Google Stats to Know for 2024

Google is the undisputed leader of the online search market, with billions of users relying on its services every day. But how much do we really know about Google and its performance? As we near the end of 2023, I’ll explore some of the most interesting and relevant statistics about Google, its market share, its search volume, its mobile traffic, its most popular queries, and its organic search results. I will also compare Google searches to other types of searches, such as voice, image, and video. Finally, I'll touch on what the heck a ‘Zero Click’ search is.

Google is the most visited website in the world, with an average of 89.3 billion visits per month in 2023

Google Site Visits per Month

According to Similarweb (Dean, 2023), Google is the most visited website in the world, with an average of 89.3 billion visits per month in 2023.?This number is slightly lower than the previous year, when Google had 91.5 billion visits per month in 2022.?However, Google still dominates the web traffic landscape, with more than twice as many visits as the second most visited website, YouTube, which had 42.9 billion visits per month in 2023.

?Google’s web traffic is also distributed across different regions and platforms.?As of April 2023, the United States was the largest source of Google’s desktop traffic, with 27.4% of the total visits, followed by India with 8.7%, and Japan with 4.6%.?On the other hand, the largest source of Google’s mobile traffic was India, with 16.3% of the total visits, followed by the United States with 11.9%, and Indonesia with 5.8%.

Google Market Share

Google not only has the most web traffic, but also the most market share among the search engines.?As of July 2023, Google had 83.49% of the global desktop search market share, followed by Bing with 9.19%, and Yahoo with 2.72%.?Google’s dominance was even more evident in the mobile search market, where it had 94.92% of the market share in the United States, followed by Yahoo with 1.61%, and Bing with 1.34%.

?Google’s market share has been relatively stable over the years, despite the emergence of new competitors and challenges.?Since 2015, Google’s desktop search market share has fluctuated between 80% and 90%, while its mobile search market share has remained above 90%. Google’s success can be attributed to its constant innovation, its user-friendly interface, its relevance and quality of results, and its integration with other popular services, such as Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Photos.

Google Searches per Day

Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day, or over 99,000 searches per second, on average.?This number has grown significantly since Google’s launch in 1998, when it only processed 10,000 searches per day. Google’s search volume reflects the increasing demand for information and the growing reliance on the internet as a source of knowledge and entertainment.

Google’s search volume also varies depending on the device, the type of search, and the region.?According to Google, the number of searches per day on desktop devices was 2.3 billion in 2023, while the number of searches per day on mobile devices was 5.5 billion.?The number of searches per day using Google Lens, a feature that allows users to search by taking a picture, was 8 billion in 2023.?The number of searches per day by region was highest in Asia, with 3.6 billion, followed by Europe with 2 billion, and North America with 1.5 billion.

Google U.S. Organic Search Traffic from Mobile Devices

One of the most notable trends in Google’s search behavior is the increasing use of mobile devices.?According to Merkle Inc. (Bianchi, 2023), 63% of Google’s U.S. organic search traffic originated from mobile devices in 2023, up from 57% in 2022. This means that more than half of the users who searched on Google and clicked on an organic result did so using a smartphone or a tablet.

The rise of mobile search is driven by several factors, such as the convenience, accessibility, and personalization of mobile devices, the improvement of mobile network speed and coverage, the development of mobile-friendly websites and apps, and the popularity of voice and image search. Mobile search also offers unique opportunities for local and e-commerce businesses, as mobile users are more likely to search for nearby locations, products, and services, and to make purchases on the go.

Most Searched Word of 2023

Google’s search queries reveal the interests, preferences, and needs of its users, as well as the events, trends, and topics that capture their attention.?The most searched word on Google in the second quarter of 2023 was “Google” itself, with an index of 100. This means that “Google” was the most popular query relative to the total number of searches on Google. The second most searched word was “Weather”, with an index of 74, followed by “Facebook”, with an index of 67.

The most searched word of 2023 doesn’t mean that people have forgotten how to use search engines (I hope) but reveals a growing trend (or maybe even a habit established by ease of use) of users to use Google as a gateway to access other websites and services, rather than typing the full URL in the browser. It also shows the importance of weather information for users, I use an app for weather but if I don't have my phone handy I do a quick search on Google. It also indicates the popularity of Facebook as a social media platform, despite growing competition from other networks, such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok (take that demographics guy)!

% of Organic Searches that Produce Site Visits

Organic search is one of the most important sources of web traffic, as it indicates the relevance and authority of a website for a given query. However, not all organic searches result in a site visit, as some users may not find what they are looking for, or may be satisfied with the information displayed on the search results page.?The percentage of organic searches that produce site visits in the U.S. was 41.5% in 2023, down from 44.5% in 2022.

The decline in the percentage of organic searches that produce site visits can be explained by several factors, such as the increase in the number of ads, featured snippets, and other rich results that occupy the top positions on the search results page, the improvement of Google’s answer boxes (this in and of itself is a disruptive technology) and knowledge panels that provide direct answers to users’ queries, and the growth of ‘Zero Click’ searches, which are searches that end without a click on any result.

'Zero Click' Searches

I have recently found myself searching for something just to find a quick answer but never knew it had a name!? A ‘Zero Click’ search is a search that does not result in a click on any organic or paid result, as the user either abandons the search, modifies the query, or finds the answer on the search results page itself.?The percentage of ‘Zero Click’ searches in the U.S. was 49.8% in 2023, up from 48.5% in 2022. This means that almost half of the searches on Google did not generate any traffic for the websites that appeared on the search results page.

‘Zero Click’ searches pose a challenge for marketers, as they reduce the opportunities to attract and convert users through organic and paid channels. However, they also offer some advantages, such as increasing brand awareness, providing user feedback, and creating new touchpoints. I’ll explore how to capitalize on ‘Zero Click’ searches in an upcoming article.

Look for an upcoming article dedicated to Zero Click Marketing!

Google is the most dominant and influential player in the online search market, with billions of users, visits, and searches every month. Google’s statistics reveal the trends and behaviors of its users, as well as the challenges and opportunities for marketers and website owners. By understanding and analyzing these statistics, marketers and website owners can optimize their websites and strategies to rank higher on Google, drive more traffic, and achieve their goals.

~Dave Woods

How will you utilize Google in the coming year?

References:

Bianchi, T. (2023, August 31). Topic: Google. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/1001/google/#topicOverview

Dean, B. (2023, November 6). Top google searches (November 2023). Exploding Topics. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/top-google-searches

Google. (n.d.). Google Trends. Google trends. https://trends.google.com/trends/

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