SERP Intent Extractor – Free Search Intent Classifier

Scrape Google SERPs and instantly classify search intent — no API key, no paid services, completely free. Enter any keyword (or list of keywords) and get structured intent data ready for SEO content strategy, keyword research, and SEO pipelines.

100% free to run. No external API keys required.

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What is Search Intent? Why does it matter?

Search intent (also called keyword intent or user intent) is the primary goal a user has when typing a query into Google. Understanding it is the foundation of modern SEO:

• Informational – User wants to learn ("how to lose weight", "what is SEO")
• Transactional – User wants to buy or take action ("buy iPhone 15", "download Spotify")
• Commercial – User is researching before buying ("best robot vacuum", "dyson vs shark review")
• Navigational – User wants a specific site ("facebook login", "netflix homepage")
• Local – User wants nearby businesses ("coffee shop near me", "plumber in London")
• Comparative – User compares options ("mac vs windows", "alternatives to Salesforce")

Matching your content type to search intent is the #1 ranking factor Google uses beyond technical SEO.

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What does this Actor do?

For each keyword you provide, the Actor:

1. Scrapes the Google SERP – Fetches the top organic results and detects SERP features (featured snippets, shopping results, People Also Ask, local pack, and more)
2. Classifies intent with rules – Analyses keyword signals, SERP features, and result domain patterns to classify intent with a confidence score — no AI API needed
3. Maps to funnel stage – Tags each keyword as top-funnel, mid-funnel, or bottom-funnel
4. Recommends content types – Tells you what content to create (review, comparison, how-to, product page, etc.)
5. Returns structured JSON – Ready to export to Google Sheets, Airtable, your CMS, or any SEO workflow

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How intent is classified (no AI needed)

The classifier combines three signal layers to determine intent:

Layer 1 — Keyword signals

Detects intent-bearing words and phrases directly in the keyword:

• Transactional: buy, order, price, deal, checkout, subscribe...
• Commercial: best, top, review, vs, compare, worth it...
• Informational: how to, what is, guide, tutorial, tips...
• Local: near me, open now, directions, in [city]...
• Navigational: login, official site, brand names, .com...
• Comparative: vs, alternative, or, better than...

Layer 2 — SERP feature signals

Each detected SERP feature adjusts the intent score:

• Shopping results → transactional
• Local pack → local
• Featured snippet + People Also Ask → informational
• Sitelinks → navigational
• Paid ads → transactional

Layer 3 — Organic result domain patterns

Analyses the domains and titles of the top 5 organic results:

• Amazon, eBay, Walmart... → transactional
• Wikipedia, WikiHow, Reddit... → informational
• Wirecutter, PCMag, G2... → commercial
• Map listings, review sites → local

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Output example

{
    "keyword": "best robot vacuum cleaner",
    "intent": "commercial",
    "intent_confidence": 0.87,
    "funnel_stage": "mid-funnel",
    "content_type": ["review", "comparison", "list"],
    "serp_features": ["featured_snippet", "shopping", "people_also_ask"],
    "reasoning": "Keyword contains research signals ('best', 'review', 'vs') and SERP shows review/comparison pages. User is evaluating options before buying.",
    "organic_results": [
        {
            "position": 1,
            "title": "The 8 Best Robot Vacuums of 2024 – Reviewed",
            "url": "https://example.com/best-robot-vacuums",
            "snippet": "We tested 40+ robot vacuums to find the best for every home..."
        }
    ],
    "serp_url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=best+robot+vacuum+cleaner&hl=en&gl=us",
    "scraped_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

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How to use

1. Enter your keywords

• Add one or more keywords in the Keywords field
• No API key required — just paste your keywords and go
• You can analyze hundreds of keywords in a single run

2. (Optional) Set language and country

• Choose a Search Language and Country to get localized Google results
• Default: English / United States

3. Run the Actor

• Click Start and wait for results
• Results appear in the Dataset tab as structured JSON
• Export to CSV, JSON, or connect via API/webhooks

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Use cases

SEO agencies & consultants

Automate search intent analysis for client keyword lists. Build content briefs faster by knowing exactly what type of content Google rewards for each keyword — without paying per-query AI costs.

SaaS SEO tools

Enrich your keyword database with intent signals. Add a new dimension to keyword research tools with structured, rule-based intent data at scale and zero marginal cost.

Content marketing teams

Prioritize your content calendar based on funnel stage. Focus bottom-funnel transactional keywords for revenue impact, top-funnel informational for awareness.

E-commerce & product teams

Identify transactional and commercial keywords to optimize product pages and category pages for maximum conversion.

PPC & paid search teams

Understand organic intent before bidding. Align ad copy and landing pages with the dominant search intent for better Quality Scores.

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Input parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
Keywords	Yes	One or more search keywords to analyze
Language	No	Google search language (default: English)
Country	No	Google country market (default: United States)

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Cost & performance

• Completely free — no external API keys, no per-query costs
• Google search: Free direct SERP scraping (no Google API key required)
• Classification: Rule-based engine runs instantly with no external calls
• Speed: ~4–8 seconds per keyword (includes polite delays to avoid rate limits)
• Proxy: For large batches or to avoid Google CAPTCHA blocks, enable Apify Proxy in the Actor settings

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SERP features detected

The Actor automatically detects and reports which SERP features are present for each keyword:

• featured_snippet – Position zero answer box
• shopping – Google Shopping product listings
• people_also_ask – Related questions accordion
• local_pack – Google Maps / local business results
• knowledge_panel – Wikipedia-style info panel
• video_results – YouTube/video carousels
• image_results – Image pack in SERP
• paid_ads – Presence of Google Ads
• sitelinks – Brand sitelinks

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Integrations

Connect your results to any tool via Apify integrations:

• Google Sheets – Export intent analysis to spreadsheets
• Airtable – Build a keyword intent database
• Make (Integromat) / Zapier – Trigger workflows based on intent classification
• Slack – Send keyword reports to your team
• REST API – Pull results into your own SEO platform

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Technical details

• Language: Node.js (JavaScript ESM)
• Scraper: Crawlee CheerioCrawler (fast HTML scraper, no browser overhead)
• Classification: Multi-layer rule engine (keyword signals + SERP features + domain patterns)
• Google search: Free SERP scraping (no Google API key required)
• Rate limiting: Built-in polite delays (2–4 seconds between requests)
• Retries: Automatic retry on failure (up to 3 attempts per keyword)

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Support & feedback

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue or contact us through the Apify platform.

Built with Apify SDK and Crawlee.