We’re Not Searching Anymore, We’re Asking: The Evolution of Search Queries

Recent data from Google Ads is revealing what many of us have been anticipating: search queries are getting longer, more conversational, and more natural. But rather than viewing this as a disruptive change brought on by AI Mode, I see this as the inevitable next chapter in how people have always been learning to communicate with technology.

Voice Technology Was Just the Beginning

I can remember when the most I could effectively type into search was something like “black shoes with heels.” No matter how specific I wanted to be, I knew I’d still have to sift through pages of search results because the platforms simply couldn’t process longer queries with intent, they just matched keywords.

With AI, that’s fundamentally changed. Intent is now part of the equation. In today’s search environment, I know that the more information I provide upfront, the more targeted my ads or results will be, and the less time I need to spend sorting through irrelevant products.

The last few years of voice technology adoption weren’t just about asking Alexa to set a timer or telling Siri to call someone. They were training wheels for a fundamental shift in how we interact with digital interfaces. Voice search taught us that we could speak naturally to technology and be understood. We stopped thinking in keywords and started thinking in questions.

Now, with AI-powered search interfaces becoming mainstream, that same conversational instinct is migrating to typed search. Certain generations, particularly those who grew up with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, are naturally gravitating toward treating search as an entity to converse with rather than a tool to operate. They’re not searching, they’re asking. “Hey Google, what shoes would go best with my knee length velvet cocktail dress that is black?” Google comes back with ready to shop results and “other” colors and styles for me to consider.

What the Data Actually Shows

Our own client data confirms what’s happening across the industry. Analyzing search query reports from January, July, and November of 2025, I found that average query length increased from 3.88 words in January to 4.27 words by November, a meaningful 10% jump in less than a year. Queries with six or more words surged by 50%, growing from 15.8% in January to 24.1% in November, while short one-to-two word queries dropped from 21.4% to just 17.5% over the same period.

The distribution is spreading, with users now utilizing three-to-six word queries more evenly rather than clustering around the traditional two-to-three word sweet spot, an accelerating shift in behavior. Aaron Burnett recently highlighted this same shift in Ad Age’s 2026 Business Forecast, noting that three-to-four word queries now account for the majority of searches as AI Overviews drive conversational behavior.

However, the story gets more complex when you look across different industries and campaign structures. While one healthcare client I work with saw average query length increase 14.4% over two years, with queries of six or more words nearly doubling from 10.1% to 19.9%, a wellness technology client showed the opposite pattern. Their non-brand search queries actually got 10.4% shorter as Performance Max and Shopping campaigns absorbed longer-tail searches, concentrating remaining search traffic around shorter, higher-intent terms.

The takeaway is evident: query evolution varies dramatically by industry, audience, and campaign structure.

Intent Matters More Than Length

Here’s what I think is crucial to understand: this is a shift in behavior, but it’s not necessarily something that affects performance in the way you might expect. It still comes down to the intent of the user, whether they’re using two keywords or six keywords. What we have to do as marketers is ensure we’re classifying that intent correctly.

My healthcare client data illustrates this perfectly. While longer queries increased dramatically, their direct conversion rates dropped 77.9% for searches with six or more words between 2023 and 2025. These longer queries went from converting 2.4 times better than short queries to converting only half as well, a complete reversal.

But this doesn’t mean longer queries lack value. Most longer-tailed queries are still in a heavy research phase or upper funnel, and aren’t directly correlating to instant purchase or lead generation. A user searching “best fitness trackers for heart rate monitoring under 200 dollars with smartphone app” is gathering information, not ready to purchase. The query itself is valuable (it reveals specific needs, preferences, and pain points) even if it doesn’t drive an immediate conversion.

What’s changed is that AI-generated Overviews are now satisfying some of that research need directly in search results, shifting where and how users engage with content along their journey. The touch point shifts but remains valuable for brand awareness and consideration, especially in categories with longer purchase cycles.

Meanwhile, for my wellness client, short one-to-two word queries actually improved their conversion rate by 41.3% year-over-year, suggesting that when users do choose traditional search with shorter terms, they’re coming with clearer, more direct intent and are further along in their decision process.

Why Platforms Are Adapting

Google, Microsoft, and other platforms haven’t been expanding their AI-assisted matching tools and broadening match types for arbitrary reasons. They’re doing it because they recognize this evolution and need to capture the essence of what users are requesting: the intent behind increasingly nuanced, conversational queries.

When someone searches “best running shoes,” platforms can guess at intent. But when someone searches “comfortable running shoes for plantar fasciitis under $150,” the intent is crystal clear. AI-assisted matching helps platforms connect that specificity with the right advertisers, even when exact keyword targeting isn’t in place.

The Strategic Opportunity

This is where things get interesting for us as marketers. I’ve been testing Google’s AI Max strategically to get our ads exposure to Google’s AI Overview ad placements and as a keyword exploration tool. It can match to longer query variations, which I can then fold into our paid keyword strategies to target longer searches directly and use them to inform our organic strategies. We’re still evaluating its full potential with our clients, however.

But here’s the main point: the conversational query shift may actually impact organic and SEO strategy more than paid search. When AI Overviews answer longer, question-based queries directly, organic visibility in those results becomes paramount. One of our teams uses AI monitoring tools to identify which queries are being answered by AI and what presence our client’s content has in those answers. When there isn’t adequate presence, it signals the need to build out more comprehensive content that AI can reference.

What Advertisers Need to Do

The advertisers who will navigate this shift successfully are the ones analyzing data across the entire marketing funnel. Longer queries reveal customer needs, education gaps, and content opportunities throughout the buyer journey. A query that doesn’t convert today might inform the consideration process that drives a conversion next week through a different channel.

This means a few practical shifts in approach:

• Embrace natural language in content and ad copy that matches how real people actually ask questions.
• Build out long-tail keyword strategies that capture specific, intent-rich queries. Trust AI-assisted matching to connect your offerings with these more detailed searches, but maintain tight control over your core keyword strategy.
• Focus on intent over keywords, because conversational queries reveal much clearer signals about where users are in their journey, even if those signals don’t always point to immediate purchase readiness.

I recommend analyzing your own data at a granular level to understand both immediate conversion patterns and upper funnel engagement signals. Build content strategies that address the research and consideration phases where longer queries dominate, even if those touch points don’t drive immediate ROI. Use AI-assisted matching tools as keyword discovery engines to uncover these detailed query variations, then strategically decide which to target for conversions and which to address through content marketing, retargeting, or awareness campaigns.

Focus less on immediate conversion rates and more on whether you’re analyzing comprehensively enough to understand how these queries fit into your customers’ complete path to purchase.

Final Thoughts

This evolution was always coming. Voice technology laid the groundwork. AI-powered search is simply giving people permission to search the way they’ve wanted to all along, by having a conversation. The platforms are adapting to match how humans naturally want to communicate, and the smartest advertisers will too.