Search Queries with 8+ Words Continue to Rise

The use of keyword searches that are eight or more words long increased 20% in the period between February 2008 and February 2009, and search queries averaging five to more than eight words have increased 9%, according to data from Hitwise, which reports an overall trend toward longer searches at the major search engines.


The same time period showed that shorter search queries - those averaging one to four words long - decreased 2%. Searches of two words comprised the majority of searches, amounting to 23.47% of all queries.

The growing length of search queries was first reported last month, and appears to be a trend resulting from growing sophistication among web searchers and the need to use more specific terms to cut through web clutter.

Google Search Share Holds Steady at 72%

In related news, Hitwise also reported that Google’s share of searches in February 2009 held steady at 72% vs. January 2009. In this period, Google accounted for 72.11% of all US searches.
Yahoo Search, MSN Search and Ask.com received 17.04%, 5.56% and 3.74%, respectively. The remaining 46 search engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis Tool accounted for 1.56 percent of US searches.

Check: Google continues to grow as a greater source of traffic to key US industries at Histwise