99 Google Search Statistics & Key Insights for 2023

Get ready for a deep dive into Google Search with these 99 statistics that look at everything from mobile search to advertising and everything in between.

Key Takeaways:

Paid ads have an average CTR of 3.17%
There are over 8.6 billion searches on Google per day
60% of searches originate from a mobile device

General Google Search Statistics

Up to 96.84% Market Share

Google remains the most widely used search engine in the world with up to 9.5 out of 10 searches going through the platform.

$577.68 Billion Brand Value

The Google brand (not to be confused with Alphabet, its parent company) is one of the most recognizable in the world and one of the most valuable. However, its current value is approximately 30% less than its peak of $819.57 billion.

$279.8 Billion Yearly Revenue

Across its ads, cloud, and hardware sales, Google made an estimated $279.8 billion in revenue last year.

4 Billion Users

Google Search is a household name around the globe with approximately 4 billion people using the platform.

85.3 Billion Visits a Month

The Google search website receives over 85 million visits each month, which is more than double the second most visited site, YouTube.

50% of Google Searches Result in a Click

Half of all Google searches end with the user clicking on a search result. This may seem low, but many searches end with the desired information being displayed within the search results.

100 Petabyte Search Index

That’s the equivalent of 100,000,000 GB or 1,250,000 copies of an average AAA video game!

$1 Ad Spend Returns $8 Profit

Businesses that spend on Google ads to promote themselves will enjoy an 800% average return on their investment.

31% CTR Increase with Google Search Ranking Improvement

Improving the Google search ranking of your business by just one place can improve your clickthrough rate (CTR) by as much as 30.8%.

“YouTube” Is a Top Search Term

The most common search terms used on Google are all big brand names. The top 5 most searched terms are:

Ranking	Search Term
1.	YouTube
2.	Facebook
3.	Amazon
4.	Gmail
5.	Google

The Most Visited Website in the World

The search giant is visited an average of 89.3 billion times per month, which makes it the most visited site around the world.

Over 8.6 Billion Searches a Day

Approximately 100,000 searches are processed through the search engine every second, meaning more than 8.6 billion over the course of one day.

10% Increase in Total Searches Each Year

As the number of people accessing the internet continues to climb each year, so too does the number of searches processed by the search engine. Each year, an average of 10% more searches are processed than the last.

200 Factors Used to Provide Best Search Results

Google is considered one of the most reliable search engines in terms of supplying accurate and relevant information. This is driven by the search engine’s algorithm using over 200 factors to provide you with the best results possible.

99% of Google Visits Are Spam-Free

Google’s spam prevention tool, SpamBrain, detects and removes spam sites 200x more effectively than before its release. This means almost all user visits are spam-free.

115 Million Fake Reviews Removed

Fake reviews can have a disproportionate effect on the reliability of search results, which is why Google uses automated tools and A.I. to remove them. Last year, 115 million reviews were blocked or removed. This is 20% more than a year earlier.

192 Versions of Google Search

Due to differences in language and the rules and regulations of different countries, there are actually 192 different versions of everyone’s favorite search engine.

Google Processes Previously Unused Keywords Each Day

Google has a vast library of search terms that users have previously asked it to look for. Even so, each day Google adds an additional 15% of keywords that have never been searched for previously.

Google Search Usage & Behavior Statistics

Men Google Faster

A study of the difference in how the genders use the search giant found that men scanned and filtered search results before selecting the desired content. By contrast, women are more likely to click on and read a website’s content before moving on to the next one. This method took longer to find the desired content.

60% of Users Are Male

Data collected by Google shows that the majority of users are male. Much (if not all) of this disparity is driven by males having greater access to the internet in developing nations.

Trust in Google Reviews Reaches 87%

Google was already the most trusted review platform in the world, but last year saw trust increase by 6%. The other major review platforms all saw a 2% – 5% decline.

3 – 4 Google Searches per Day

84% of people look to Google for help 3 – 4 times every day.

1 Billion Google Images Users Every Day

10% of Google’s site traffic is users searching for images. This equates to 11,500 image searches a second.

0.44% of Users Visit Page 2

If any proof was needed to show how detrimental it can be for any business to feature on anything but the first page of Google’s search results, then this is it. Over 90% of users click on a result from the first page of results.

65% of Users Only Use Organic Results

Google’s data shows us that while many users do make use of the paid ad search results, most users ignore them and find their answers in the organic results.

Users Take 14.6 Seconds to Click a Result

For some searches, it can take as long as 22 seconds for a user to click on a result, but most users take 14.6 seconds or less.

