The exact word or phrase a person enters into a search engine.
A real expression of user intent that can inform keyword strategy and content planning.
Short and sweet:
The exact word or phrase a person enters into a search engine.
A real expression of user intent that can inform keyword strategy and content planning.
See also: Query, Keyword, Search Intent
A search query is the literal string of words someone types or speaks into a search engine, which can range from a single word to a full question, and it’s the raw input search engines parse to infer intent, topic, and expected format of an answer. Marketers analyze the actual queries driving traffic to a site, not just the keywords they intended to target, because real query data often reveals phrasing, questions, or misspellings a keyword list alone would miss. Long, specific queries usually signal someone closer to a decision, while short, broad queries tend to reflect early-stage research.
Someone typing “why is my dog panting” into Google is submitting a search query that reveals a specific, urgent concern a pet site could address directly.
Google Search Console reports the exact phrases that led people to a website, letting an SEO specialist see whether visitors found the site by typing the brand name or a generic product term.
Voice assistants have changed the shape of a typical request like this, since asking Alexa “what’s a good substitute for buttermilk” sounds far more conversational than the short keyword phrases people used to type.
