What are the different search intent categories for PPC keywords?

PPC keywords fall into six intent categories: Transactional (user is ready to buy — highest bid priority), Commercial investigation (comparing options before buying — high priority for bottom-funnel campaigns), Informational (user wants to learn — lower bid priority), Local intent (user wants a nearby business — critical for local campaigns), Branded (user searches for a specific brand), and Competitor (user searches a competitor by name — bid selectively).

Free Search Intent Tool for PPC Keywords

Paste any keyword list and classify each one by search intent: transactional, commercial investigation, informational, local, branded, or competitor. Know what each keyword is worth before setting bids in Google Ads or Microsoft Ads. Free, no account required, data stays in your browser.

Search Intent Mapper

Paste your keywords, search terms, or landing page terms and this tool classifies each one into an intent bucket:

Transactional, Commercial, Informational, Local, Branded, Competitor, or Low Intent, with a recommended use for each.

Input Type

Campaign Type

Brand Name (optional)

Terms containing your brand name will be classified as Branded.

Your Keywords

One term per line. Paste from Google Keyword Planner, a search terms report, a spreadsheet, or just type them in.

Settings

Detection

Competitor Detection

Catches searches containing competitor names and routes them to the Competitor bucket.

Competitor Names

One competitor name per line. Case-insensitive. Re-run analysis after changing.

Display

Show Signal Badges

Shows the matching signals that triggered each classification on every term row.

Show Usage Tag

Shows the "Best used for" recommendation pill at the top of each bucket.

⚛ Experimental

Unsupported. May behave unexpectedly. Use at your own risk.

Retro Mode

Green phosphor terminal aesthetic. Not recommended for client demos.

What Is Search Intent in PPC?

Search intent (also called keyword intent) is the underlying goal behind a user's search query. In Google Ads, matching keyword intent to the right ad and landing page is critical for Quality Score, conversion rate, and cost-per-acquisition. Google rewards campaigns where keyword intent, ad copy, and landing page content are tightly aligned.

The 6 Search Intent Categories for PPC

Transactional: The user is ready to buy or take action. Highest bid priority in Google Ads.
Commercial investigation: The user is comparing options before buying. High priority for bottom-funnel campaigns.
Informational: The user wants to learn. Lower bid priority; better suited for content or TOFU campaigns.
Local intent: The user wants a nearby business or service. Critical for local campaigns with location extensions.
Branded: The user searches for a specific brand. Bid strategy depends on whether it's your brand or a competitor's.
Competitor: The user searches a competitor by name. High CPC, lower conversion intent. Bid selectively.

How to Use This Search Intent Tool

Paste a keyword list (one keyword per line or imported from Google Keyword Planner) and the tool classifies each keyword by intent category. Use the results to segment campaigns, set bid adjustments, and align ad copy and landing pages to the correct intent level.