Specificity of Queries and Landing Pages
Some queries are very general and some queries are specific. Here are some examples that compare levels of specificity of English (US) queries:
|
Query |
More Specific Query |
Even More Specific Query |
|
[chair] |
[dining room chair] |
[ikea "henriksdal" highback upholstered chair] |
|
[cameras] |
[Nikon cameras] |
[Nikon d5000 slr] |
|
[Toyota] |
[Toyota hybrid] |
[Toyota Prius 2010] |
|
[library] |
[Harvard library] |
[Harvard Anthropology library] |
|
[interview questions] |
[interview questions for teachers] |
[practice interview questions used for Teach For America] |
|
[discount stores in houston] |
[walmart stores in houston] |
[walmart 9555 South Post Oak Road houston] |
Results for specific queries are easier to rate on the utility scale because we know more about what the user is looking for. Giving a utility rating for results for general queries can be difficult. As always, your rating is based on how helpful the result is for the query, not the specificity fit.
Of course, PQ rating is not based on the query, so specificity is not a concern for PQ rating.
|
Query and User Intent |
LP of the Result Block, Result Block, PQ Rating, Utility Rating |
Explanation |
[hotels], English (US) Users are probably planning a trip, but this query is very general and vague. |
Landing page link: LP
|
This is a popular travel aggregator website, and the hotel page on the site can help users find hotels in the US. Users can read reviews, compare hotels, and make a reservation. Utility: This LP fits the query. It would be very helpful for most users. PQ: Orbitz is a popular website with a good reputation. |
|
|
This is a very popular hotel chain with hotels available in most of the US at many different price levels. Even though the list of possible hotel chains is long, the homepage of an individual chain that offers different prices, features, and location options could be very helpful. Utility: This LP is more specific than the query, but it would still be helpful for many or most users. PQ: The Marriott website gives information on Marriott hotels, a popular chain of hotels. Marriott is an expert on Marriott hotels and the information is highly authoritative. |
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Query and User Intent |
LP of the Result Block, Result Block, PQ Rating, Utility Rating |
Explanation | |
|
[hotels], English (US) Users are probably planning a trip, but this query is very general and vague. |
|
This is the webpage of the Marriott Courtyard hotel in Emeryville, California. Utility: The LP is too specific for the query, but this is a well- known brand and users can navigate to other Marriott hotels from this page. Few users would find this page helpful. PQ: The Marriott website gives information on Marriott hotels, a popular chain of hotels. This page is professional, well designed, functions well and Marriott has a good reputation. Marriott is an expert on Marriott hotels and the information is highly authoritative. | |
[Target], English (US) Go to target.com or find a local Target store. |
Landing page link: LP
|
The LP is the official Target homepage. Utility: The landing page fits the query. PQ: Target is a popular store which sells many different products. Target has a good reputation but is not an expert or authority on much of what it sells. | |
|
Landing page link: |
The LP is the "store locator" page on the Target website. Utility: The LP is more specific than the query, but many or most users would be interested in this page. PQ: Target is the expert about where its stores are located. This page is the most authoritative page on this topic. | ||
|
Landing page link: |
The LP is the "baby" page on the Target website. Utility: The LP is more specific than the query, but many or most users would be interested in this page. PQ: Target has a good reputation, but is not an expert or authority on much of what it sells. | ||
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Query and User Intent |
LP of the Result Block, Result Block, PQ Rating, Utility Rating |
Explanation | |
[Target], English (US) Go to target.com or find a local Target store. |
Landing page link: |
The LP is the "electronics" page on the Target website. Utility: The LP is more specific than the query, but many or most users would be interested in this page. PQ: Target has a good reputation, but is not an expert or authority on much of what it sells. | |
|
Landing page link: |
The LP on the Target website is for a specific type of junior colored jeans. Utility: The LP is much more specific than the query and would be helpful for very few users. PQ: Target has a good reputation, but is not an expert or authority on much of what it sells. | ||
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[Honda Accord], English (US) Users probably want to buy a car and are interested in finding information about the Honda Accord. There are currently two models of the Accord today (the Accord Sedan and the Accord Coupe), and a Plug-In model will be coming out in 2014. |
Landing page link: LP
|
