A search query is the word, phrase, or question a user types into a search engine's search bar to find information. "Best running shoes for flat feet", "weather tomorrow", and "youtube" are all search queries.
Every one of them is a small statement of intent. Learning to read those statements is most of what separates content that ranks from content that doesn't.
What is a search query?
A search query is the exact string a person enters into a search box. It can be a single word, a fragment, a full question, or a misspelling, because search engines accept whatever users give them.
Once submitted, the search engine interprets the query, matches it against its index, and returns a search engine results page. That search engine results page is ordered, so the most relevant results sit at the top.
The important word there is interprets. Google rarely matches your query literally. It corrects spelling, expands synonyms, infers location, and guesses at what you meant. Two people typing very different queries often see near-identical relevant search results, because the underlying intent is the same.
Search query vs keyword vs search term
These three get used interchangeably and shouldn't be. The distinction matters the moment you start doing keyword research.
| What it is | Who uses it | |
|---|---|---|
| Search query | The exact text a user typed | Users |
| Keyword | A phrase you deliberately target in your content | Marketers |
| Search term | Google Ads' name for the query that actually triggered your ad | Advertisers |
If you run ads, the search terms report in Google Ads shows the difference plainly. You bid on keywords, and it lists the actual search terms that matched them.
A soap company might target the keyword "natural soap". Real users searching that topic type "is natural soap better for eczema", "where to buy natural soap near me", or "natrual soap". One keyword, thousands of search queries.
That gap is where opportunity lives. Keywords are tidy and competitive. The messy queries underneath them are specific, revealing, and much easier to win.
The main types of search queries
There are four main types. The first three are the classic model, and commercial investigation was added later because so many queries sit between learning and buying.
Each type wants a different kind of page. Google's job is to return the most relevant results for the query, and what counts as relevant changes entirely with the type. Match the wrong one and you can write the best article on the internet and still not rank.
Informational search queries
Informational queries are people looking to learn something. They dominate search volume, since the large majority of everything typed into Google is informational.
They often begin with who, what, when, where, why, or how, but plenty don't. "Sourdough starter ratio" is just as informational as "how do I make a sourdough starter".
Examples of informational search queries:
- how to make homemade pasta
- when was Steve Jobs born
- why is the sky blue
- python list comprehension
- symptoms of dehydration
These users want an answer, not a product. Serve them guides, tutorials, definitions, and videos. Selling too early on an informational query is the single most common reason good content underperforms.
Navigational search queries
A navigational search is someone using the search bar as a shortcut to a specific website they already have in mind. Rather than typing the URL, they search the brand.
The three most common ones on Google, "youtube", "facebook", and "amazon", are all navigational. Navigational queries are the easiest type to spot, because they name a brand or product directly.
Examples of navigational queries:
- netflix
- google maps
- dashword login
- nike returns policy
You will almost never outrank a brand for its own navigational search queries, and there's little point trying. The exception worth chasing is queries where people look for your brand plus a task, like "dashword pricing", which you should own with a dedicated page.
Commercial investigation queries
These sit between learning and buying. The user has decided to spend money but hasn't decided on what, so they're comparing.
Examples:
- clearscope vs surfer seo
- best content optimization tools
- semrush alternatives
- wireless headphones under $200
Comparison pages, reviews, and "best X" listicles win here. For most businesses this is the highest-value query type, because the user's wallet is already out.
Transactional search queries
Transactional queries carry the intent to act right now: buy, download, sign up, book. A transactional search frequently contains words like buy, order, purchase, cheap, coupon, or an exact product name. Because the decision is already made, transactional queries convert at far higher rates than any other type.
Examples of transactional search queries:
- buy iphone 16 pro max
- dog food free shipping
- adobe photoshop discount code
- book flight to lisbon
Send these users to a product, pricing, or signup page. A blog post ranking for transactional search queries will lose every time.
