{"id":21415,"date":"2020-01-28T16:11:33","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T16:11:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/query"},"modified":"2026-05-11T23:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T23:00:13","slug":"query","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/query","title":{"rendered":"Query"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad wp-image-14812 size-full alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/query.png\" alt=\"query\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/query.png 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/query-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>query<\/strong> is a question or query that is made to obtain information. In the context of the Internet, especially search engines, a query refers to each individual query that a user enters to search for information on the web. In computer terms, a query is a precise request to extract data from a database or information system.<\/p>\n<p>It is important not to confuse this term with Query Language, which is a programming language used to perform database queries, or with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/jquery\">jQuery<\/a>, a JavaScript library that facilitates the interaction between<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/javascript\"> JavaScript<\/a> and HTML.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"indexed\"><span class=\"heading_text\">What is a query?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A <em>query<\/em> can be a word or strings of words<em>(query strings)<\/em>that are entered into the search box of a search engine to access the information contained in the web. A query is usually accompanied by some sets of letters and other specific operators, such as Booleans, which facilitate its function.<\/p>\n<p>This query or query can be done on a page that is a search engine in itself, such as <em>Google, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/yahoo\">Yahoo<\/a> <\/em>or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Bing, <\/em><\/a>or on an internal engine, <em>on-site,<\/em>always from any device.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"indexed\"><span id=\"analisis-de-queries-de-busqueda\" class=\"anchor\"><\/span><span class=\"heading_text\">Search query analysis<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The study of search <em>queries<\/em> is very valuable for general marketing studies and, above all, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/sem-ppc-agency-spain\">optimize <em>SEM.<\/em><\/a> In addition, a study of the internal <em>queries<\/em> of a given site is very useful to better understand the users of the web and contrast if what they are looking for corresponds to what it offers.<\/p>\n<p>Studying a website&#8217;s internal queries allows owners to better understand their users and evaluate whether the content offered aligns with visitors&#8217; needs and expectations. This analysis can reveal patterns of user behavior, helping to improve content strategy and increase site relevance.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"indexed\"><span id=\"tipos-de-query-en-motores-de-busqueda\" class=\"anchor\"><\/span><span class=\"heading_text\">Types of query in search engines<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the context of search engines, we can classify queries as <em>follows:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Informational queries: <\/strong>The user is looking for general information on a topic or product. They constitute the majority of searches and often do not have a direct commercial purpose.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Navigation queries:<\/strong> the user knows where the information is or where he wants to go (for example: &#8220;Facebook&#8221;, &#8220;Gmail&#8221;). Navigation queries are an alternative to shortcuts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Transactional queries:<\/strong> Queries that suggest the intention to achieve a particular action (e.g. &#8220;buy flowers&#8221;, &#8220;game downloads&#8221;; &#8220;coupon for&#8230;&#8221;).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"indexed\"><span id=\"diferencia-con-la-query-o-query-string-en-bases-de-datos\" class=\"anchor\"><\/span><span class=\"heading_text\">Difference from query or query-string in databases<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Do not confuse a query in a search engine with a query or query-string in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/database\">database<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When we talk about <em>querys<\/em> related to databases, a <em>query<\/em> or <em>query-string<\/em> is a request to a database. In the case of a query to a mysql database that has the following format:<\/p>\n<pre>SELECT <span class=\"highlight\">columna_a_seleccionar<\/span> FROM <span class=\"highlight\">tabla_a_seleccionar<\/span> WHERE aplican_ciertas_condiciones<\/pre>\n<p>This <em>query-string<\/em> searches the database for a column in a table where a certain condition is met.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions about Query<\/h2>\n<div class=\"geo-faq-block\">\n<details class=\"geo-faq-item\">\n<summary>What does Query mean in digital marketing?<\/summary>\n<p>Query refers to the concept described in this glossary entry: Definition: A query is a question or query that is made to obtain information. In the context of the Internet, especially search engines, a query refers to each individual query that a user enters to search for information on the web. It gives teams a shared vocabulary for analysing digital projects.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"geo-faq-item\">\n<summary>When should teams pay attention to Query?<\/summary>\n<p>Teams should review Query when it affects acquisition, measurement, user experience, content, automation or campaign performance. The important step is to connect the definition with a real decision.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"geo-faq-item\">\n<summary>How is Query used in a digital strategy?<\/summary>\n<p>Query is used by translating the concept into practical checks: where it appears in the funnel, which data or channel is involved and whether it needs optimisation, monitoring or documentation.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"geo-faq-item\">\n<summary>What is a common mistake when interpreting Query?<\/summary>\n<p>A common mistake is using Query too broadly. It is better to verify the context, the tool or the metric involved before making strategic or technical conclusions.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"DefinedTerm\",\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/query#definedterm\",\n      \"name\": \"Query\",\n      \"description\": \"Definition of Query in the Arimetrics Digital Glossary.\",\n      \"inDefinedTermSet\": {\n        \"@type\": \"DefinedTermSet\",\n        \"name\": \"Arimetrics Digital Glossary\",\n        \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\"\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/query#faq\",\n      \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What does Query mean in digital marketing?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"Query refers to the concept described in this glossary entry: Definition: A query is a question or query that is made to obtain information. 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In computer terms, a query is a precise request to extract data from a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1125],"class_list":["post-21415","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-query"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/21415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=21415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}