Informational Intent
The goal behind a search query where the user wants to learn something, answer a question or understand a topic rather than buy or visit a site.
Much early buyer research happens through informational queries, so content that answers them well builds awareness and trust long before a prospect is ready to compare vendors or request a demo.
For the query "what is lead scoring", a RevOps software company publishes a 1,500-word guide with a definition, a worked scoring example and a diagram, then links to its product page for readers who want to automate the process.
Informational traffic converts at low rates and is the type most exposed to AI Overviews and zero-click answers. Treating every question query as informational misses mixed intent, such as "best CRM", which is mainly commercial.
Search intent is commonly split into informational, navigational, commercial and transactional types. Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines describe a similar Know intent, with Know Simple for queries that have a short, precise answer. Practitioners infer intent from the query wording and from the current results, such as guides, definitions and People Also Ask boxes, which makes it a core input to Search Intent analysis and Search Experience Optimization (SXO).
Experience Design
Google — Search Quality Rater Guidelines (General Guidelines), section 12.7 Understanding User Intent — https://guidelines.raterhub.com/searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf; Semrush — What Is Search Intent? How to Identify It & Optimize for It — https://www.semrush.com/blog/search-intent/