What Are Informational Queries?
Informational queries are the words or phrases that users type into the search bar to get information about anything.
They are not meant for buying a product or intended to visit a specific app or a website and are easily recognisable since they are often written with “what”, “who”, “which”, “how”, etc.
However, informational queries are recognisable by search engines also, even if there are no such words (what, how, etc).
For instance, if you type “UAE revolution”, you will have results giving detailed information about the UAE Revolution.
Moreover, informational queries are more frequently made than other types of queries and answer a specific question or solve a problem.
Know and know simple queries
According to Google’s search quality evaluator guidelines, informational queries can be “know” and “know simple” queries.
Know queries
These queries make a broad informational category in which the user wants to get an answer or research a topic.
These queries can contain a few words or an unlimited combination of different keywords to know about a topic.
They are more general; for instance, if you type “World War 1”, you may want to know every detail, including the date, causes, countries involved in it, etc.
Know simple queries
The intent of these queries is to find an answer to a specific question or details of a specific topic. For instance, if you type “Who won world war 1?”, you want to know the group of countries that won the war.
Here is how Google compares both:
Why are they important?
If most of the internet queries are informational in nature, you can take advantage of them. You can create content that educates the audience and makes them learn and understand concepts related to your niche.
However, informational queries cannot increase the conversion rate immediately, they can still be a way to make your content popular.
They can build authority by bringing more visitors to your website and gradually help with conversion rates.
How to find informational queries?
Finding informational keywords to target is an essential step in creating effective content marketing campaigns. Here are some tips on how to find informational keywords:
Use keyword research tools: keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, ahrefs, and SEMrush can help you identify informational keywords that are relevant to your niche or industry.
Analyze search engine results pages: Analyze the search engine results pages (SERPs) for your target keywords to identify informational content that ranks well. Look for patterns in the types of content that rank well, such as how-to guides, tutorials, and informative blog posts.
Use question-and-answer sites: Question-and-answer sites such as Quora and Reddit can be great resources for finding informational keywords. Search for topics related to your niche or industry and look for questions that people are asking. These questions can provide insight into the type of information your audience is looking for and can help you identify relevant informational keywords to target in your content.
How to optimise for them?
There are no hard and fast rules to determine the search intent because queries are randomly typed into the search bar and may not necessarily match the keywords you use.
However, while creating content, you can keep the user in mind. This strategy can help you bring content that can answer all the similar questions users type into the search bar.
Still, you can work on the informational content to optimise it.
The search engine recognises the intent and shows results to the user. It focuses on relevance, therefore, your content must be relevant to the queries and provide both specific and general information.
If you keep the language simple and easy to understand, the information can be conveyed in a better way. It is because users tend not to stay on a page longer which focuses more on using difficult language rather than conveying information.
The information should be valuable and authentic so that users trust your website. Otherwise, they are likely not to come to your page once they find faulty information.
Make proper use of the headings and divide the content into small valuable sections so that users can find a specific query by just reading the heading rather than spending time reading the entire article.
Takeaway
Informational queries are an important aspect of search engine optimization and content marketing.
As a content creator, it is essential to understand the different types of informational queries to create effective content that answers users' questions.
To find informational keywords, you can use keyword research tools and analyze search engine results pages.
Once you identify these keywords, you can optimize your content by focusing on relevance, simplicity, and value.