Types of search queries
- Informational: the searcher wants to learn something (“what is a canonical tag”).
- Navigational: they want a specific site or page (“mexseo contact”).
- Commercial: they are comparing options before buying (“ahrefs vs semrush”).
- Transactional: they are ready to act (“book seo audit”, “buy running shoes”).
- Local: they want something nearby (“dentist near me”).
Where to see your queries
The Performance report in Google Search Console lists the queries your pages appeared for, with clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position. In Google Ads, the Search terms report shows the queries that triggered your ads, which helps you find new keywords and negative keywords.
Why queries matter
Queries show the language your customers really use. Pages that answer those questions, in those words, are more likely to rank and to turn visitors into customers.
Search query vs keyword
| Search query | Keyword | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | The searcher | The marketer or advertiser |
| Form | Whatever is typed, with typos and extra words | The tidy term you target |
| Where you see it | Search Console, the Google Ads search terms report | Keyword tools and ad accounts |
How to use query data
- Open the Performance report in Search Console and sort queries by impressions.
- Find queries where you rank on page two or three and improve those pages.
- Find queries with many impressions but few clicks and rewrite the title and description.
- Group queries by intent, and check that each group has a page that fits.
- Use the Google Ads search terms report to find negative keywords.
Search query FAQs
Why are some queries missing in Search Console?
Google hides very rare queries for privacy, so the list is not complete.
What is a query’s intent?
It is what the searcher wants. See search intent, keyword research and long-tail keywords.