The number of words people use within their search queries determines how specific their inquiry is to find required information and where that query sits within the search life cycle.
The less words we use within our search query, the earlier we are within a search cycle and the less likely we know what we want. Usually we are in “just looking” or “browse” mode. The more words used within a search query, the more we know what we are specifically searching for and thus, the search query is placed later within the search cycle where there is a higher propensity to make a purchase decision (if our search is related to shopping).
The following table from Experian Hitwise monitors the number of keywords that search users from around the world type into search engines.
| Percentage of U.S. clicks by number of keywords |
| Subject |
March 2010 |
April 2010 |
Month-over-month percentage change |
| One word |
22.98% |
22.77% |
-1% |
| Two words |
22.81% |
23.06% |
1% |
| Three words |
20.32% |
20.31% |
0% |
| Four words |
14.27% |
14.23% |
0% |
| Five words |
8.55% |
8.55% |
0% |
| Six words |
4.71% |
4.71% |
0% |
| Seven words |
2.59% |
2.60% |
0% |
| Eight or more words |
3.77% |
3.78% |
0% |
| Note: Data is based on four-week rolling periods (ending March 27, 2010, and May 1, 2010) from the Hitwise sample of 10 million U.S. Internet users. |
| Source: Experian Hitwise |
The data above shows that the majority of searches conducted contain between 1 to 3 keywords. A single word query could be keywords for example, like “cars”, “travel”, “restaurants”. Examples of two word queries are “Toyota cars”, “travel London” or “Brisbane restaurants”. Three word queries are even more specific like “Toyota Prius cars”, “cheap travel London” or “Italian restaurant Brisbane”.
1-2 keyword terms usually denotes that the search query is a “search head” term, those words that are highly searched upon. 3-4 keyword terms are starting to fall into “longtail term” territory, whereas queries that contain 5 or more keywords are definite long tail terms, those terms that are searched upon less frequently, but the intent behind the query is more specific.
Businesses need to target a mix of keywords within their Keyword Strategies to ensure that they are being found for at least 1 to 4 keyword terms that makes up 80.37% of searches.
Single word queries are likely to be highly competitive, since the lure of gaining rankings for this type of term would deliver substantial traffic. However, one word search terms are quite broad and suggest that the user is at the beginning of their search cycle. The customer has started their search journey and it will be further defined as they learn more about the topic they are searching upon.
Targeting single word terms are likened to a “brand marketing” campaign. Since these words fall at the beginning of the search cycle, it is beneficial to associate your brand and be found for the generic, single word queries within your category. Although these words are less likely to convert to a lead or sale compared to more specific terms, they do bring excellent brand awareness advantages and the opportunity for prospective customers to learn more about the brand. Due to the competitive nature of ranking for generic, one worded terms, the effort and cost associated to achieve and maintain the ranking will be high.
Many small businesses are less likely to rank for one worded terms due to competition and costs, so they are more inclined to target longtail keywords containing 3 or more words. Small businesses though, should not necessarily be put off targeting search head terms, because with persistence and commitment, they can still rank for one and two worded terms. It will mean though, the timing required to achieve the ranking will take longer ranging from 6 months to years. Business owners need to decide what level of investment they are prepared to commit to and select their keywords for organic rankings accordingly.
So, with the number of keywords people use within their search queries, what does it say about us? I believe it says that people rely on search engines to discover information about the topic they are interested in. For the majority, Google is their “first search” destination, leaving other information sources as secondary options to explore.
