How does search intent impact the structure and design of my website?

Search intent is absolutely critical when it comes to how you structure and design your website. The underlying reason behind why someone is searching should dictate the entire experience you provide with those pages.

For example, if someone is searching with informational intent (like "What is SEO?"), you'll want those pages structured with easy-to-read/scan content formatted to clearly provide the information they are looking for. Things like bulleted lists, callout boxes, clear headings, etc. make for a good informational page design catering to that intent.

On the other hand, let's say the search is showing commercial/investigative intent - they are researching before a purchase like "best SEO tools." Now you'll want to design these pages around comparing options, with product details, pricing comparisons, review summaries, etc. The layout should support someone still evaluating their options before a purchase decision.

And of course for transactional searches with clear purchase intent like "buy SEO tools," your page needs to be designed for ultra clarity and focused on seamlessly completing that transaction. Clean UI, obvious calls-to-action, distraction-free checkout flows, and trust signals become paramount.

The key is really mapping your design and layout decisions to the purpose someone is arriving with based on their query. Informational intent means formatting for easily comprehending content. Commercial means arming them with in-depth research tools. Transactional implies a focus on conversions.

So in short - let the search intent data drive your site's information architecture and UI/UX patterns at every level. It's all about crafting an easy-to-understand experience tailored to what a user actually needs to accomplish with each visit. Aligning your design to search intent simply works!