40% of U.S.-Based Searches Use Three Words

Most searches performed in the U.S. use three words and are more often than not posed in a question format (i.e., “how to cook”).

13% – 15% of Searches Are Translation Related

Depending on the source used, up to 15% of the searches that Google processes are translation requests.

“Wordle” Is the Most Searched Keyword of the Year

While big brand names are the most widespread search terms when looking at the data across all years, other keywords can be the most searched for within just that year. Last year’s most widely used keyword was “Wordle.”

Johnny Depp Was the Most Searched-for Person of Last Year

Johnny Depp was in the public consciousness during his lawsuit with former wife Amber Heard last year and became the most Googled person of the year.

Taylor Swift Is the Most Googled Personality in 2023

The most searched-for personality of the year so far is Taylor Swift, with 6.8 million searches so far. Other top personalities are Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Drake.

4,400% Increase in Search Volume for “ChatGPT” & “AI”

AI and large language models hit the mainstream this year, causing Google to observe a 4,400% increase in searches for the two keywords.

Musicians Are the Most Googled Personality Type

With 31% of personality searches, musicians and musical artists are the most googled type of personality on the platform. Politicians and actors are the second most googled personality types with 24% each.

Facebook Is the Most Googled Keyword in America

Facebook’s popularity in the U.S. may be in danger, but it’s still the country’s most searched-for keyword. YouTube was second, and Amazon was third.

“How Many Ounces in a Cup?”

This is the most Googled question worldwide with a search volume of 3,900,000. “How many centimeters in an inch?” was second.

The U.S. Asks “What to Watch?”

The U.S. population collectively struggled to decide what to watch on TV last year, and the question “What to watch?” became the most widely searched-for question in the states.

“Queen Elizabeth Passing” & “Ukraine” Were the Most Searched News Items

Unsurprisingly, these two events struck a chord with the public across the world and quickly became the most searched-for news terms of the year.

Religious Texts Are Most Searched-for Books

The Bible has been the most searched-for book since 2003, and the Qur’an has occupied second spot since 2005.

46% of Product Searches Begin on Google

Optimizing your business website to take advantage of Google’s search algorithm is essential when you consider that almost half of all consumer product searches begin on Google.

85% of Searches End After One Try

An overwhelming majority of users find what they were looking for the first time of asking. Only 15% of searches do not give the desired result at once and require the search term to be changed.

Autocomplete is Used 23% of the Time

The autocomplete feature is used for around 1 out of every 4 searches. Younger demographics are more likely to use this feature.

85% of Desktop Search Traffic

Google is easily the most widely used desktop search engine in the globe. Second-placed Bing has just 8% market share.

India Is Google’s Biggest User

94.19% of searches in the country of India are processed through the Google search engine. This makes India Google’s biggest user by market dominance.

92% of All Searches in the U.S.

Google’s dominance in the U.S. is almost as high as in India with 92% of all searches going through the platform. This increases to 96% when looking exclusively at mobile searches.

U.S. Contributes Between 18.3% & 26.7% of Site Traffic

Of the 200+ countries that use Google Search, the U.S. contributes around a fifth of all the traffic that travels through the site.

Up to 92% of Queries Use Long-Tail Keywords

Around 70% of searches performed on the platform use long-tail keywords and another 20% use mid-to-long keywords. A long tail keyword is a search term that uses more specific language than a general search term. For instance, “What is Facebook used for?” vs. “Facebook”.

Half of Searches End Without a Click

More than 50% of users find the answers to their queries without clicking a search result. These users find the information they need within the short descriptions that accompany each search result.

21 – 30-Year-Olds Are the Largest Group of Users

This group is the largest on the platform, representing 36% of users and the second largest group is the 31 – 40-year-olds. The popularity of the search engine with these two groups is understandable since they make up the majority of the workforce and so encounter the need to use a search engine more frequently.

Google Search Mobile Statistics

96% Share of Mobile Sector

Google’s share of the mobile search market has remained fairly constant at around 94% – 96% for the last 8 years.

Two-thirds of Organic Traffic Comes from Mobiles

Approximately 66% of Google’s organic traffic in the U.S. comes from mobile devices.

Mobile Devices Responsible for Origin of 70% of Paid Ad Clicks in the U.S.

Most clicks of Google’s paid ads occur on mobile devices. This is likely because mobile users are more likely to click on the top search results than desktop users are.

Google Lens Is Used 8 Billion Times a Month

Although this is a fraction of the total number of searches completed through the platform each day, Google Lens is growing in popularity, especially with younger audiences, as it’s particularly well suited to mobile-first users.

