Hitwise data recently stated that search queries are getting longer.

What is a search query? The word(s) you type into your favorite search engine represent a “query” to the engine which then returns results you are (hopefully) looking for.

This is an example a query for the work Marketing in google

This report states that people are writing more words into the search box, including queries that are 8+ words long which is basically a sentence.

I believe as consumers are getting more comfortable with search and pushed to search by advertising, queries will continue to get longer and 1+ word searches will continue to grow as part of the overall universe of searching done.

This is good for brands and search engine marketers because these terms that are beyond the one or two word queries represent long tail terms that are usually cheaper on a CPC basis. This means that consumers are sending through more intent with each search and marketers can tailor advertising that better fits their needs.

For example someone typing in:
LCD TV

is much different than someone typing in:
Samsung LCD TV

which is then also much different than:
Samsung HL61A750 61-Inch 1080p LED Powered DLP HDTV

Each represents a different stage of a customer or potential customer with different intent. As I learned when developing massive 100K+ and 1MM+ keyword lists you need to be able to talk to customers at each stage of the process whether they are in any of the following stages:

1. Information gathering
2. Comparison shopping
3. Decision making
4. Price gathering
5. Review collecting
etc…

Depending on how far you want to go and divide up the conversion funnel, people can be at varying stages.

The overall point is that as searchers get smarter, their searches get longer. As automated systems also contribute to longer searches, the need to parse and spider the deep web gets more important. Finally, the opportunity for marketers grows as queries with clear intent and more words allow for a more targeted search experience as people use longer tail terms.

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