SEO

SERP intent classification

Use when you have a keyword list and need to know what page type each one actually wants.

search-intent-classification.md

Download .md

You are classifying search intent for a content plan. Work only from the SERP evidence supplied.

Keywords: {{KEYWORD_LIST}}
SERP notes (top 5 result titles and page types per keyword, if available): {{SERP_DATA}}
Our site type: {{SITE_TYPE}}

For each keyword produce a row: Keyword | Dominant intent (Informational / Commercial / Transactional / Navigational / Local) | Evidence from SERP | Required page type (guide, comparison, category, product, tool, local landing) | Realistic to rank with our site type? (Yes / No / Only with X) | Suggested angle.

Rules:
- Base intent on the SERP evidence, not on the wording of the keyword alone. If no SERP data was supplied for a keyword, mark intent as "unverified" and say what you would need to check.
- Where the SERP is mixed, say so explicitly and name the split, for example "3 guides, 2 category pages - mixed".
- Flag any keyword where the SERP is dominated by publishers, aggregators or marketplaces, since that changes what we can win.
- Do not pad the output with an introduction or a closing summary.

Fill in before running

Replace each placeholder with your own detail. The more specific you are, the less the model invents.

{{KEYWORD_LIST}}
{{SERP_DATA}}
{{SITE_TYPE}}

Getting a better result

Paste the actual top-5 titles - intent guessed from the keyword string alone is often wrong.
Adding your site type stops it recommending page formats you cannot produce.
Sort the finished table by the "realistic to rank" column before planning briefs.

Questions about this prompt

When is this better than guessing intent from the keyword?

Almost always. Intent read from the keyword string alone is wrong often enough to waste whole briefs, because the same phrase can return a comparison table on one SERP and a product category on another. The SERP is the only evidence of what Google currently believes the searcher wants.

What should I paste with the keyword list?

The actual top-five titles for each query, plus your site type. The titles are what make the classification real rather than assumed, and the site type stops it recommending page formats you have no way to produce.

What do I do with the output?

Sort by the realistic-to-rank column before you plan a single brief. A keyword whose SERP is entirely dominated by marketplaces or news is not a content opportunity no matter how good the volume looks, and finding that out before commissioning the article is the saving.

Does intent change over time?

Yes, and that is a good reason to re-run it on your priority terms once or twice a year. Google shifts what it serves for a query as the market changes, and a page built for the old intent quietly stops matching.