Mobile Users Are Less Patient

Bounce rates (the rate at which users abandon a search or session) are higher for mobile users with a rate of around 53%. By comparison, desktop users have a bounce rate of 44%.

Google Voice Search & Virtual Assistant Statistics

1 in 5 Searches Use Voice

Today, 20% of Google searches use voice commands and this is likely to become the dominant means of user interaction in the future.

80% of Voice Searches Resolved with Top Three Results

Due to the complexities of speech and language use, voice search hasn’t always provided the best results. Google Voice has improved to the point where most users are now able to find the answer to their query in the top 3 results.

93.7% Effective

Following on from the last statistic, Google’s Voice Assistant is now able to answer up to 94% of all search requests.

55% of U.S. Teens Use Google Assistant

More than half of teenage users in the U.S. say that they use Google Assistant every day. The assistant is generally more popular with younger age groups.

58% of 25 – 34-Year-Olds Use Voice Search Every Day

Although most people in this age group haven’t completely switched to using voice, approximately 60% do make one voice search each day.

Over 55s Use Voice Search Once a Week

As the users get older, the use of voice search declines. This is most likely due to the many failed or unfit-for-purpose voice assistants that have been released previously.

Google Assistant Supports 30,000 Smart Home Devices

Smart, internet-connected home devices have enjoyed a boost in adoption numbers in recent years and Google Assistant has played a part in that success with support for 30,000 different devices.

Google Assistant Is the Second Most-Used Voice Assistant

Even though Google Assistant is a more capable product than Apple’s Siri, Apple’s voice search assistant, is more widely used.

Google Local Search & Maps Statistics

4 in 10 Use Google Maps to Search for Local Queries

Roughly 40% of users turn to Google Maps when looking for information about local businesses and the area. This means that 60% of users are still using the main search engine for these types of queries.

34% of Searches Using the Phrase “Near Me” End with Store Visit

A third of all searches that include “near me” in them result in the user visiting a store in person. This underlines the importance and impact that listing your business on Google can have on in-store sales.

“Near Me” Searches Have Grown Over 200%

In just the last 5 years, search terms that include “near me” have grown by more than 200%.

98% of Consumers Use Google for Local Searches

Only 2% of internet users claim to never use Google to look up local businesses and services, highlighting how crucial the platform is for users hoping to find and learn more about the businesses and services near them.

Businesses with a Complete Google Business Profile Have 70% More Visits

Local businesses that have a complete Google business profile instill more confidence in consumers and as a result usually enjoy 70% more visits and higher purchase consideration rate than those without a complete profile.

63,000 Weekly User Reports

The Google Maps team receives over 60,000 user reports each week informing them of changes to business opening hours, temporary closures, and route changes.

Google Maps Is the Preferred Local Navigation & Search Tool for 67%

Google Maps is consumers’ favorite way to get around and find out about the businesses and services around them.

Google Search Advertising Statistics

$25.84 Spend on Mobile Ads

On average, advertisers spend slightly more on mobile ads than desktop ads. The average desktop ad spend is more than \$2 lower at \$23.47.

Over $400 Billion Economic Activity

The platform’s search and advertising tools contribute an estimated $400+ billion to the U.S. economy each year.

Up to 36% of a Website’s Traffic Comes from Google’s Organic Search Results

The data on this varies, but anything from 23% up to 36% of a website’s traffic can be attributed to a user clicking an organic search result on Google.

3.17% CTR for Paid Links

At 3.17%, the clickthrough rate (CTR) of paid ads using Google Ads is a much better return than the 0.46% CTR that display ads provide.

Dating Ads Have Twice as Many Clicks

Some industries have a better CTR than the one discussed in the previous statistic, and dating is one of them. Paid dating ads have an average CTR of 6.05%.

56% of Small Businesses Haven’t Claimed Their Free Google Business Profile

Around half of small businesses still haven’t claimed their free Google business profile. Studies of small business owner behavior suggest that this is because of a general lack of desire to learn about and utilize digital marketing.

Paid Ads Produce 1% More Revenue

Although most users ignore the paid ads that appear in search results, the data indicates that paid ads create 1% more revenue than organic search results do.

20% of the Most Expensive Google Ad Keywords Are from the Legal Industry

Of the 5,000 most expensive keywords on Google last year, approximately 20% of them were related to the legal industry.

41.5% of All Google Searches Display Google Ads

Somewhat surprisingly, Google Ads are displayed in less than half of all searches made on the platform. Despite this, they have been proven to be an effective tool for businesses and marketers.

