Search queries getting longer

Not like you really needed an excuse to do a smart thing, but in case you do (or need ammunition to be allowed to go the extra mile), Hitwise is saying that longer search engine queries are becoming more frequent:

The number of Internet search queries of five words or more increased by 10% year over year in January, as search queries of fewer than five words decreased by 2%, Hitwise says.

Hitwise data shows the rate of increase in the number of Internet searches steadily rising along with the number of keywords per query. The number of search queries consisting of four words rose 2% year over year in January; queries consisting of five words rose 6%; six words, 8%; seven words, 12%; and eight or more words, 22%.

We heard from Google last year at SES San Jose that 20% of its searches are for terms that have never been looked for before. Combined with tougher times requiring digging deep for traffic and revenue and searchers becoming more picky and specific in their looking, if you’re not pursuing the long tail in your paid campaigns at a bare minimum or devising long tail strategies for your natural efforts, start making your resume search friendly instead.

Then again…eight-word searches? Do you really want the kind of people who are searching for something using eight words or more? I realize that a 22% increase over a handful of searches doesn’t mean much in the long haul, but that’s still getting awfully specific. I mean, ‘your mom in a dark bus shelter’ is still under eight words and that’s what half of your neighborhood is searching for.

How specific? Let’s play a game and see what kinds of eight-word searches might be out there:

• Small black puppies that are really really cute
• Red ryder bb gun and not a football
• Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy
• People who thought Clay Aiken was actually straight
• People who still watch Titanic once per week

Mom says there are no posts that are like me. I am unique.

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