Most keyword advice starts with search volume, and most new sites end up chasing terms they can never rank for and would not benefit from if they did. Intent is the better starting point: what does the person typing this actually want, and can your page give it to them better than what already ranks?
The four intents
Informational searches want to learn. Navigational searches want a specific site. Commercial searches are comparing options. Transactional searches are ready to act. The same topic can carry all four, and each needs a different page.
Why volume misleads
A high-volume term is usually broad, competitive and served by large sites. A lower-volume term with clear intent often converts better and is winnable. Ten specific pages beat one vague one.
Read the results page
The fastest way to learn intent is to search the term and look at what ranks. If the top results are guides, the intent is informational. If they are product pages, it is transactional. Match the format that is already winning.
Action Step
Take three terms you would like to rank for. Search each, note the format of the top five results, and write the intent in one word beside each term.
Search engines change their systems regularly and rankings are never guaranteed. This course teaches durable principles and working methods; it does not promise any specific traffic, ranking or revenue result.