Thanks to smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices, consumers have nearly all of the information they could possibly need, right in their pockets. Search engines use nuanced algorithms to ensure they are always delivering the best search results, making it easier than ever before to quickly find products, services, and information online. There are three different types of search queries: informational, navigational, and transactional. While these searches aren’t performed with the same frequency across the board, they are all still relevant today. Keep reading to discover more about the different types of search queries.
Informational
When you’re talking with a friend and you both wonder when Earth Day is, what hockey team most recently won the Stanley Cup, or how to play a B minor chord, your instinct may be to reach for your smartphone. Many of the queries that people make are informational in nature. When you type a question into your search engine in order to find a direct answer, you’re performing an informational search query. Whether you’re finding out how old someone is, how to perform a certain action, or when a major event occurred in history, all of these queries fall under the informational umbrella. Modern technology has become exceptional at answering questions, which is what makes applications like Siri, Cortana, and Google Now so interactive and intuitive.
If you just became interested in a new band or singer and would like to visit the official website, you would perform a navigational search query. Simply searching for the band or artist name will likely return the results you’re looking for, so you can feel free to browse the website and look through merchandise, tour dates, and media. Navigational search queries help people get to a specific website, even if they don’t know the website URL.
Transactional
While an informational search query will answer your questions and a navigational search query will bring you to the website you’re looking for, a transactional search query leads to further interactions. You might be looking for a new car, old and rare video games, or tickets to a concert that you plan on attending. A transactional search query leads you to the website where you can make your purchases, download files, or register for a service.
It helps to understand the different types of search queries, as you can use this knowledge to make your business more visible online. At Pennington Creative, it’s our job to help you boost your search engine rankings and interact with your potential customers. You can learn all about our services by checking out our website or contacting us online today.
