Why bother looking for Earth-like planets? Is it really necessary to look for Earth-like habitable zone planets, when it is likely that the "humans" to reach that planet will be bio-engineered or entirely mechanical by the time we would be exploring "in person?"
The possibility of exploring exoplanets is so remote it is not a factor. We are interested in Earth-like planets as there is only one type of planet that we know can support life, and that is the Earth-like ones.

We are interested in Earth-like planets as they may provide a habitat for alien life. The question of "does extra-terrestial life exist" is of intrinsic interest.