Savvy Searchers Increase Multiple Keyword Queries

Users’ online search habits are becoming increasingly savvy after Hitwise reported an 11% rise in 4+ keyword queries. The results measured against the same period 12 months earlier indicated that we are now looking for more specific results from our searches.
The information also pointed to different habits in different search engines with more long-tail searches found in Yahoo! than Google.

Getting Specific Search Results

In a time when personal search and speed are having an increasing affect on search this information shows that relevance of results is still vital for users.

When based on a month-by-month basis 8+ keyword searches were up 4% from January 2010 to February 2010. Interestingly one word and two searches were both down in this same period; -4% and -1% respectively.
These increases over the 12 month period indicate a potential move to more specified, long-tail searches.

Yahoo! Used More for Long Tail Search

Yahoo! UK searches resulted in 19.4% incorporating 3 or more keywords compared to just 16.4% in Google UK searches. This demonstrates different habits by users of the two competing search engines.
The up-shot of these findings means that targeting long-tail keywords for specific returns is growing in importance. This can help you capture less competitive traffic and improve conversion.