What the searcher is actually trying to do: learn something (informational), find a particular site (navigational), compare options (commercial) or buy (transactional). Content that does not match the intent behind a query rarely ranks, however good it is, so intent decides what kind of page to build.
Match the page type to the intent: an informational query wants a guide, a commercial query a comparison, and a transactional query a product or service page. A "best X" query usually wants a comparison, not a definition.
When planning content, group related queries by intent and decide which single page should own each group, because five thin pages competing for one answer usually lose to one strong page. Pair intent with search volume and keyword difficulty to decide what to write first.
Example
"What is a canonical tag" is informational and suits a definition or a guide. "seodada vs Semrush" is commercial and suits a comparison page. A query that names a plan and a price is transactional and suits a pricing page.
Related terms
Where seodada covers it
Keyword Research labels every keyword with its search intent, alongside monthly search volume, competition and cost-per-click. The AEO guide shows how to group questions by intent.