What does the English term query mean?
Query is an English term that means question or inquiry. In computer language, entering a query is equivalent to interrogating or making a request.
Let’s better understand what search queries are
When you ask Google, Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, or another search engine for information about a topic, concept, product, or service, you’re entering an SEO query or search query, composed of a phrase or a keyword.
Google queries and SERP, an inseparable link
If you type the search query “vegan restaurant in Milan” into Google, the search engine will start its analysis through its powerful algorithms. It will identify the most relevant types of answers to your search intent and, if you’re in Milan, it will also consider parameters such as proximity, which is very important in the field of Local SEO.
Example of a search query on Google
The search results, indexed and positioned by Google in the order it deems most appropriate, will appear on the SERP page. And here we enter the heart of SEO.
What are the different types of search queries? Find out by continuing to read
The search results and SERP depend on the query entered by the user.
There are four types of queries:
- navigational queries
- informational queries
- transactional queries
- commercial queries
Navigational queries or navigation queries:
When you type the name of a website, you’re using a navigational query. Note that you haven’t entered the website’s URL, just its name. For example, Qreativa
.
Visit in person queries are also included in navigational queries. Suppose you enter the query “vegan restaurant in Milan”.
Google will suggest all vegan restaurants in Milan, assuming you’ll go there physically and that it’s not an online search. That’s why it will classify it as a visit in person search.
These queries, or phrases containing keywords, fall under Local SEO and are closely linked to geolocation and Google Maps.
Informational queries or informational searches:
If you ask Google a question and seek information about a topic, product, or service, you’re using an informational query. For example, informational queries include how much does the new Lamborghini cost
, who is the Prime Minister
, who discovered America
or what are the best SEO strategies for hairdressers
These queries are very important for a web marketing strategy and they are also important if you sell and have an eCommerce. The customer journey is complex, and the path that leads the “user to complete the” purchase is long and winding, full of doubts and fears.
Before choosing, we all seek as much information as possible on the web, make comparisons, and read opinions. It’s unlikely, unless you have an unshakeable brand or sell unique products or services in the market, that the user will choose you with a simple call to action and a click.
To get into people’s carts and stay there, you must first earn their trust and esteem. Of course, if for example there was only one vegan restaurant in Milan, it would be much easier for the owner! But competition is high in almost all sectors now, this is the reality you need to be aware of.
What should you do then? Plan and create optimized SEO content that is relevant and useful for the users you want to intercept and win over. If people start trusting you and judge you as authoritative in your field of reference, you’ll increase the chances of ending up in their cart.
For this reason, you need to take care of your website’s content, images, texts, blog, videos, infographics, case studies, and guides. You need to reach the people you want to connect with. Establish who you’re addressing and explain what makes you different, what distinguishes you from the competition. What we define in technical language as USP, or Unique Selling Proposition, is the heart of communication and sales.
Transactional queries or transactional searches:
If you want to purchase a product or service and enter the object of your search on the search engine, you’re using a transactional query. It’s the query directly linked to sales and it’s the one companies focus on through organic and sponsored results via Google Ads. Examples of transactional queries are buy notebook
, download SEO guide
.
But be careful! Our advice is to also take care of informational queries, because “before completing the” purchase, the user takes a long journey searching for information about you, your business, your values, and the opinions others report.
We will certainly return to authority and the importance of reviews. Now let’s stay focused on the article’s main topic, queries!
Commercial queries or commercial searches:
These are queries where the user collects data and information before making a purchase. The buyer hasn’t made a choice yet and proceeds by deepening their knowledge of products and services. For example, commercial queries include searches like Samsung or Apple which is better
, opinions on SEOZoom
, best restaurant in Rome
.
Did you know that voice search also exists?
To the 4 traditional queries, we add the voice query, or voice search. We know that people today mostly browse the internet from smartphones. This is why voice assistants are becoming increasingly important.
Queries become vocal and conversational, decidedly longer and more articulated compared to classic queries. You must therefore take care of your snippet in the SERP, making the title tags and meta description attractive and conversational.
Imagine having your potential customer in front of you and write as if you were talking to them. Provide all necessary information and adapt the language to the voice search intent. The internet has changed, Google has changed.
