Searching the Web: The Public and Their Queries

Amanda Spink; Dietmar Wolfram; Major B J Jansen; Tefko Saracevic

doi:10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1591>3.0.CO;2-R

Searching the Web: The Public and Their Queries

Amanda Spink, Dietmar Wolfram, Major B J Jansen, Tefko Saracevic

Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

758 Scopus citations

Abstract

In studying actual Web searching by the public at large, we analyzed over one million Web queries by users of the Excite search engine. We found that most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. A small number of search terms are used with high frequency, and a great many terms are unique; the language of Web queries is distinctive. Queries about recreation and entertainment rank highest. Findings are compared to data from two other large studies of Web queries. This study provides an insight into the public practices and choices in Web searching.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	226-234
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Volume	52
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1591>3.0.CO;2-R
State	Published - Feb 1 2001

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Software
Information Systems
Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Networks and Communications
Artificial Intelligence

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10.1002/1097-4571(2000)9999:9999<::AID-ASI1591>3.0.CO;2-R

Cite this

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title = "Searching the Web: The Public and Their Queries",

abstract = "In studying actual Web searching by the public at large, we analyzed over one million Web queries by users of the Excite search engine. We found that most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. A small number of search terms are used with high frequency, and a great many terms are unique; the language of Web queries is distinctive. Queries about recreation and entertainment rank highest. Findings are compared to data from two other large studies of Web queries. This study provides an insight into the public practices and choices in Web searching.",

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AB - In studying actual Web searching by the public at large, we analyzed over one million Web queries by users of the Excite search engine. We found that most people use few search terms, few modified queries, view few Web pages, and rarely use advanced search features. A small number of search terms are used with high frequency, and a great many terms are unique; the language of Web queries is distinctive. Queries about recreation and entertainment rank highest. Findings are compared to data from two other large studies of Web queries. This study provides an insight into the public practices and choices in Web searching.

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Searching the Web: The Public and Their Queries

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

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