Any business looking to find presence across search listings and acquire ranks in SERP results, need to have a proper hold on how keyword research takes place. Choosing the right combination of keywords targeting your audience network and focusing on your niche gets you apt results with your SEO.
But, before you even start your keywords research, it’s important that you the nitty-gritty of searches. Here, knowing what different types of search queries are and how you should put them into the process is of critical importance.
Businesses and professionals associated with the search marketing know-how process of searches may get tricky at times. It is always important to know your path and how to go about procuring the best results with your searches heading towards the right direction picking up the right plan. And that is only possible when you can differentiate between various query types and the associate user intent and process of query generation and search behavior related to each of them.
So, whether you are doing it on your own or taking help from an On Page SEO services agency, you should first take on to learn about keyword searches and how they should be embedded in the search ecosystem for optimum search performance and results.
The 4 types of Search Queries:
- Informational
- Transactional
- Navigational
- Commercial
1. Informational search query
Before it was even discovered to support commerce, the internet was always known to be the hub of information. Most of us have used it to search for something that could add to our information kitty and help us find and explore data and details about something that holds some informative value to be used by us.
So, it can be any search query that aims at finding some information entering phrases to extract some important data, facts, news, study, or details. These search queries may be anything from “Which is the highest mountain peak in India?” or “What is the process of applying for TOEFL examination?”. So, basically, when you enter a search query to find results in the form of answers on something to serve your purpose of information or to enhance your knowledge, it is regarded as an informational query.
How to target informational search queries?
Informational search queries account for the greatest number of searches happening online. But the problem with them is they are not easy to monetize. To be able to do this, you need to work around a user-relevant information channel that needs to be updated frequently and serve as a prominent platform for a targeted user group.
With this you may face fierce competition in the space you are catering as most news aggregators and information portals exist widely in all major segments. But, as you stay on with fresh and valuable content that offers rare and authentic information and important insights, you may lead the pack and that’s where things begin to convert for you.
How you can add to the worth informative content?
Write blogs for providing tips to your target users
Introduce interactive forms and downloadable resource guides on your platform
Bring over a series of How-To and DIY videos
Leverage infographics and illustrative art around your topics
2. Transactional search query
The global retail system is now largely dependent on online networks. It is the playground for many businesses that look for a platform to connect with more people through online search queries and matching search results. Transactional search queries allow businesses to help their users to enquire and reach out to them to find help with transactions, investments, funds, banking, or anything related to buying and selling.
If a user hits a search for “Buy Apple Watch Series 6” or ‘Order pizza near me” this is essentially intended to make a purchase initiated through a monetary transaction and therefore is considered as a transactional search. The key characteristic of transactional searches is these are mostly the queries that look for results to commit purchases or make transactions in immediate future. If it is not meant to facilitate any transaction in the near future, it is categorized as a simple business search.
How to target transactional search queries?
The most common way businesses adopt for transactional searches to be addressed successfully is by appointing a two-way method. Here, the first thing is to target local SEO search keywords to get the most value out of transactional search queries as local searches stand out to be most responsive with facilitating immediate purchases.
Apart from this, businesses should optimize their pages for transactional queries implementing keywords that include phrases for buying, order, subscription, or payment. These should be phrased to connect with the products and services you deal in and the value proposition your business aims to offer.
The next thing here can be including PPC in your promotional plan to get a better reach and grab better results with your efforts. This should go well in coordination with your Search Engine Optimization plan and should follow a proper plan towards promoting your transactional keywords reaching out to the highest spenders and active shoppers through a filtered set of targeted audiences.
How to get better results with transactional searches?
Work on product listings and sponsored ads as Google gives it a lot of importance.
These search queries deliver high-ROI results if you can figure out high-performing winning products.
Sponsored results make a significant part of SERP listings and have high CTR value attached to them.
3. Navigational search query
Navigational searches are associated with looking out for specific web addresses or platform destinations that searchers already have in mind. This is to ensure that they are reaching the right website and landing on the right brand or product page. Navigational search queries are basically directional searches that aim at locating the right URLs and web addresses and are an important part of search marketing strategy for any business.
How to target navigational search queries?
Here, it’s important to understand that anyone who is searching for a certain business or brand is already knowing it or has a high intent of finding it to communicate or avail its services. This makes navigational searches highly worthwhile for any business to go with.
While you are optimizing for navigational searches, make sure you have all the possibilities covered to let your searchers easily reach out to you. Include location keywords, services keywords, pick niche phrases, use business name variants, and include navigational search terms relevant in your case.
Also Read: SEO trends for 2021 That You Need to Know Right Now
These search keywords and search queries cover different variants and combinations of searches that your audiences may enter for finding out your business profile and reach out to the destination links easily. Keeping your website and profile pages stuffed with these navigation keywords and keeping them optimized for searches get you more visibility and high chances at successful page landings and value transitions.
How to get better results with navigational searches?
Indicate Google about navigational searches by clearly stating keywords as navigational search queries and these will be classified as ‘go query’ searches and only shown in the segregated category with limited results of seven listings in SERP results.
Shortlist and optimize keywords to support your brand identity and business details. This will get you the most value in terms of searchability and accessibility going with focused targeting.
Make sure your URLs and page titles follow the search engine standards and are tested for functional accuracy and quality by applying the right technical SEO and on-page SEO practices.
4. Commercial search query
Online search landscapes are increasingly being dominated by commercial search queries as most businesses are aiming to expand their operational range and reach digitally. Businesses from different segments and backgrounds are now open to explore more opportunities online. Therefore, they are looking for that major shift in reaching out to more users who are incessantly growing in the online space.
This primarily includes building and running commercial ads and acquiring users through paid engagement programs. This gets new-age businesses to explore parallel opportunities and get to work around more elaborative and empowering reach towards the audiences by claiming authoritative commercial presence to attract direct paid traffic and have a presence created on privileged search slots moving out of the far-fetching organic competition.
How to target commercial search queries?
The most common and prevalent method of targeting commercial search queries is by implementing paid advertising strategies and running pay-per-click campaigns. Most businesses here rely on going with Google AdWords as this is the most promising and highly reliable mode of attracting commercial queries across the expansive Google search network.
Apart from this, you can target Microsoft Advertisement and get to claim your paid authority on Bing and Yahoo search networks and allied platforms. Also, while you do this, align and validate your commercial search campaigns to best work with different browsing, platform, and device options. Keeping an eye on how your results turn out and focusing on the best tactics to optimize for commercial search queries can bring you the best results serving you with high paid search authority.
How to get better results with commercial searches?
Doing this, if you are into the hospitality business and offer your users traveling advice based on expert insights and customer reviews, you should build up your ad campaign by looking at the latest search trends and closely following your competitor ads.
Try to determine the best serving feature keywords and work on creating compelling ad copies. This should also aim at working on the most functionally promising ad structure and building campaigns that bring you the most commercial search value.
Conclusion
These are the 4 most prevalent search query types that define the game of online searches at a broad technical performance outset. Knowing them as they are and implementing them to work with your brand service and online search ecosystem, you can gain a vital edge over your competitors.
Just, make sure you should figure out the best combination and practices of implementing these search programs, and make sure you do this with proper research and taking the right course of planning based on a detailed and proper understanding of these search queries.
If you are not able to find ways to get hold of it, try reaching out to professional help with SEO services experts who can help you find better results with your efforts in the direction.
