Only For Spanish Speaking Freelancers! Categorizing search queries in user intent: informational, navigational, transactional.

Please find below the definitions.

Informational Search Query Definition
Wikipedia defines informational search queries as “Queries that cover a broad topic (e.g., Colorado or trucks) for which there may be thousands of relevant results.” When someone enters an informational search query into Google or another search engine, they’re looking for information and they are probably not looking for a specific site, as in a navigational query, and they are not looking to make a commercial transaction. They just want to answer a question or learn how to do something.


Navigational Search Query Definition
A navigational query is a search query entered with the intent of finding a particular website, webpage or location - as in restaurants, hotels, clubs, etc. For example, a user might enter "youtube" into Google's search bar to find the YouTube site rather than entering the URL into a browser's navigation bar or using a bookmark.


Transactional Search Query Definition
A transactional search query is a query that indicates an intent to complete a transaction, such as making a purchase. Transactional search queries may include exact brand and product names (like “samsung galaxy s3”) or be generic (like “iced coffee maker”) or actually include terms like “buy,” “purchase,” or “order.” In all of these examples, you can infer that the searcher is considering making a purchase in the near future, if they’re not already pulling out their credit card. In other words, they’re at the business end of the conversion funnel. Many local searches (such as “Denver wine shop”) are transactional as well.



Depending on the context, using both navigational and transactional is allowed.

Another way to think about it is:

Informational = Know

Find information about a topic:
[new york city population 2013]
[new york city]

Transactional = Do

Accomplish a goal or engage in an activity:
[get candy crush game]
[buy citizen kane dvd]

Navigational = Visit website or in person

Locate a specific website or a place nearby:
[gas stations]
[chinese restaurant nearby]