Before the era of big search engines, there were times when it wasn’t possible to search for and find an answer to a question within seconds. Thanks to Google, that’s no longer a problem. This taken-for-granted ability also allows me to learn a lot about my clientele.
Meanwhile, Google continues to evolve, collecting a plethora of relevant data crucial for my and your marketing activities. I’ve compiled the most interesting Google statistics for you.
Basic Google Statistics: How Many People Use the Search Giant?
First off, I can assure you: nothing on the internet is used more than search engines. About 30 percent of all internet traffic comes from search engines, among which Google is the clear industry leader, according to a Statista survey.
With a global market share of over 92 percent, Google was significantly ahead of its nearest competitors Bing with just over three percent and Yahoo! with just over one percent, according to a Statcounter analysis in 2022. On desktop, Google’s share was about 84 percent. On mobile, it was even close to 96 percent and on tablets 91 percent. In absolute numbers, this means: Google has approximately 4.3 billion users worldwide.
- Google: 91%
- Bing: 3.1%
- Yahoo: 2.8%
- Baidu: 0.8%
- Yandex: 0.3%
In 2023, this changed slightly. Google is still far ahead with 91.6 percent but has lost about one percent. Bing with about 3.38 percent and Yahoo! with 2.8 percent have grown slightly. This indicates a slight reversal of the trend for Google, as its market share is not increasing further.
The reasons for this are not clear, but it is likely that innovations like ChatGPT, which is often used as a search engine, have an influence. YouTube, which effectively belongs to Google, is now considered the world’s second-largest search engine.
The distribution of top search engines in the DACH region looks similar. In Germany, the market share in 2023 was just under 91 percent, in Austria just under 93 percent, and in Switzerland unchanged at 91 percent.
Equally interesting is the number of searches conducted. Google records 3.5 billion worldwide daily. Statistics show that people start a Google search about three to four times a day.
Undoubtedly, Google processes gigantic amounts of data and has an enormous influence on the entire internet usage.
Google Insights for Search: Keeping an Eye on Search Queries with Google Trends
You can find out what exactly is frequently searched on Google using the tool Google Trends. It is the successor to Google Insights for Search and provides a range of interesting information. The results can be filtered by countries, regions, and even individual cities. You can also see the temporal progress of the queries.
This not only provides clues about which topics might be interesting for your target group but also identifies seasonal fluctuations and allows you to place your marketing campaigns more targeted in terms of time and location. You will also find exciting and prepared insights on various topic clusters.
From Click-Through Rates to AI: More Exciting Google Statistics
Of course, not only Google itself investigates its influence on internet usage. Other sources also provide fascinating insights.
The First Search Results Dominate
I don’t need to explain the relevance and power of the famous “first page” on Google and the importance of search engine optimization. The CTR Study by Advanced Web Ranking graphically shows how clicks on a search query are distributed among the organic SERP results.
The result, for example, for November 2022:
- Place 1: 39.2 percent
- Place 2: 15.45 percent
- Place 3: 8.57 percent
- Place 4: 5.58 percent
- Place 5: 3.95 percent
- Places 6-10 (cumulative): 10.91 percent
It’s not surprising that the first search results still dominate. In 2022, it was even more evident.
In 2023, this insight has changed significantly. A study on current click-through rates by clicks digital shows in a table how clicks on a search query are distributed among the organic results of Google’s SERPS. It quickly becomes clear: The top spots are no longer the most popular.
The result, for example, for May 2023:
- Place 1: 20.46%
- Place 2: 8.48%
- Place 3: 6.08%
- Place 4: 3.84%
- Place 5: 3.11%
- Places 6-10 (cumulative): 7.42%
According to clicks digital, this change is not an isolated case but follows a trend. Since 2004, the CTR on the first position was over 56 percent and has continuously fallen over the years. In other words: More and more people go beyond the first search page to find the desired result.
Google’s Competition is Not Sleeping
For a long time, Google was considered the search engine par excellence. However, the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence and the possible change in search mentality raise questions for many SEO and marketing professionals about the future of the giant.
Google still relies on the trust users have in the search engine. This is only possible because the standards of information that Google demands remain high. Current numbers also show this: Google still has a market share of 90 percent. ChatGPT may replace some search queries, but the overall usage remains a fraction of Google’s.
However, the company from Silicon Valley keeps an eye on its competition. It has been researching AI for more than eight years and had to take a short setback with the sudden emergence of ChatGPT.
Now, it seems to be a race of the giants. Quite surprisingly, Google introduced its system “Gemini” in December 2023, after launching the chatbot “Bard” in March. As a merged product, these two systems can not only generate texts but also solve specific problems and make situational decisions, seamlessly processing and combining images, audio, and video.
This is also reflected in the MMLU benchmark, which was conducted. According to it, Gemini is the first model to provide better answers than human experts. The benchmark covers 57 different areas, such as mathematics, physics, or history. Gemini achieved an accuracy rate of exactly 90 percent. GPT-4 landed at 86.5 percent.
But other search engines do not want to be left behind. Last year, Microsoft tried to catch up with Bing Chat. The advantage: If you ask a question, you get the sources used directly. However, the success is lacking. Although Bing was able to record about 10 percent more users per month, the search engine only reached five percent market share in the German comparison, according to Statcounter.
The numbers clearly show: Google is not easily overtaken. However, what will change is the way of searching and on which platforms I compile my information.
Featured Snippets Change User Behavior
Google Snippets, short content excerpts from website contents in search queries, are being used more frequently. EngineScout found in a survey of 3,500 users that about 35 percent of all clicks land on the so-called Featured Snippet.
Also interesting in this context is how many search queries end without a click on a website. The proportion of Zero-Click searches is below 30 percent, according to an analysis by SEMrush.
Voice Assistants on the Rise
In recent years, voice search has become an important player in the world of search engine optimization. The number of voice assistants used continues to increase, with Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa as the leading providers. In 2020, usage was about 4.2 billion. According to the forecast for 2024, this will double worldwide to 8.4 billion voice assistants.
For companies, this means not only being aware of voice-based search queries but actively working to tap into this important segment.
Conclusion: Google Numbers and Facts Provide Valuable Impulses for Your Marketing
Despite recent developments, Google still leads the way. With around 92 percent of the global search engine market, the provider has a significant influence on how people search for and find information on the internet.
Together with the variety of interconnected services Google offers, it is an indispensable tool for strengthening customer loyalty and acquisition. Equipped with the latest data and statistics, marketers can extend their influence on the search engine and ensure that the right content reaches their target audience.
