The page that should be ranking but isn't

Here's a situation I've run into repeatedly: a well-written, well-optimized page that targets a clear keyword but sits on page three of search results, stubbornly refusing to move.

Traffic is low. Backlinks are fine. The title tag is correct. The content is genuinely good. So why isn't it ranking?

Nine times out of ten, the answer is search intent mismatch. The page is answering a different question than the one searchers are actually asking — and Google can tell.

Understanding search intent is the piece of SEO that separates teams who publish consistently but plateau from teams whose content actually compounds over time.

What search intent actually means

Search intent (sometimes called keyword intent or user intent) is the underlying goal behind a search query. When someone types something into Google, they're not just looking for words — they're looking for an outcome.

Google's algorithm is designed to figure out what outcome the searcher wants and surface content that delivers it. When you publish a page, you're making an implicit claim that your content matches that intent. If it doesn't, the algorithm will pass your page over in favor of one that does, regardless of how well-written or keyword-optimized it is.

Intent isn't something you guess at. It's something you read directly from the current search results. Whatever Google is ranking on page one for a given query is Google's best evidence of what the intent behind that query is.

The four types of search intent

Every search query fits into one of four categories. Understanding the category tells you what format your content needs to take.

Informational intent

The searcher wants to understand something. They're not ready to buy, compare options, or visit a specific site. They want an answer.

Examples: "what is WCAG," "how does a redirect work," "why is my website slow"

Content that matches informational intent: educational articles, how-to guides, explainers, glossary pages. Long-form, comprehensive, objective. The page should answer the question fully without pushing the reader toward a conversion.

Navigational intent

The searcher wants to get to a specific place: a brand's website, a specific page, a login portal.

Examples: "City of Toronto website," "Google Analytics login," "Excelle contact page"

Content that matches navigational intent: usually your homepage, a specific product or service page, or a branded landing page. If someone is searching for your name, you need to own that result. This is where brand awareness, accurate business listings, and a clean site structure matter.

For navigational queries about other organizations, you're unlikely to compete — and shouldn't try. Don't write content designed to intercept branded searches for competitors or well-known institutions.

Commercial intent

The searcher knows they want something but is still comparing options. They're researching before they decide.

Examples: "best CMS for municipal websites," "Webflow vs WordPress for small business," "top accessibility consultants Ontario"

Content that matches commercial intent: comparison posts, reviews, "best of" lists, buyer's guides. These pages need to be genuinely helpful to someone making a decision — not thinly veiled sales pitches. If you sell web design services and you publish a comparison of the top five web design approaches, that's legitimate commercial-intent content.

Transactional intent

The searcher is ready to take action: purchase, book, download, sign up.

Examples: "hire a web accessibility consultant," "download WCAG 2.2 checklist," "book a website audit"

Content that matches transactional intent: service pages, product pages, landing pages with clear calls to action. Minimal comparison, lots of trust signals (testimonials, credentials, clear pricing or process), and a direct path to conversion.

How to diagnose your intent mismatch

If you have a page that's underperforming, intent diagnosis takes about five minutes.

Step 1: Take the primary keyword your underperforming page targets. Note exactly how you'd phrase it as a search query.

Step 2: Search that exact query in an incognito browser window. Look at the top five organic results (not ads).

Step 3: Ask three questions about those results:

Step 4: Compare what you see to your page. If Google's top-ranking content is a "10 best" list and your page is a detailed how-to guide, you have intent mismatch. The keyword might superficially match, but the format and purpose don't.

The fix is usually one of two things: either reformat and rewrite the page to match what's ranking, or accept that this keyword targets an intent you're not serving and find a better keyword for your actual content.

Content format matching by intent

Intent doesn't just tell you what topic to cover — it tells you what format the content should take. Here's a practical guide:

Informational queries: Match the depth of what's currently ranking. If the top results are 2,000-word comprehensive guides, a 400-word overview won't compete. If they're short answers or featured snippets, a concise, structured response works better than a long-form piece.

Navigational queries: Your content needs to be the definitive source for your own brand and key pages. Make sure your homepage, about page, and major service pages are optimized for branded queries.

Commercial queries: The format is usually a structured comparison, a list, or a guide. Be genuinely helpful — explain tradeoffs honestly. Pages that read like sales copy fail commercial intent because searchers can tell the difference.

Transactional queries: Cut to the action. Social proof front and center, clear process or pricing information, and a direct call to action near the top of the page. People searching with transactional intent do not want to scroll through 1,500 words before they can reach out.

Where intent mapping fits in your content workflow

Intent should be checked before you write, not after. Here's how to build it into your process:

At keyword research: For every keyword you're considering targeting, check the SERP before you put it in your content plan. Note the intent type and the dominant format. This tells you what you'd need to produce to compete.

At content briefing: Include the intent type and top-ranking formats in your content brief. This gives writers the context they need to produce the right thing from the start.

At audit time: For existing underperforming pages, run the five-minute intent diagnosis. Group pages by diagnosis: intent mismatch (format), intent mismatch (topic), correct intent but needs improvement. These three groups need different fixes.

Before refreshing old content: When you're about to update a page, re-check the current SERP for its primary keyword. Intents shift over time, especially in fast-moving industries. A keyword that was informational in 2021 might be dominated by commercial results today.

The intent trap to avoid

The most common intent trap is targeting high-volume informational keywords with commercial pages, or vice versa.

A service provider who writes an article titled "What is web accessibility" and stuffs it with calls to hire them has targeted an informational query (someone trying to understand something) with transactional content (someone trying to sell something). The article won't rank because it doesn't serve the searcher's actual goal.

The fix isn't to add more keywords. It's to dedicate that article to genuinely answering the informational query, and separately create a service page that targets the transactional keyword "web accessibility consulting Ontario" (or equivalent). They serve different intents, so they need to be different pages.

One page, one intent. That's the rule.

If your content is well-written but stuck on page two or three, intent mismatch is often the first thing to check. Get in touch if you'd like a quick audit of your highest-priority underperforming pages.