As users move toward more advanced and diverse search methods, Google Search is evolving.
Voice search, particularly among the younger generation, is picking up in the market, especially in the US. Meanwhile, visual searches are on the rise. Google Lens has shown a fourfold increase in these areas since 2021. Users rely on it to identify objects and landmarks while getting instantaneous answers.
The growing demand for Google Search encourages marketers to explore search engine optimization (SEO) tools to find optimal opportunities to capture it.
Let these statistics add more logic to these trends with real insights and data.
General Google Search statistics
These statistics give an overview of how people currently use Google Search and discuss the trends observed after the 2023 algorithm update. They might help you understand how different ranks on Google Search contribute to a website’s traffic.
- 9% of Google users scroll to the bottom of the search results page.
- On mobile, the second position has a 13% click-through rate (CTR), and the third has a 10% CTR. The first position dominates with a CTR of 22.4%, while the tenth position attracts just 2.3%.
65%
of SEOs view Google’s 2023 Algorithm updates as positive. The update added “Experience” to the existing “E-E-A-T” ranking framework, now standing for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Source: HubSpot
- In the second half of 2023, the U.S. accounted for 26.95% of traffic to Google.com. India is second, contributing 4.52% of web visits, while Brazil accounted for 4.35%.
- 80% of young people aged 13-21 use Google more than three times a day.
- In 2023, Google Chrome held 63% of the web browser market share, followed by Safari at 18.69%, Edge at 4.46%, and Firefox at 3%.
- Over 19% of the top 100 Google searches are about sports.
Does Google Search dominate the market?
Globally, Google remains the most widely used search engine. However, some countries like Russia have strong local competitors. In China, Baidu’s search engine usage beats Google. Let the statistics below give you more clarity.
- As of July 2023, Google held 81.95% of the global desktop search market. Bing had 10.51%, followed by Yahoo's share at 2.67%.
- Google Sites Core Search handled 10.3 million queries.
63%
more than 63% of internet users in Russia preferred Yandex, while nearly 36% used Google, in late 2023.
Source: Statista
- In October 2023, Google’s search volume in the U.S. was more than twice that of its closest competitor. Microsoft Sites Core Search followed with 4.6 million queries. Verizon Media with 1.8 million searches, and Ask Network Core Search with 118,000.
- Google websites, including Search and YouTube, generated $206.54 billion in ad revenue in 2023.
Mobile and desktop search statistics
Did you know desktop users see more featured snippets than mobile phone users? The stats below cover insights related to Mobile and Desktop Search, among others.
- In the fourth quarter of 2021, mobile devices made up 63% of organic search visits in the U.S., a figure that has remained consistent over the past two quarters. In the first quarter of 2021, this percentage was slightly lower at 59%.
- 60% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly from search results using features like the “click to call” option.
- On mobile, 39.9% of searches are three to four words long.
38.2%
of Google searches on desktops in the U.S. are three to four words long.
Source: Semrush
- Searches with one to two words comprise 31.6% of desktop searches and 31% of mobile searches.
- 58% of smartphone users have a more favorable view of companies whose mobile sites or apps remember their identity and past behavior.
- 76% of people who search locally on their smartphone visit a physical location within 24 hours.
- Google displays featured snippets 86.6% of the time on desktop compared to 73.3% on mobile.
Local search statistics
Local search offers significant benefits for businesses, yet nearly one-third still lack an actionable plan to capture this high-converting traffic.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to create a plan to optimize for location search. Here’s why:
- 42% of millennials visit a business after performing a local search.
- 89% of local searches are done through a web browser, while only 11% use a map-based app.
- Millennials are 50% more likely to use local search when they’re on the move.
21%
of U.S. consumers reported using the internet daily to find local businesses in January 2023.
Source: Statista
- 32% of survey respondents used the internet for local searches multiple times a week.
- 57% of local search queries come from mobile devices or tablets.
- Customers are 70% more likely to visit a business and 50% more likely to consider purchasing from it if the business has a complete profile on Google Search and Maps.
- A complete Business Profile makes consumers 2.7 times more likely to see the business as reputable.
- Although 31% of businesses express interest in optimizing for local search, only 30% have an actionable plan to capture this high-converting traffic.
Search Generative Experience (SGE) on Google
At the end of 2023, Google launched the Search Generative Experience (SGE) to provide users with AI-powered topic summaries. The statistics below reveal SGE’s industry-specific impact.
- 84% of search queries on Google are influenced by the Search Generative Experience.
70%
of SEO professionals are concerned about how SGE might affect organic search results.
Source: Statista
- SGE created AI-generated overviews for 91% of entertainment-related queries. However, 70% of healthcare-related queries did not benefit from these AI-generated responses.
Image and voice search statistics
Voice searches are most often related to weather and food. Many users also search on Google Lens visually to recognize text and objects. The statistics below give insights into image and voice search statistics, helping you thoughtfully include them in your strategy.
- 50% of U.S. consumers use voice search every day. Among consumers aged 25-34, 58% use voice search daily. 43% of consumers aged 55 and older use voice search weekly.
- In a 2022 survey of the U.S., U.K., and Germany, weather was the top voice search topic. 52% of U.S. consumers used voice search for food delivery, compared to 41% in the U.K. and 36% in Germany.
- Google Lens handles 12 billion visual searches each month.
48%
of consumers use voice assistants for general web searches.
Source: Search Engine Land
- Google Image Search indexed an estimated 136 billion images in 2023. This number could reach 382 trillion by 2030.
Be vocal for local
Despite advances in search options, many businesses are still on the fence about optimizing for local search. People who search on Local Search have an immediate need, and optimizing your pages gives you opportunities to capture and convert this demand.
Start optimizing your SEO strategy to adapt to the changing market and let qualified traffic find their way to your business.
Try local SEO software and understand how it attracts customers for your products and services.
Edited by Monishka Agrawal
