Longer search queries - do they equal better answers?

Thursday February 26, 2009

An interesting new study out from Hitwise, a company that keeps track of Web usage, states that our search engine queries - the stuff we type into a search box - are getting longer. Instead of just one, two, or even three words, we're using entire sentences, questions, and longer phrases.

Why do you think this is? I have a few theories. First, the Web has been around long enough now that most people realize that one word isn't going to get them the results they want (usually). Second, I know for a fact that many people (including myself) type entire sentences or questions into search engines, hoping that this kind of specific query will get more specific answers. Last, most search engines have what's called "auto-complete", which means that you can type just a letter or two into a search box, and it comes up with all sorts of interesting endings ("a" could end up as "abercrombie and fitch", for example).

Anyway you slice it, it's an intriguing look at how our search behavior is changing. How long are your search queries?

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