What Types of Search Results and Keywords Are There? Distinguishing Page Formats, Search Intent, and Specificity

Search results and keywords should be considered separately: search results can be classified by the types of pages that appear—product or e-commerce pages, articles, forums, or a mix of formats—while keywords can be classified by search intent, breadth, and specificity. These classifications answer different questions: classifying search results tells us “what content appears,” while classifying keywords helps us understand “what users want to do” or “how specific their needs are.” They should not be combined into a single set of mutually exclusive categories.

Search Results: Identifying the Content Mix by Page Format

In a 2023 article, yesharris observed that results for “mattress” were dominated by e-commerce websites; “mattress recommendations” returned both e-commerce pages and articles; and “mattress reviews” returned discussion boards and articles. Using this approach, results can be grouped as follows:

• Product or e-commerce: Pages offering product information and purchase-related content.
• Articles: Pages focused on introductory information, tutorials, or other informational content.
• Forums: Pages featuring online discussions, reviews, and recommendations.
• Mixed: A results page containing a combination of the formats above.

These examples show that similar terms can return different combinations of content. However, they reflect the article’s observations at the time, not necessarily what the same searches would return today. This classification also does not cover all Google search result placements.

Keywords: Classifying What Searchers Want to Accomplish

yesharris uses three search intent categories, based on the purpose of the search rather than simply whether the keyword contains a product name:

• Informational: The searcher wants knowledge or a solution—for example, searching for “water-damaged keyboard” to find out what to do.
• Navigational: The searcher has a particular website or brand in mind—for example, using “Harris SEO” to find a specific website.
• Transactional: The searcher has a transaction-related need. The article includes both browsing product information and purchasing products in this category.

Not every article uses the same framework. A 2024 Semrush article treats commercial intent as a separate category, making four in total: informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional. Before using these labels, check which definitions apply rather than assuming that every article draws the same boundaries.

A query can also have multiple intents. In the historical example above, “mattress recommendations” returned both articles and product information, so it would be too narrow to assume that searchers need only one of these content types. Semrush also notes that content format should reflect search intent: informational needs, for example, can be addressed through tutorials or FAQ pages.

Keywords: Classifying Breadth and Specificity

Keywords can also be grouped into short-tail, mid-tail, and long-tail categories. According to Semrush, the distinction is about how broad or specific the need is, not just the number of words:

• Short-tail: Broad terms that typically have high search volume but less clear intent, making it harder to rank and drive conversions. They can be used for product or service category pages.
• Mid-tail: More specific terms that balance search volume with clarity of intent. They are suitable for subcategory pages or comparison content.
• Long-tail: Terms describing highly specific needs, with lower search volume but stronger intent to buy or take action.

These are general characteristics described by the source. Not every term will fit them, and they do not guarantee results. When organizing keywords, you can record search intent, specificity, and the page formats in the search results separately, rather than combining them into a single classification.