A search query is a phrase or a keyword combination users enter in search engines to find things of interest.
Difference Between Keywords and Search Queries
A keyword refers to a word or group of words that are usually associated with particular content or topic. An example of a keyword would be “united states president”.
On the other hand, a search query refers to the real-life combination of words that people enter in search engines to find a particular content or information.
In this screenshot below, you can see some examples of search queries that people are using to find the “united states president”.
Types of Search Queries
People perform searches with different intentions. These intentions can be categorised into three different types: informational, navigational, and transactional.
1. Informational Searches Queries
As the name implies, informational search queries refer to searches where users are looking for information - this could be anything.
People who perform these searches are usually not looking for anything other than answers to their questions or guides on how to do something.
An example of this query would be a user searching for “how to bake bread”.
Question-like queries dominate this type of search.
2. Navigational Searches Queries
People who perform navigational searches are usually looking to find a particular web page related to a specific brand or product.
This could be a website, social media account, or a blog post related to that particular brand or product.
For example, a user looking for our LinkedIn account could use the search query “grow hack scale linkedin” to find it.
Using this method, they’ve used the search engine as a navigational tool hence the name navigational search query.
3. Transactional Searches Queries
Transactional search queries refer to searches where users are looking to perform a transaction - usually with the intention of making a purchase.
These queries often include keywords like “order”, “buy” or “purchase”.
Sometimes, they will also include the specific brands or products they want to transact with or buy.
For example, a user might use the search query “order new iPhone” to tell the search engine to bring up a list of websites where they can purchase a new iPhone.
Due to the commercial nature of these searches, they are heavily targeted by e-commerce websites.
How Can We Help?
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