Search intent is the user's underlying goal when typing a query. Google's ranking systems are highly tuned to intent — pages that match the dominant intent rank; pages that mismatch do not, regardless of other quality signals. The four primary intent categories: (1) Informational — the user wants to learn about a topic ('what is technical SEO', 'how does link building work'). Long-form articles and guides win these. (2) Navigational — the user is looking for a specific site or page ('ottawa seo inc team page'). Brand pages and direct destinations win these. (3) Commercial investigation — the user is researching options before buying ('best seo agency canada', 'webfx vs ottawa seo'). Comparison pages, listicles, and detailed reviews win these. (4) Transactional — the user is ready to take action ('hire seo agency ottawa', 'seo cost calculator'). Conversion-optimized landing pages, forms, and tools win these. The methodology for determining intent: search the query yourself in Google.ca, observe which page formats dominate the top 10 results — those formats are what Google believes match the intent. If the top 10 are long-form guides and you publish a service landing page, you will not rank, regardless of how well-optimized your service page is.