We are no longer in the era of cold messages devoid of personality tied to the technicalities of keywords. The web ecosystem, today more than ever, has opened up to real language, where emotion plays a fundamental role.
Let’s look at the difference between queries and keywords together
Often queries and keywords are considered the same thing. In reality, a query is a longer and more detailed phrase and indicates “the user’s search intent” in a precise way. The keyword, or key phrase, when it’s a focus keyword, is more generic and refers to a broader concept and intent.
Keywords can be:
- focus keyword: they contain a single word, have high search volumes and equally high keyword difficulty.
- Short tail keyword: these are medium-tail keywords, composed of at most two terms, with lower search volume and less competition.
- Long tail keyword: these are long-tail keywords, composed of 3 or more terms. They are specific, have a lower search and traffic volume, but high ranking possibilities because the keyword difficulty is lower. They are the keywords closest to natural language and are those that users use when entering their queries.
For example, a long-tail query could be “How to optimize content for SEO“, while a short-tail one is “SEO Optimization“.
Generally, it’s easier to position pages and texts designed for long-tail queries in the SERP, as they have less traffic and less competition. An expert SEO agency, including us, will first focus on these queries to achieve quick and stable results for their clients.
Why is including long-tail keywords in the SEO strategy crucial? We explain it below
If your website has been online for a short time, you need an SEO strategy that can harness the potential of long-tail keywords. They have a low search volume, it’s true, but they can help increase your authority and conversion rate.
Of course, to do this, you need specific skills, not just technical ones. Analytical, strategic, and creative abilities are also required. “Web marketing activities must be prepared by professionals and an” experienced SEO and marketing agency.
A single long-tail keyword won’t significantly increase organic traffic to your website. However, multiple long-tail keywords are useful for attracting a niche of users interested in specific topics, services, or products.
SEO content and long-tail keywords between accurate research and specific skills
Planning and creating content for multiple long-tail keywords is a long, meticulous job that requires attention and various skills.
Long-tail keywords allow you to understand exactly what users are looking for. This helps increase the conversion rate, much more than focus keywords and short-tail keywords do.
The keyword research report and your domain analysis will show that a large part of the organic traffic to your website comes from long-tail keywords.
How do you find queries for SEO? Here’s everything you need to know about it
The first thing to do when preparing an SEO strategy is to identify the queries most relevant to your product or service. Observe the SERP and look for which searches are suggested by Google and appear among the top results.
Why should you observe them? Because these are the searches that have the greatest potential to generate organic traffic.
For a more detailed and faster analysis, you can use query and keyword research tools such as Google Ads, SEOZoom, SemRush or Ahrefs. Thanks to these tools, you can identify the best keywords for your business.
Once you’ve selected the relevant queries, and only then, can you start planning and creating content suitable for your goals and useful for the users you want to reach. This will allow you to maximize organic traffic with minimal effort.
You can also use Ubersuggest to analyze keywords and related topics, comparing competitors. An excellent freemium tool to integrate into your strategy!
Other tools that help you keep track of hot topics that are being discussed and attract users’ attention are Google Trends and Answer the Public
Queries on Google Search Console: a well of interesting information
Google Search Console is a platform that is “sacred” and untouchable for SEO specialists and web marketers. Who in the industry doesn’t open Google Search Console at least once a day to check the health of the websites they manage and get reports? No one or very few, right?
Google Search Console returns, among other things, interesting data on queries that have generated impressions from your website’s URLs. What are impressions? The number of times a page has been viewed in SERP.
If you notice that some queries haven’t generated traffic, you need to check the quality of the content you’ve published. Verify if it’s relevant, clear, readable, and above all, useful. If Google isn’t ranking those pages, it’s possible that it considers them less relevant and of little value to users.
Always remember that Google, like other search engines, is interested in satisfying users. Because Big G & Co are not charitable organizations. They are businesses, and as such, they care about customer satisfaction to benefit in terms of business.
And you need to think in exactly the same way. Plan and create content with the goal of winning over your buyer personas.
We can help you. How? We develop an effective and solid web marketing strategy, and work on the optimization of your website.
Contact us without any obligation.
