There are layers of search results, based on searchers' intent. Image: Flickr / sedam / CC-BY-SA

Every search engine entry has an inherent question behind it. Everyone who types in a search is doing so in order to find something specific, and understanding the way search engines analyze these layered “flavors” of search intent can get you better ranking results.

Searches to inform

The majority of searches online are intended to find information. This includes how-to, who or what searches. Google classifies these searches as “know” searches and tries to present results pages that fulfill this informing goal the best. This means pages that provide the most information and are generally viewed as the most authoritative, will be ranked first on these pages.

Searches to navigate

Called “go” searches, navigation searches are usually local or map-based searches. These local searches are usually navigation-based or mobile searches and look to provide search results that are clear, mobile-friendly and as local as possible. Searches for navigation purposes are the kind of searches that local businesses are best-served by showing up on. Ending up in these search results pages starts with optimizing your pages for local results, including microformatting and a mobile-friendly site.

Searches to do

Searches with a particular action in mind, be it shopping, signing up or something else, is a “do” search. Google often returns search results on searches with this intent that make the final process easy. If you sell a product or are trying to get a particular conversion action to take place, then this is the category of results page you want to be on. Google tends to rank pages that with customer-focused actions first on these searches.

Ranking factors

These three search types are just a part of the multitude of factors that Google uses to rank search engine results pages. Generally, no matter what type of page you have, following best-practices search engine optimization will always be the best option. Provide good content. Answer the questions that customers are looking to answer with their searches. In short, pay attention to the ranking factors for your site, but provide the best experience and best content first.