Website Queries
The intent of a Website query is to locate a specific website or webpage which users have requested. This single webpage is called the target of the query.
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One type of Website query is a URL Query, which can be:
Exact, perfectly-formed, working URLs, such as [http://www.ibm.com] or [www.ibm.com] or [ibm.com].
Imperfect URL queries: Queries that look like URL queries, but are not “working URL” queries. These URLs do not load if you type or paste them into your browser address bar. Even so, we believe users have a specific page in mind.
Here are some examples.
Query |
Likely User Intent |
[kayak], English (US) |
View the Kayak website. |
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[youtube], English (US) |
View the YouTube website. |
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[ebay], Italian (IT) |
View the Italian eBay website. |
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[new york time health section], English (US) |
View the Health section of the New York Times website. |
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[canon.com eos digital camera], English (US) |
View the EOS digital cameras page on the Canon website. |
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Visit-in-Person Queries and User Location
Users carry mobile phones with them throughout the day, for example, at work, to school, to restaurants, or running errands. One reason to carry a mobile phone is to have help with Visit-in-Person queries, such as finding coffee shops, gas stations, ATMs, restaurants, etc. Because mobile phones are often used for Visit-in-Person queries, make sure to consider visit-in-person intent as a possibility for mobile phone users.
Some queries clearly “ask” for nearby information or nearby results (e.g., businesses, organizations, other nearby places). Some queries are not asking for nearby information or nearby results. Here are some examples.
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More examples: [pizza], [yoga class], [coffee shops], [movie showtimes], [car repair], [dentists], [bank of america atm locations], [starbucks near me]
More examples: [boston red sox], [washington post], [scrabble cheat], [definition of sedentary], [aapl], [beyonce], [angry birds], [small dog breeds], [dance videos], [oscars 2012], [pick up lines], [bank of america login]
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And some queries could go either way. Some users may want nearby results and others may not.
Here are some examples of queries with both visit-in-person and non-visit-in-person intent:
[hotels]
[post office]
[apple store]
[citibank]
[best buy]
[office depot]
[target]
[library]
[bank of america]
[the gap]
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Sometimes, the user location can change our understanding of the query. For users close to Sunnyvale, California, the query [turmeric] could have two different interpretations: a popular restaurant named Turmeric or the spice turmeric.
In most other user locations, there is no restaurant (or anything else) named Turmeric and there is just one interpretation of the query [turmeric]: the spice. The Sunnyvale restaurant is not well known outside of Sunnyvale, California.
Use your common sense when thinking about queries and whether they have possible visit-in-person intent.
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