Google Commands 58% of Search Advertising Market

With Google so dominant in the search space, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it also has the largest share of the search advertising market. Baidu (15%) and Amazon (14%) are second and third, respectively.

Mobile Ad Spending Took Over Desktop Spending

The gradual climb of smartphone use around the world has led to the mobile-first division of Google’s Ad department contributing the majority of total ad revenues for the first time. Mobile now accounts for 52% of ad revenues and is expected to keep climbing.

America Leads in Advertising Expenditure

Google search data shows that the U.S. is the biggest spender on the platform, investing $105 billion last year.

China Is the Second Largest Ad Spender

Despite everything related to Google being completely banned in the country, China is still the second largest spender on Google ads with $51 billion.

98% of Marketers Use Pay-per-Click Campaigns

Pay-per-click campaigns were central to nearly all marketers’ strategies last year. Just 2% of them said that they hadn’t invested in this type of Google ad type.

$4.22 Is the Average Cost-per-Click of Google Ads

Last year’s average across all industries was a little over $4 per click. Legal Services had one of the highest CPCs ($9.21), and real estate had one of the lowest ($1.55).

Google Shopping Responsible for 85.3% of Google Ad Clicks

Google Shopping plays a huge role in the overall effectiveness of Google Ads. More than 85% of all clicks received via Google Ads are generated by Google Shopping.

Google SEO Statistics

Google Edits 63% of Submitted Meta Descriptions

Google will edit the displayed meta description of search results in around 63% of cases. This is to make the search result as relevant as possible to the user.

The Top Ranking Search Result is 10x More Likely to be Clicked

The data shows that users are 10x more likely to click on the top-ranked organic search result than the result in 10th place.

43.32% CTR for First Search Result

As the earlier statistic pointed out, the top search result is far more likely to get clicked than other results. The clickthrough rate of the top search results is an average of 43.3%.

Emotional Trigger Words Boost CTR by 7%

Although humans like to think they make the most informed decisions based on logic and fact, emotion plays an oversized role in our decision-making process. Search results that use words to elicit an emotional response have a higher clickthrough rate.

A Question in the Meta Title Raises CTR by 14.1%

Search results that include a question in the title have a 14.1% higher clickthrough rate than results that contain a statement instead.

9 out of 10 Websites Have 0 Organic traffic from Google

A study of over 1 billion websites with high-quality pages found that approximately 91% received zero traffic via Google’s organic search results.

17% of Websites Rank the Same on Mobile & Desktop

Many website and business owners only optimize for the type of device they think most of their customers prefer to use. This is why only 17% of websites feature in the same position on both mobile and desktop versions of search results.

88% of Rankings Change as Much as 100 Places

A poor understanding of optimizing for different device types means that a shocking 88% of businesses can find their search ranking change by as much as 100 places.

Long-Form Web Content Receives 3x More Traffic

Studies of the difference between long and short-form content showed that long-form content that contains 3,000 words or more typically receives 3x times more traffic than shorter content.

Top Organic Search Result Receives 19x More Clicks Than Paid Search Results

Due to the fact that the majority of users disregard paid ads, the top organic search result typically receives 19 clicks to every one click on the top paid search result.

Google Prefers Mobile Version of Sites for Indexing

Google prefers to use the mobile version of sites when indexing and ranking. While it isn’t necessary to have a mobile version of your website, it is strongly recommended.

Google Search Challenges

10 Algorithm Updates Released Last Year

Ever since 2017, Google has steadily released more updates to its algorithm with each passing year. However, last year saw a slight decline from the previous year with just 10 updates.

24% of Users Mistake Featured Snippets for Ads

The featured snippet gives users a peek at the content of a recommended search result without them needing to leave the search engine’s website. Unfortunately, around 1 in 4 users mistake that snippet as a paid-for ad and never read it.

5% of Google Websites Still Unencrypted

By the midpoint of this year, Google had successfully transitioned 95% of its websites over to the encrypted HTTPS format. The remaining 5% is the most challenging as encryption methods aren’t always supported by the oldest systems and devices.

Government Requests for User Data Keep Climbing

366,977 government requests for user data were submitted to Google last year which is approximately a 15% increase over the same period a year earlier.

21,863 Requests for Data Removal Submitted by the Russian Government

This makes Russia the country that submitted the most data removal requests. South Korea came in second with a little over 6,200 requests.

Sources

Pew Research, Statista, Google, SemRush.

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99 Google Search Statistics (2023)