Query intent is the underlying goal or purpose behind a user’s search or AI prompt — what they’re actually trying to accomplish, not just what words they typed.
The four categories of intent
Informational — The user wants to learn something.
“How does RAG work?” / “What is AEO?” / “Why does AI give different answers each time?”
Navigational — The user wants to reach a specific destination.
“[Brand] login” / “[Brand] pricing page”
Commercial investigation — The user is comparing options before a decision.
“Best AEO tools” / “[Brand A] vs [Brand B]” / “Alternatives to [Competitor]”
Transactional — The user is ready to act.
“[Brand] free trial” / “Sign up for [Brand]”
Why query intent matters for AEO
AI engines optimize their responses for the detected intent of each query. For informational queries, they generate explanatory answers citing educational sources. For commercial queries, they generate comparative summaries and product recommendations. Understanding which intent category your target queries fall into determines what type of content will be cited.
For example: a landing page won’t be cited in response to an informational query — an educational article will. A review aggregator page won’t be the top citation for a transactional query — your own pricing page might be.
Mapping intent to content type
| Intent | Content likely to be cited |
|---|---|
| Informational | Guides, articles, glossary entries, how-tos |
| Commercial investigation | Comparison pages, case studies, reviews, roundups |
| Transactional | Product pages, pricing pages, sign-up flows |
Matching your content format to the query intent of your target queries is one of the highest-leverage moves in AEO content strategy.