In digital marketing, a query is a string of words that a user types into a search engine like Google to access a list of web pages that are relevant to their interests or goals.
When a user types a search query into Google, the results of their search are presented as search engine results pages (SERPs). The SERPs show users a combination of organic search results, paid Google Ads results, local search results, and video results. Other elements like featured snippets and knowledge graphs can also appear in the SERPs.
A survey released by Statista and SEMRush found that 29% of global web traffic in 2019 came from search engines. Each day, millions of consumers query search engines to achieve many different kinds of goals, including:
Understanding how users query search engines allows digital marketers to optimize their content marketing strategies, search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, and PPC advertising campaigns to target the right keywords and capture relevant, high-converting traffic.
A keyword is a single word, or a group of words, that relates to a specific topic.
Search marketers often differentiate between short-tail keywords of 1-2 words (e.g. music, fine arts, personal fitness) and long-tail keywords of 3-5+ words (e.g. electronic dance music, western art history, aerobic fitness program).
Search engines detect and process keywords that appear in search queries to understand and interpret what the user is searching for.
A search query is the actual string of words that users type into the search engine. Some search queries consist entirely of a short-tail or long-tail keyword, some include a keyword with other operators like “best” or “buy” while others take the form of a question such as:
While keywords directly indicate the subject of a search, the additional information provided in a search query helps search engines like Google identify the intent behind the user’s search query and deliver more relevant results in the SERPs.
In the early days of search engines, the results you saw in the SERPs were largely dependent on the keywords that appeared in your initial search query.
But over time, Google has improved its algorithm and developed the ability to interpret a searcher’s underlying goals and intentions based on the full contents of their query. This led to an important paradigm shift in SEO, where Google preferentially ranks web pages that satisfy the intent behind a given query and that help users fulfill their underlying goals and desires.
Below, we highlight five of the common search intents that can be associated with a search query:
An informational query is one where the user is looking for information about a topic of interest. Informational queries include searches for text and video guides, how-to articles, and other informational resources, and they usually don’t mention specific brands or products.
Examples of an informational query could include:
A navigational query is one where the user is searching for a specific web page. To that end, navigational searches often reference a specific company, brand, or product that the user is seeking out online.
Users sometimes use search engines as a navigational tool when they know the title and contents of a web page they wish to access, but not its URL.
A commercial investigative query is one where the user is searching for information to help with a purchasing decision. Commercial investigative queries often include searches for product comparisons, product or service reviews, or top vendors in a specific market.
Examples of a commercial investigative query could include:
A transactional query is one where the user’s goal is to purchase a desired product or service. Queries with transactional search intent often include “buying” keywords like “for sale”, “buy”, “sign up”, “lowest price”, or “coupons”.
Examples of a transactional query could include:
A local search query is one where the user’s goal is to find a local business or in-person service provider. Local search queries often include keywords like “near me” and “local”, or the name of a specific place, like a city or town.
Examples of a local search query could include:
While Google has shifted its strategy from keyword-focused to intent-focused, users are also changing how they query on search engines.
Technologies like voice search are leading users to make queries that are longer and more conversational. Instead of typing keywords into Google, a growing number of users now prefer to query by typing or asking a question. And, more than 70% of queries on Google are now made using long-tail keywords that contain three or more words.
Search engine marketers can adapt to these changes by developing intent-focused content that is optimized for relevant target keywords, directly answers relevant questions, and helps users satisfy their search intent.
As a leading SaaS SEO agency, Directive consulting follows the latest SEO trends and best practices to generate relevant and high-quality organic traffic for our B2B SaaS clients.
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