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Query intent is the underlying purpose of a user’s query — what they are trying to accomplish when they ask an AI platform a question. A customer asking “what is mention rate” has informational intent (learning). A customer asking “best CRM for Indian startups” has commercial intent (evaluating options). The same brand may be visible for one intent and invisible for another.

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Why it matters

Query intent determines which brands the AI considers relevant. Commercial queries surface product comparison brands. Informational queries surface reference and educational content creators. Navigational queries surface specific brand destinations. Brands that invest only in commercial-intent visibility miss the informational queries that build upstream brand awareness — the customer who asks “what is GEO” today may ask “best GEO tools” next week.

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How Cited uses it

Cited classifies every tracked query by intent using a four-type taxonomy: informational, commercial, navigational, and transactional. Dashboard metrics are reportable per intent type, enabling brands to see where they are strong and where they have gaps. See Query intent taxonomy for the full framework and its strategic implications.