Definition
Search intent classification is the process of categorizing a search query by the user's underlying goal: informational (learning), navigational (finding a site), commercial (researching products), or transactional (ready to buy).
In Depth
Understanding search intent is fundamental to SEO and content strategy. A query like 'what is a SERP API' is informational, 'Scavio login' is navigational, 'best SERP API 2026' is commercial, and 'Scavio pricing' is transactional. Each intent type requires different content formats and optimization strategies. SERP APIs help classify intent by analyzing the SERP features present for a query, since Google tailors its results to match intent. Queries with shopping ads suggest commercial intent, while queries with featured snippets and PAA boxes suggest informational intent. Scavio's structured responses include these SERP features, enabling automated intent classification at scale.
Example Usage
A content team queries Scavio for 1,000 target keywords and classifies intent by analyzing SERP features. Keywords triggering shopping ads are routed to the product team, while those triggering PAA boxes and featured snippets are assigned to the content writers for informational articles.
Platforms
Search Intent Classification is relevant across the following platforms, all accessible through Scavio's unified API:
Related Terms
SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
A SERP (Search Engine Results Page) is the page returned by a search engine in response to a query, containing organic r...
Semantic Search vs Keyword Search
Keyword search matches documents containing the exact terms in a query, while semantic search uses vector embeddings to ...
Featured Snippet
A featured snippet is a highlighted answer box that appears at the top of Google search results, extracted from a web pa...