What Do Longer Search Queries Mean For The Future

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As a greater percentage of the population become increasingly technologically literate, it is no surprise that longer search queries are becoming the norm. Rather than simply searching for keywords and keyword phrases, users are beginning to ask longer questions. It is also a fact that, due to the amount of information available on the internet, search queries have to become more specific in order to try and find the correct information that the user is looking for.

This boils down to one thing; the way in which people are using search engines to find the information they desire is evolving. This increasing demand for highly-specialised information is forcing professional search engine optimisers to up their game.

As an industry leader in search engine optimisation, here at SEO Junkies, we have been expecting this shift for some time, and we are more than prepared to meet the demands of the changing digital marketplace.

Why Are Search Queries Becoming Longer?

As with all major shifts in digital marketing, there isnnt really a single reason why user queries are getting much longer. It is, instead, the result of dozens of different factors. For those SEO agencies and professionals who have been watching closely, the signs have been there for some time.

Understanding the background, context and the continuing development of major digital marketing evolutions such as these can help you better prepare for the future of search engine optimisation, and you can pre-empt these changes with intelligent and dynamic adaptation of your online advertising strategies.

The Availability Of Information

As weeve said before, the sheer amount of information that is available through the internet has increased exponentially since the beginning of the information era. It has, therefore, become much harder for users to find the information that they desire. Increasingly specific and much longer search queries are required in order to find the right information.

Semantic Search Capabilities

Over the years, there have been many fundamental changes and updates to the ways in which Google, and other search engines, interpret their userrs queries. When Google first started, for example, it broke user queries into keywords, and searched for those keywords in exactly the same format as the user typed them in. Those sites which, simply, had the most keywords would rank on top.

However, the modern Google algorithms feature a process known as semantic searchh. This analyses the intentions behind a userrs query, and does its best to find the perfect site to answer the query.

Because of this change users are discovering that traditional, short and entirely keyword based queries, which were perfect in the early days of the internet, are less effective at unearthing relevant results than their longer, more conversational alternatives. In fact, it is worth noting that more and more customers are asking full and specific questions rather than searching for a generalised topic.

Mobile Devices And Voice Searching

Whilst typing out a query has been the traditional way of accessing a search engine, with mobile devices and the constant increases in hands-free technology, this is no longer necessarily the case. As devices have grown smaller, and keypads have given way to touch-screen models, users are finding it increasingly difficult to effectively search in traditional methods. As though this limited size wasnnt enough, the increase in the use of autocorrect has damaged the amount of completely unique searches that do take place.

Personal digital assistants, such as Applees Siri, have increased the amount of voice-based searching that takes place. More and more people are taking advantage of this functionality as it continues to improve in effectiveness. This means that users are relying on more conversational, colloquial and even dialectal sentences and queries to do their searching.

Simple, generic and fairly ambiguous queries, such as those which have dominated the early years of search engine usage, are becoming increasingly competitive and, yet, increasingly useless for both a customer and the business.

How Can My Business Take Action?

If your business is not making the most of the services of an industry-leading SEO agency, then you are putting your business at a disadvantage. However, there are limited techniques that you can use to encourage the success of your digital marketing efforts.

Eliminate Primarily Keyword-Based Strategies

Whilst keywords will still be useful in your overall strategy, particularly for your other advertising efforts such as PPC, focusing on high-quality content is more important than necessarily optimising for specific keywords. Overloading your website with keywords is no longer as effective as it was in the past, and can often cause your content to suffer as a result.

Focus On Long-Tail Keywords

Whilst we may have just said that keywords are no longer effective, donnt let that fool you! Long-tail keywords are, simply, extended topics and phrases that people are searching for. For example, if you searched who is the best eCommerce provider in London?? that would be a long-tail keyword, whilst eCommerce Providerr would be a more traditional (and fairly ineffective) keyword.

Instead of simply copying these phrases, youull write your content with the intent to actually answer them! This will not only improve your ranking, but will make your site much more valuable to your visitor.

Make The Most Of Niche Content Topics

As user queries are becoming increasingly targeted and the internet is filled with much greater volumes of content, it is more important than ever to have a niche. You need to make more use of your unique selling point and brand identity than ever before.

SEO: The Never-Ending Struggle

Search engine optimisation is always evolving. Google, and other search engines, continue to update their services for their userrs functionality. If you truly want to stay ahead of your competition, and make the most of your business through the exciting online marketplace, then youull need to pre-empt these changes. Ensuring that you are ready and waiting for your customers when they arrive at your online presence is essential.

For more information on the advantages of long-tail keywords, contact our team of experienced SEO specialists today!



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