The intro hook is the first few sentences after the headline. For search visitors, its job is quick: confirm the page matches what they searched for, signal that it will deliver, and get out of the way. A strong intro often states the answer or the main promise up front; a weak one spends a paragraph on throat-clearing.
What a good intro does
For informational queries, this often means answer-first writing: lead with the direct answer, then expand.
- Restates the problem in the reader's terms
- Gives the short answer or the main takeaway
- Says what the rest of the page covers, if it is long
- Signals why this source is worth reading: experience, data, or a clear stance
Patterns to avoid
Searchers skip generic openings: rhetorical questions, statements about how important the topic is, and definitions of words the reader obviously knows. These push the useful content below the fold and make the page look like every other result.
Intros and snippets
Search engines sometimes build snippets from the opening text, and AI systems often pull the first clear statement on a page. An intro that contains a precise answer gives them something accurate to show.
Matching the intro to intent
The right intro depends on why someone searched. For a how-to query, open with what they will be able to do and what they need first. For a comparison, open with the short verdict. For a definition, open with the definition itself. For a commercial page, open with who the product is for and the outcome it delivers. Checking the current top results for the query shows which type of opening searchers are being served.
Example
Rewriting a tutorial opening
Before: "Spreadsheets have been around for decades, and many teams still rely on them. But is that the best approach?" After: "To move your budget from spreadsheets into Plumcourt (a hypothetical budgeting tool), export each sheet as CSV, map the columns in the import wizard and review the preview. This guide walks through each step and the three errors people hit most." The second version tells the reader exactly what they will get.
Common mistakes
Burying the answer for time on page
Delaying the answer to keep people scrolling frustrates them, and they can find it elsewhere in one click.
Questions
Usually two to four sentences. Long enough to confirm relevance and set expectations, short enough that the content starts on the first screen.
