.com/comparison/notion-vs-evernote with a clear winner, pricing, and who should pick which.

• Writing for keywords, not jobs to be done
• Copying a competitor’s angle without checking the results page
• Chasing mixed intent with one thin page
• Ignoring image or video blocks when they dominate the results
• Letting blog posts rank for queries that should hit /pricing or /signup
• Changing titles to chase clicks that the page does not fulfil

If images fill the page for "picture search image", add an image-led section or a walkthrough. If videos rank for "how to import CSV", add a short clip or step shots.