A query is simply a name for the word or two that people will type into a search engine box when they are looking for something specific on a popular search engine like Google or MSN. The fundamental components of these queries are called “keywords” as they are the simple every day terms that people use to look for products and services. The major search engines note these words in database records that on the major engines such as Google and Overture can be accessed for free. This allows you to determine the popularity of a keyword simply by looking up its ranking or the number of "hits” it has had on a keyword inventory tool. Both Google and Overture have excellent keyword inventory tools that tell you what people are looking for when they search for something on the World Wide Web.

A query term can be one word such as “curling iron” or it can be many words such as “Con-Air tourmaline ceramic plated curling iron.” Knowing what these query searches are is critical to the successful promotion of your website both within its pages and outside.

The key to choosing the right keywords is to know what keywords and commonly used short keyword phrases are commonly used to describe your service, products or the theme of your site. As a rule of thumb also avoid choosing keywords that are too general. When people search for products and services on the Internet they tend to search for specific things with a few words. This is because they know that typing in a single word will bring them to many options to sift through. You should take the same tact as using keywords that are too general may bring you window shoppers as opposed to serious buyers. In essence, understanding the relationship between keywords and query phrases is as basic as knowing your market.