A brand ranks #1 for a high-volume keyword and gets thousands of clicks, but almost no one buys, signs up, or comes back. Why does this happen?
Brands tend to see a high-volume keyword and think that the more people they get on their website, the more sales they’ll get.
And that’s not entirely wrong, right? More volume = more website visitors = more leads = more sales.
Simple! Except you have to consider one major factor in that equation: Search intent.
What are they hoping to get from this search query?
Because sometimes, search volume ≠ relevance. And that’s a mistake a lot of businesses make when targeting keywords.
Ranking for the right search intent beats ranking for the most searches.
What Search Intent Actually Means
If you’re already feeling dizzy from the word “search intent”, let me break it down clearly.
It’s the intent (or goal) behind a search query. We want to think about what someone expects to find when they search for something on Google.
If they type “weighted blanket”, they might be searching for the benefits of a weighted blanket for anxiety, or where to buy a weighted blanket, or how heavy a weighted blanket is.
Luckily, most people are typing more specific searches now (thanks, AI), so it’s pretty easy to tell what they’re trying to get out of their search query.
There are four types of search intent:
- Informational: The searcher wants to learn something (i.e., how weighted blankets work)
- Navigational: The searcher is trying to get to a specific website or page (i.e., Gravity Blanket website)
- Commercial: The searcher is researching before a purchase decision (i.e., best weighted blankets for adults)
- Transactional: The searcher is ready to take action right now (i.e., buy a 15lb weighted blanket with free shipping)
Can you see how important it is to know what someone wants before you target a keyword? An informational keyword is a lot different than a transactional keyword.
Why Search Volume is a Misleading Metric On Its Own
I’m not here to tell you that search volume isn’t important. The best-case scenario is finding a keyword with high search volume AND the right search intent.
But you can’t rely on search volume alone. Just because a keyword has a lot of traffic doesn’t mean you’re attracting the right audience.
And that’s what I care about most—getting the right people on your website.
If you’re getting hundreds of clicks on your website from people who will never become clients, it’s kinda a waste of time. And it could increase your bounce rate (how quickly people leave your website), which signals to Google that you aren’t helping people find the answers they need.
On the other hand, a low-volume keyword can be super valuable if it attracts the right audience at the right stage of the buying cycle. Imagine what it would mean for your business if you got even 2-3 people on your website every month who are ready to invest in your services!
The moral of the story is don’t underestimate the power of low-volume keywords when they have the right search intent.
How to Identify Search Intent Before You Write
The good news is that my favorite SEO tool, Ubersuggest, shows the search intent for each keyword you research! But I would recommend double-checking on Google, too.
Before you assign a keyword to each page, type those keywords into Google to see what comes up in the search results. You want to make sure the content on your page is actually relevant in search results.
Otherwise, you either:
- Won’t rank there because Google won’t find your content relevant to the intent of that query.
- Won’t be clicked on if you *do* rank there because people are actually hoping to find something else entirely.
For example, the keyword “Showit support” might seem helpful for the website of a Showit SEO Specialist, but if you type “Showit support” into Google, you’ll find Showit’s library of help articles.
People searching “Showit support” are likely hoping to talk to Showit’s customer service team or find a specific tech tutorial to fix a problem on their website. They’re probably *not* looking for help SEO optimizing their website.
Someone in need of support in that way is probably typing something more like “Showit SEO services,” or “Showit SEO specialist,” or “Showit SEO settings” into Google.
When Search Volume Still Matters & How to Use Both
Search volume and search intent need to work together to achieve your goal of getting more qualified readers on your website.
Search volume still matters for brand awareness and top-of-funnel content, but don’t expect it to drive direct conversions.
What you’re looking for is intent-qualified traffic—high traffic with the right search intent.
And you get to decide the search intent you want to target across your website. Your services page will probably be transactional, while a blog post might be informational or commercial.
When you’re researching keywords, rank them by both volume AND intent match before choosing your targets for each page.
What Search Intent Looks Like in Real Life
My husband makes 3D-printed golf ferrules. This product didn’t exist on the market when he was launching his business. Golf ferrules did, but not 3D-printed ones. He was the first one!
I suggested we still use his differentiator in the keywords on his website because it literally describes the product *and* sets him apart.
When we first started, 3D-printed golf ferrules was a zero-volume keyword, meaning less than one person a month was searching for this. Because it didn’t exist yet!
But here’s where search intent comes in: the few people who were searching that exact phrase weren’t casually browsing. They were looking to buy that exact product. The search intent was transactional, and he could provide exactly what they were looking for.
Now, he’s built product awareness, and 3D-printed golf ferrules have grown in popularity since he launched his business in the summer of 2025. More people are specifically searching for 3D-printed golf ferrules, so the search volume for that keyword is increasing.
The SEO results for his website traffic and conversions have been amazing!
Stop Chasing The Biggest Number — Chase The Right Audience
Search intent is the bridge between a search and action. We’re helping people find exactly what they need, and that should always be our goal.
Go back to your top-performing keywords or pages and ask, “Does the search intent match what I’m offering?”
You might need to tweak some keywords to better target what you’re offering on that page, whether it’s education or helping people make a buying decision.
If you’ve been DIYing your SEO and want it to actually work for you, the SEO Sprint makes sure your keywords align with search intent, along with a ton of other things to help you attract the right audience to your website. I’d love to talk about how we can get your website to start working for you, even in your sleep!
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