---
title: The Search
date: "2006-04-15T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - how-i-do-things
wp_id: 357
description: I realized after reading John Battelle’s book that users don't search just to search; they want to get something done. This makes every search a commercial opportunity, requiring websites to focus entirely on facilitating user intent.
keywords: [user intent, john battelle, search engines, web design, conversions, search marketing]
---

I was reading John Battelle's [The Search](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591840880/?tag=sanand-20) , and realised: We don't sit down on the computer and say, "Let's do a search".

True. We want to get something done. We know it's out there somewhere. We search.

So every search on a search engine is a commercial opportunity. Contrawise, every site must **let people to do what they want to do on the site**.

Think... What do people want to do when they're on YOUR site?