The LP is the official Honda Accord page. Utility: The LP fits the query. The query asks about the Accord and the landing page is about the Accord. PQ: The Honda website gives information on Honda cars, a very popular car maker. This page is professional, well designed, functions well, and Honda has a good reputation. Honda is an expert on Honda cars and the information is highly authoritative. | |
|
Landing page link: |
The LP is the official Honda Automobiles webpage. There is a prominent "Accord" link on the page, as well as a lot of helpful features for users interested in Accords. Utility: The LP is more general than the query; however, the information on the page would be very helpful for many or most users. PQ: Honda is an expert on Honda cars and the information is highly authoritative. | ||
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Query and User Intent |
LP of the Result Block, Result Block, PQ Rating, Utility Rating |
Explanation |
|
[Honda Accord], English (US) Users probably want to buy a car and are interested in finding information about the Honda Accord. There are currently two models of the Accord today (the Accord Sedan and the Accord Coupe), and a Plug-In model will be coming out in 2014. |
Landing page link: LP
|
The LP is the official page of the Accord Coupe. Utility: The LP is more specific than the query, but since there are three Accord models, official pages for any of the three models are U. PQ: Honda is an expert on Honda cars and the information is highly authoritative. |
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Landing page link: LP
|
The LP is the official "Accord Sedan Warranty" page. Utility: The LP is much more specific than the query. It would be helpful for few users. PQ: Honda is an expert on Honda cars and the information is highly authoritative. | |
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Landing page link: LP
|
The LP is the official Power Equipment page on the Honda website. It has nothing to do with the Honda Accord. Utility: The LP is does not fit the query. Most users would not find this result helpful. PQ: Honda is an expert on Honda power equipment and the information is highly authoritative. | |
|
[chicken recipes], English (US) Users probably want to prepare a chicken dish and are looking for some recipes to choose from. Users probably expect and want a list of recipes. |
Landing page link: LP
|
Users can find many chicken recipes (with reviews) on this page on a popular recipe website. Utility: This LP fits the query. It would be very helpful for most users. PQ: Food Network is a popular website with a good reputation for providing high quality recipes and cooking information. |
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Query and User Intent |
LP of the Result Block, Result Block, PQ Rating, Utility Rating |
Explanation |
[chicken recipes], English (US) Users probably want to prepare a chicken dish and are looking for some recipes to choose from. Users probably expect and want a list of recipes. |
Landing page link: LP
|
This LP has a single recipe for chicken parmesan. Utility: This is a popular type of chicken recipe on a popular website, but the LP is more specific than the query. Some or few users would find this page helpful. PQ: Food Network is a popular website with a good reputation for providing high quality recipes and cooking information. |
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|
The LP has 20 recipes for fried chicken, a popular chicken dish. Utility: Even though there are 20 different recipes on the LP, they are all for the same basic dish. Therefore, this LP is also more specific than the query. Some or few users would find this page helpful. PQ: Allrecipes.com is a popular website with a good reputation for providing high quality recipes with lots of reviews. | |
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Landing page link: LP
|
This is a low quality page with distracting pop-ups that appear when you hover your mouse over hyperlinked words in the list of recipes. These pop-ups would actually prevent users from reading the titles of some of the recipes. Very few users would find this page helpful. |
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Query and User Intent |
LP of the Result Block, Result Block, PQ Rating, Utility Rating |
Explanation | |
[digital cameras], English (US) Find information about digital camera brands and options before buying a camera. |
Landing page link: |
Many users research purchases carefully. The LP is a cnet.com "Digital cameras" review page, with information about many different digital cameras organized by price, manufacturer, and camera features. Utility: This LP fits the query. The query asks for digital cameras and the LP is about digital cameras. PQ: Cnet.com is a popular website known for providing helpful reviews of consumer electronics products. This article has a lot of very helpful MC and SC. | |
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Landing page link: |
This LP is a cnet.com review page about the Nikon Coolpix P520. Utility: It is a comprehensive review of a popular type of camera made by a respected brand, but it is more specific than the query. PQ: Cnet.com is a popular website known for providing helpful reviews of consumer electronics products. | ||
