SEO can be a black box for many small business owners. There’s content, keywords, backlinks, technical stuff, updates, and let’s not forget—the ever-moving goalposts of Google’s algorithms. But out of all these concepts, one in particular tends to surprise people when I bring it up in our strategy conversations: search intent.
Understanding search intent is key to showing up at the right time for the right people. It’s not just about getting traffic. It’s about getting the right type of traffic. Traffic that calls, emails, books a service, buys a product, or tells a friend.
In this post, I want to unpack search intent in the way I would if we were having coffee in Franklin. I’ll walk you through what it is, why it matters, how it impacts your overall marketing psychology, and how you can use it to align your website with the real needs of your visitors—not just your latest marketing campaign.
Search intent refers to the underlying goal a user has when they type something into a search engine. It’s the "why" behind the query. Google has spent years trying to decode this because their whole business model is based on delivering the most relevant result. If someone’s searching for "best coffee shop near me," Google wants to show a local map—not a blog about coffee history.
My clients often gloss over this, thinking all traffic is good traffic. But consider this: if someone finds your site while looking for a free DIY tutorial and your service starts at $1,200, that lead is going nowhere fast. Understanding intent helps you tailor both your content and calls-to-action to what your users actually want in the moment.
Every business wants to rank for high-volume keywords, but not all keywords are created equal. Someone Googling "how to build a website" is probably a DIYer. But someone searching "Webflow expert in Tennessee" might be ready to hire. If your site ranks for the first but not the second, you’ll attract eyes but not clients.
Think of it like home renovation. Ranking for "what is foundation repair" brings curious minds. But ranking for "licensed foundation repair company Nashville" brings checkbooks.
Let’s break down how search intent fits into the buyer journey, and more importantly, how to leverage that journey to your SEO strategy.
At this stage, people aren’t ready to buy. They’re researching. Your goal here isn’t to sell—it’s to educate and establish credibility. Case study: I once helped a local hair salon in Franklin compete against larger chains by creating an extensive blog series on hair care tips. Trends, seasonal advice, what to ask your stylist. The intent here was informational. People loved the content, and Google rewarded the value it provided. Two of those posts still rank in the top three spots two years later, driving traffic every single week.
This is when people are comparing options. In this zone, trust becomes currency. You want comparison pages, feature lists, testimonials, and detailed process breakdowns. For example, I created a comparison guide for a past client showing why they preferred Webflow over WordPress in their agency work. That guide legitimately influences client decisions to this day because it's framed in the lens of their questions, not ours.
Here, clarity wins. These visitors are ready to take action. Maybe they want a quote, a consultation, or a demo. This is where so many websites fumble by hiding forms behind generic CTAs like “Let’s Talk.” Clear buttons like “Request Your Custom Website Quote” or “Book Local SEO Consultation” work better for transactional queries. I saw bounce rates drop 18% on one client’s service page just by adding buttons that addressed searcher intent directly.
I once had a client—a boutique law firm—who spent thousands on blog content targeting terms like "how to write a will." Organic traffic was up, sure. But conversions? Zero. Because the people landing on those pages weren’t looking to pay for services—they were looking to do it themselves. We pivoted to create content aimed at terms like "estate attorney in Brentwood TN" and "how much does a will cost with a lawyer." These reflected transactional and commercial investigation intent. The user is no longer asking "how"—they’re asking "who."
Ignoring search intent is like opening a restaurant and printing menus in the wrong language. You’ll still get foot traffic. But they won’t order anything because you’re not serving what they came for. When you begin matching content with intent, everything gets easier—from conversion optimization to ad targeting to even word-of-mouth referrals.
A well-organized website supports every stage of the intent funnel. I think of a site like a department store. Informational pages are like the magazine racks by the front—grab interest. Commercial pages are the product aisles with educated sales associates ready to answer questions. And transactional pages? That’s checkout. Most small businesses either cram everything into the home page or hide their most valuable content in a single “blog” tab that hasn’t been updated since 2022.
Webflow especially makes this easier to implement, with custom CMS structures and SEO-focused publishing controls built into its editor. But even Squarespace users can apply these principles.
A client recently told me, “We have a lot of blogs, but they just kind of sit there.” It’s common. Most content strategies are written in Excel but lived out by Google users who have no idea what a funnel is. That disconnect is where intent-based content mapping shines.
Here’s the framework I use when auditing or planning content for SEO and UX:
Example: Web Design with Webflow, SEO Consultation, Ecommerce Website Builds.
This is where empathy comes in. What hesitations does someone have before hiring a website agency in Tennessee? What are they unsure about regarding SEO pricing? What platform fears do they have (like long-term control or website load speed)?
When you plan this way, every piece of content becomes part of a larger story. You’re no longer shouting “Look at me!”—you’re creating a narrative arc where the customer finds themselves progressing through your brand with logical confidence.
In 2023, I partnered with a local Franklin-based landscaping company. Their traffic was modest, but bounce rates were high and conversions spotty. On first glance, things ‘looked’ fine. But when we dug in, we saw 90% of blog traffic was coming from generic DIY landscaping tips. Good content, wrong intent.
We shifted the strategy to location-based service pages targeting terms like "hardscape installation Franklin TN" and wrote accompanying posts like "What to Look for in a Hardscape Specialist." Then we embedded quote buttons, clear FAQs, and highlighted calls from Franklin area codes in testimonials.
The result? Organic inquiries tripled within four months. One article alone drove three high-ticket projects after it ranked #1 for a local phrase with strong transactional relevance. Same domain, new alignment. SEO isn’t just technical—it’s psychological.
There’s no substitute for human understanding, but tools can sharpen our instincts. A few I’d recommend:
These are not magic bullets. They’re indicators. Combine them with real conversation—listen to how clients talk, not how marketers do. That’s where the best ideas come from.
This is where my inner branding therapist comes out. Because search intent doesn’t just shape content. It reflects the state of mind of your audience. And if your brand tone and design don’t match user energy at each stage, there’s dissonance.
For instance, someone in the transactional stage doesn't want cute copy or clever slogans—they want clarity. Likewise, someone exploring their options may be turned off by aggressive "Act Now!" CTAs. Your typography, layout, even your loading speed—they all send signals that either confirm or reject their internal narrative. This is where design and SEO stop being silos and start acting like a team.
Understanding search intent isn’t a fun add-on or extra layer. It's foundational. When you align your site, your content, and your offer with where someone is on their search journey, you reduce friction, increase trust, and create digital experiences that genuinely convert.
It's not just about ranking higher—though that often happens too. It's about showing up when it matters most: when someone is looking for what you do best, not just typing broad words into Google.
For solo founders, local shops, and growing service pros, this clarity translates into efficiency. Less wasted effort, cleaner content strategy, better ROI on ads, and more engaged followers. That’s the real value. And once you internalize it, SEO becomes less about tricks and more about tuning in.
Because at the end of the day, good SEO isn’t about pleasing algorithms. It’s about understanding people.
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
