Why a ranking page still isn't picked
A page can rank and still not get picked, so I go through what people check in the few seconds they give a result and a page, and what I change on the page so it gets picked.
Also in AI and modern search
Search behavior and intent
Every search starts with a decision state.
Writing on how intent forms, shifts, and resolves. How query phrasing reveals urgency, confidence, and prior knowledge. And why pages fail when they answer the right question at the wrong time.
13 posts
How I build for the person searching, on a real page
The 4 types of search intent
The four reasons behind a search, a real query for each, and the page each one needs.
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More on search behavior and intent, newest first.
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Search intent to page brief
A worked example of turning football injury searches into a page opening, a source plan and a useful next step.
Also in Content strategy
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Seasonal SEO: updating a gift guide
An existing gift guide becomes more useful for holiday buyers through clearer recommendations, timely details and links from related pages.
Also in Content strategy
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Search intent when AI does the searching
The intent Bing gives the searches AI answers run before citing my sites, site by site, and why that is no reason to build a page for each one.
Also in AI and modern search
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What is commercial search intent?
Someone comparing options before they buy needs a fair comparison page. I show the searches that signal it and how to tell when the page is broken.
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Informational vs transactional pages
Learning pages and buying pages are built differently, and this puts them side by side with example queries, outlines from three industries and two checklists.
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What is navigational search intent?
When someone searches your name, they have already picked you, so the page only has to get them there fast. Your analytics show where it doesn't.
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Why impressions rise and clicks stay flat
What impressions and clicks can tell you, which explanations need more evidence, and how to choose the next page decision.
Also in SEO measurement
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Why AI Overviews appear in Google
What triggers an AI Overview, why visibility and visits stopped moving together, and what content still earns the click.
Also in AI and modern search
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Why informational content stalls
Informational pages rank and get read, then leave the reader with nowhere to go; the fix is helping them place their problem and see the next question.
Also in Content strategy, AI and modern search
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How misaligned intent stalls decisions
Most content stops at awareness, so this maps the links, calls to action and measurement that move a reader from learning to deciding, with real funnel examples.
Also in Content strategy, AI and modern search
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Why transactional pages fail ready buyers
Ready buyers still leave when a page skips the confirmation step, so a buying page has to answer three questions first: is this the right option for me, can I trust this business, and what happens after I click?
Also in Content strategy, AI and modern search
The searches Bing's AI ran before citing my sites
This topic starts from one idea: how a search is phrased shows urgency, confidence and what the person already knows. AI answers run searches of their own before they cite a page. Here are eight that Bing's AI ran, word for word as Bing recorded them, each of which led the answer to cite one of my sites.
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is a fiction series complete
(query paraphrased to protect project identity) -
how is dante moore
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ADHD symptoms vs normal distraction
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do shower filters work
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what size wire for 200 amp service
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hyrdralic pipe torque settings
(spelled as Bing recorded it) -
electric water heater identification
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portland pro softball team
Four of the eight open with a question word. Bing sorted them into four labels of its own: Informational, Comparison, Research, Learn and Solve.
Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance, grounding query export, Apr 13 to Oct 11, 2026, data through .
Reading search behavior from how a query is phrased
Every search starts before the query. Someone has a problem they can't solve, a question they can't answer, or a decision they don't feel ready to make. What they type into the search bar is a compressed version of that situation, shaped by what they already know, how urgent it feels, and what they think the system will understand.
A person searching "water softener" might be three months from buying one and just curious. A person searching "water softener installation cost Portland" is comparing quotes this week.
From the Search Behavior and Intent page on the old version of this site, first published January 2026.