Intent
Intent is what someone is trying to do when they ask a question: learn something, compare options, buy, or reach a particular site.
Intent is what a person is trying to do when they ask a question. Are they learning about a subject, comparing options, ready to buy, or looking for one particular website? The same words can carry different intents, and the AI platforms try to work out which one you mean before they answer.
It matters because each intent gets a different kind of answer, with a different chance of naming you.
The common kinds
Most tools sort intent into a handful of groups:
- Learning: "How long does ground coffee stay fresh?"
- Comparing: "Kestrel Roasters or Fernhill Coffee for espresso?"
- Buying: "Coffee subscription with free delivery in Leeds"
- Going somewhere: "Fernhill Coffee contact page"
The names vary. You'll see informational, commercial, transactional and navigational, which come from SEO. Some AI tools add others, like a request to write or make something.
Why it changes the answer
A learning question often gets an explanation with no brands in it. A comparing question gets a list of brands with reasons. A buying question may get product cards with prices, or a single recommendation.
For example, "what makes coffee decaf?" might name no brands at all. "Best decaf coffee beans" might name six. If you only track the first kind, your visibility will look low even if you're doing well where people decide.
Intent isn't always what the words say, either. Someone asking "is cold brew less acidic?" may be shopping for cold brew coffee. The platform may go looking for products on its own.
In AnswerOrbit
When you Generate prompts in Topics, you choose the mix of learning, comparing and buying questions. Use tags to mark intent on the prompts you write yourself, then filter your numbers by tag. See Topics and prompts.