What is a search query, and why the type matters

Google's own guide, How Search works, describes three stages: crawling, indexing and serving search results. The query matters in the last stage. When someone searches, Google looks through its index for matching pages and returns the results it believes are the highest quality and most relevant.

Google says relevance is determined by hundreds of factors, which could include the user's location, language and device. Its example: a search for "bicycle repair shops" shows different results to someone in Paris than to someone in Hong Kong. The search features on the page change with the query too, so that same search will likely show local results.

Google also states that it does not accept payment to rank pages higher in organic results. Ads are separate and labeled.

Marketers usually sort queries by what the person is trying to do. Our read on the four most useful groups:

The labels are an industry convention, not Google's. They are still useful, because each type needs a different kind of page. A comparison search wants a comparison, not a sales page.

The best source is Google Search Console. In the Performance report:

1. Open the Queries tab.
2. Sort by impressions to see what you show up for.
3. Sort by clicks to see what actually brings visitors.
4. Click a query, then switch to the Pages tab to see which page ranks for it.

These are the real words your customers use. They are often less polished than the keywords in a plan, and that is exactly why they are useful.

• Use the customer's words. If people search "how much does a new roof cost" and your page says "roofing investment," adjust the headings.
• Answer the question early. Informational queries want the answer near the top.
• Group similar queries. One strong page beats five thin ones that compete with each other.
• Watch for new queries. A rising query you did not plan for is a content idea handed to you.

People use the two words interchangeably, but there is a useful difference. A keyword is the term you choose to target. A query is what a real person actually typed. Your keyword might be "seo audit"; the queries that reach the page might be "how do i check my website seo for free." Plan with keywords, then let queries correct the plan.

Are queries the same as search intent? No. The query is the words; the intent is the goal behind them.

Can I see the queries for one page? Yes. In the Performance report, click the page in the Pages tab, then switch to the Queries tab.

Do queries change by device? Results can. Google lists device among the factors that can affect relevance.

A search query is the customer telling you, in their own words, what they want. Read your queries in Search Console every month, and shape your pages around them.