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Either OneStat had their data wrong in November, Google is way ahead of other search engines in terms of the number of words in their average query or folks got a lot savvier about search queries very quickly because beu blog got a look at a Google presentation claiming that the average search query is four words long.

With Google pulling in almost 65% of all search traffic clearly a large number of people are using longer and more specific queries in order for the average to be up to 4 words. Why and what does this mean for marketings.

1. Are longer search queries the result of smarter searching or worse results?
Do longer search queries mean that searchers know more about what they really want or are the results that they are getting so bad that they need more specifics?

2. Is the tail wagging the dog?
Has the long tail gotten so big that nearly the entire market is there, at least for search? Is that what this is indicating?

3. Are we taking advantage?
From page content to SEM keywords to site navigation, are we taking advantage of the longer and more specific query terms that searchers are using? People are not searching Google for “television” they are searching for “32″ lcd high definition television sale.” They aren’t searching for “psoriasis” they are searching for “psoriasis treatment side effects.” This is a great opportunity for well written copy that fulfills niche subjects and specific user needs, but it requires more concentration on ensuring that these pages are findable and accessible.

These savvy searchers are the reaction to greater and greater amounts of content online, but less and less results that apply directly to their needs. Just as search engine algorithms are refined to provide better results and overcome SEO that promotes less valuable sites, searchers themselves are doing the same. Sites with valuable content and well executed linking strategies can win out and I would argue that they are the only sites that will.

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