Search queries getting longer

Internet search queries - which dictate search engine optimisation or pay per click - are getting longer, new research has discovered.

The study by Hitwise revealed that more than half of all searches are now at least three words in length, while more than a third exceed four words.

And even eight-word queries are becoming more common, with a 22 per cent increase in their use between January 2008 and 2009.

Search Engine Land's Matt McGee said that the "takeaway point" of the results was that the long tail of search is continuing to grow.

"As searchers get more sophisticated in how they use Google, Yahoo, Live Search, etc., it opens up more opportunities for webmasters and marketers to create content and/or ads that capture these longer search queries," he explained.

And new research by ComScore has revealed that people's search behaviour is increasingly becoming a sign of the times, with searches for terms such as 'unemployment' or 'unemployment benefits' both up by more than 200 per cent last year, Mr McGee notes.

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