The Different Types of Searches
What are users looking for? There are three types of searches that users generally perform: Go, Know and Do.
- Navigational Queries – There are “Go” searches or search queries that seek a particular online destination, such as Facebook or the homepage of the Caesars Palace.
- Information Queries – These are “Know” searches and are queries when a user seeks information, such as the name of the band or the best restaurant in Las Vegas.
- Transactional Queries – These are “Do” searches and are action based queries such as buy a plane ticket or listen to a song.
READING: Search Queries and Keywords are not the same thing! For a deeper understanding on the types of queries and how to use this information to target your online audience, read this article by WordStream: The 3 Types of Search Queries & How You Should Target Them.
When a visitor types a query into a search box and lands on your web page, will they be happy with what they find? This IS the primary question search engines try to figure out millions of times per second and it is their goal to serve the most relevant results to their users (the searchers).
What are the top searches today? Navigational searches are the number 1 type of search, however, search trends constantly fluctuate depending on current events. From the death of a celebrity to a natural disaster, search queries are different every day. But don’t worry, by looking at historical search query data, you can determine what your audience is looking for.
READING: It’s amazing what people actually search for. Here’s a break down, by individual States, on the top search for the previous 12 month period. Some of the results caught me by surprise – what about you? WordStream: Search Trends by State.
Understanding Your Online Audience
One of the most important elements to building an online marketing strategy is understanding your audience.
Who is my audience?
Is it a man or a woman?
How old are they?
How much spendable income do they have?
Where do they live?
What search terms do they use?
Learn everything about them!
Once you know who your target market is, the better you’ll know what type of content to create and publish to keep them coming back. Master this and you’ll soon have website visitors converting to customers and money in the bank.
READING: One of the best examples of data and research for website conversion is this article about creating personas – written by Ian Laurie, “Getting in Your Customers’ Heads,” published back in 2007. I have a copy stored on my hard drive and still refer to it often.