How does the Google Webmaster Tools Search Queries section work?

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

I haven't paid much attention to it in the past since I have other methods of tracking in place but in looking at the graphs they look odd.

The graphs suggest that Monday through Friday the ceiling is 22,000 for "top queries" but on Saturday/Sunday it falls to 18,000 "top queries" (on this particular site). The orange graph line telling me what % of those I captured.

The chart is useless to me without understanding the 22,000 and 18,000 limits (that never vary). How do those work ?

[aristotle]

On my charts the upper blue line shows impressions, and the lower orange line shows clicks. I don't see a line for queries. Maybe you're looking at something else than I am.

Anyway, I believe that by "queries", it means the total number of different search terms that showed one of your pages. Obviuosly the vast majority of these are what are called "long-tail".

Also, you should realize that the numbers are rounded off.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Thanks Aristotle, we are looking at the same graph and blue is impressions. I followed the queries tab and assumed that's what I was looking at because the "queries" figure matches the clicks total exactly on this site, a 1 to 1 ratio for many months in a row, but I see they are different on another site.

I'd say they are rounded off but somewhat ballpark, I'm rather enjoying seeing clicks for pages ranked 2nd page or 3rd page because I know there would be more if I could improve them to 1st page. In other words it lets me know what content is on the fringe of being top stuff.

Maybe I should give more than a passing glance at things before writing them off as impractical. In thinking queries totals were on the graph I wrote the feature off as statistical fluff and ignored it until I had time to try and figure it out.

So much data, so little... no, just so much data!