20 search query examples by type
| Query | Type |
|---|---|
| how to tie a tie | Informational |
| what is page authority | Informational |
| calories in an avocado | Informational |
| css grid vs flexbox | Informational |
| first aid for a burn | Informational |
| gmail | Navigational |
| linkedin login | Navigational |
| bbc news weather | Navigational |
| spotify web player | Navigational |
| chase bank routing number | Navigational |
| best crm for small business | Commercial |
| notion vs obsidian | Commercial |
| top rated air fryers 2026 | Commercial |
| mailchimp alternatives free | Commercial |
| is ahrefs worth it | Commercial |
| buy standing desk | Transactional |
| cheap flights to tokyo | Transactional |
| nike air max 90 size 10 | Transactional |
| domino's coupon code | Transactional |
| download vlc for mac | Transactional |
How to write better search queries
Most people type two or three words into the search box and scroll. A handful of operators will narrow your search results far faster, and knowing them also helps you research what's already ranking.
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
"quotes" |
Matches the exact phrase | "content optimization tool" |
- |
Excludes a word | jaguar -car |
site: |
Restricts results to a particular website | site:dashword.com authority |
OR |
Matches either term | seo OR sem jobs |
* |
Wildcard for any word or words | the * of content marketing |
filetype: |
Returns one file format | keyword research filetype:pdf |
intitle: |
Word must appear in the title | intitle:"search queries" |
inurl: |
Word must appear in the URL | inurl:glossary seo |
before: / after: |
Filters by date | ai search after:2026-01-01 |
Two notes. The + operator no longer forces a word to be included, since Google retired it in 2011, so use quotes instead. And site: searching a specific website is the fastest way to check whether Google has indexed a page at all.
Short-tail vs long-tail queries
Short-tail queries are one or two words, like "running shoes". They have huge volume, vague intent, and brutal competition. Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific, like "best running shoes for flat feet women". They have lower volume individually, but far clearer user intent and are far easier to rank for.
Long-tail keywords also convert better, because someone typing eight words knows exactly what they want.
Voice search queries
Voice search changed the shape of queries more than the substance. Spoken queries are longer, more conversational, and phrased as full questions, like "what's the best Italian restaurant near me that's open now" rather than "italian restaurant near me".
The practical implication is simple. Write at least some headings as natural questions, and answer them immediately underneath in a sentence or two.
How to find the search queries your site ranks for
You don't have to guess, because Google gives you the real query data for free.
Google Search Console is the source of truth. Open the Performance report and switch to the Queries tab to see every query that showed your site, with clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position, going back 16 months.
The most useful move there is to filter to a single page, sort by impressions, and look for queries with high impressions and no clicks. Those are queries Google already associates with your page but where you rank too low to earn the click, usually because the page doesn't fully answer them. It's the cheapest content work available.
Google Analytics won't show you organic queries, which have been hidden as "not provided" for years. What Google Analytics does give you is internal site search. If people search within your own website, GA4 records each view_search_results event with the search terms attached, and those queries tell you what visitors expected to find and couldn't. You can also link Search Console to Google Analytics to see a trimmed-down version of the query report inside GA4.
Turning query data into a content strategy
Reading queries well is a skill, and it comes down to three habits.
Group by intent, not by wording. "How to check page authority" and "page authority checker" are the same job. One page can serve both. Three pages splitting them will compete with each other.
Check the SERP before writing. When you can't tell what a query wants, search it. Google has already tested thousands of web pages against real user behavior, and the relevant search results it settles on are the clearest signal of user intent you will ever get. If page one is all comparison tables, the query is commercial, whatever it looks like. Our guide to search intent breaks down how to read search intent straight off a results page.
Answer the question in the first two sentences. Users scan, and that user behavior holds across every industry. Content creators who bury the answer under 400 words of preamble lose them, and lose the featured snippet too.
This is the loop most content creators skip. Once you know which search queries a page should own, Dashword analyses the pages currently ranking for them and shows you the terms and questions your draft is missing before you publish.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three main types of search queries? Informational, navigational, and transactional. Most modern frameworks add a fourth, commercial investigation, for queries where someone is comparing options before buying.
What is the difference between a search query and a keyword? A search query is what a user actually typed. A keyword is the phrase a marketer chooses to target. Many different queries map to one keyword.
What is an example of a search query? "How to make cold brew coffee" is an informational query. "Buy cold brew maker" is a transactional one. Both are search queries, but they need completely different pages.
How do I see what people search to find my website? Use Google Search Console's Performance report, Queries tab. It shows the real search queries that returned your pages, along with impressions, clicks, and ranking position.