We all know Google—and being in digital marketing, Google’s constant algorithm and feature changes are things I always keep watch of because they carry significant changes for any website looking to get discovered. It’s no secret that Google is the top search engine in the world, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
To help you with your content strategy, I’ve compiled the most important Google search statistics for small businesses below. You’ll find everything from general Google user data to stats on Google’s new AI features and how to navigate its new landscape. I hope you find them helpful in shaping your 2025 content strategy.
Some key statistics:
- Google holds over 89% of all search traffic. Google remains the most popular search engine in the world by a large margin.
- 49% of users are interested in AI-powered search. Ever asked ChatGPT to research something for you? You’re not alone.
- 32% of customers start their ecommerce journey on Google. Google is steadily growing from a search engine into an online-starting-point-for-everything engine—including making ecommerce purchases.
General Google Search Statistics
The first thing about Google is it’s the biggest search engine—nay, website—in the world. If you’ve ever Googled anything, from a dinner recipe to local breaking news, you probably already know that. The Google statistics for searches below cover Google’s traffic, general user demographics, and how people use Google in their daily lives.
1. Google had 83.8 billion visits in December 2024
According to SimilarWeb, Google had 83.8 billion visitors in December 2024, as of January 2025 data. To put that into perspective, there are about eight billion people in the world, so it’s almost equivalent to the entire global population visiting Google 10 times.
That’s how vast Google’s reach is, and why it still plays such an important role in growing your brand presence. If you want to get noticed, you’ll still need to be on Google.
2. The average user visits 7.96 pages on Google
When users research something on Google, they visit an average of 7.96 pages (according to January 2025 data). This shows that people don’t just stick to one source of information. They like to visit multiple sources to get accurate data.
The kicker here is that most people will only search the first page of Google to get their answers—if you’re really lucky, they might venture into the second page—which is why it’s more crucial than ever to understand how Google works.
3. The average user spends 10.21 minutes on Google
Another important Google statistic: the average Google user spends 10.21 minutes on the site as of January 2025. Combined with the search engine stats above, this means users are clicking through many websites on Google but not spending much time on each. If your site isn’t easily discoverable, you could potentially lose a lot of traffic.
4. Over 89% of all search traffic is on Google
According to data from December 2024, 89.74% of all global search traffic is on Google. That’s still a sizable number (and a wide margin from its biggest competitor, Bing, with 3.97%), but what’s interesting is it’s noticeably dropped from 91.62% in just December 2023.
There are many probable causes for the slight drop in Google’s search traffic, from its constant algorithm changes to user privacy issues. But my key takeaway is to continue diversifying your search strategy. Of course, don’t discount Google entirely, but don’t place all your bets on it either. Look at alternatives like Bing or DuckDuckGo to see if you can capture an audience there.
5. Google has approximately 43 billion websites
According to the WorldWideWebSize, a search engine index checker, there were approximately 43 billion indexed websites on Google in December 2024. This means that’s how many websites Google recognizes and can thus present to its users.
However, it’s important to note that the number of indexed websites on Google is constantly changing just by nature. Websites are deleted and created almost every day—but it almost never dips below 25 billion at any given time.
6. Google had 4 algorithm changes in 2024 alone
Remember how I mentioned Google’s algorithm was constantly changing? In 2024 alone, Google had four confirmed core algorithm changes, starting with the March 2024 core algorithm update.
Google’s 2024 algorithm updates include:
- March 2024 core update: This focused on prioritizing high-quality, original content in search results.
- August 2024 core update: This aimed to prioritize useful content from small, independent publishers.
- November 2024 core update: This was a regular update to improve search result quality and highlight well-made content.
- December 2024 core update: This was essentially a continuation to the November 2024 update, but targeted different core systems.
If there’s one key takeaway from these algorithm updates, it’s that Google continues prioritizing websites with well-made, engaging content. If you want to rank on Google, you’ll need genuinely valuable and original content that’s made for humans—not just for ranking on Google.
7. Google processes about 255,600 searches per second
By the time you’ve finished reading this, Google will already have processed hundreds of thousands of searches. Research has found that Google processes a whopping 22.08 billion searches per day, which translates to about 255,600 searches per second. There’s no overstating Google’s influence, for the time being and the near future.
8. The #1 ranking Google search result gets 27.6% of all clicks
Here’s why optimizing your small business website for Google is important: the number one ranking website on Google gets 27.6% of all online clicks. That means if your website gets on top of Google search results, you can get over one-quarter of all search traffic of your specific keyword.
In contrast, the second-ranking search result only gets 15.8% of clicks, and the ninth and tenth-ranking results both get less than 3% of clicks.
So how do you optimize your site content for search engines? Some strategies I’ve found helpful are:
- Researching your audience to know their interests, pain points, and challenges (aka what they’ll likely be searching about)
- Researching relevant keywords to your business and planning your content around them
- Publishing content for different stages of the sales funnel
9. In the US, 9 out of the 10 top Google searches are navigational
According to an analysis of the US’ top Google searches, nine of the 10 top Google search terms were navigational, meaning they were looking for a specific website, like Amazon or ChatGPT—the only exception is “weather” at number one.
The first informational Google search is “food near me”, ranking at number 18—good news for restaurant owners with a local search strategy.
10. When people have a question, 49% of people consult Google first
How many times have you Googled a question you’ve had about a topic—from baking recipes to celebrities’ names—before searching anywhere else? If that situation sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In fact, recent research found that nearly half (49%) of people consult Google first anytime they have a question about anything.
These Google search statistics also illustrate how Google’s role is shifting for many users. Beyond using it as a traditional search engine, people are increasingly treating it as an answers-for-everything resource.
For small businesses, this also means a steadily growing need to provide your audience with genuinely valuable content that answers their questions and addresses their pain points. The key is to be genuinely helpful to your audience so they trust your authority—doing so increases your chances of ranking on Google.
AI Google Search Stats
If there’s one major change that’s fundamentally affected Google search rankings, it’s the introduction of AI. It has been a major focus of Google for the past few months now, and that’s set to continue into 2025. Like any other content marketer, I’ve had questions about how AI will affect Google’s search rankings even more than it already has. Below are the biggest statistics I found on how Google’s relationship with AI will evolve in 2025 and beyond.
11. Google searches for ChatGPT increased by 433% from January 2023 to 2025
There’s no better indicator for the rapid rise of AI in public consciousness than just how rapidly it’s grown as a search term in just two years. Between January 2023 and 2025, “ChatGPT” as a Google search term increased by a whopping 433%, according to Google Trends. Prior to early 2023, it had almost no search volume at all.
And by the looks of these Google stats, ChatGPT is set to continue generating interest among the public—it’s even in the top 10 Google searches in 2025.
12. Almost 50% of users are interested in AI-powered search
If you’ve ever used ChatGPT or any other AI tool to search the internet—or have even simply thought about it—you’re not alone. Far from it: you’re part of the 49% of users interested in AI-powered search in the near future, according to an eMarketer survey. The survey also found that anywhere between 44% and 48% of users were also interested in AI-generated recipes, smart assistants, and even AI-designed products.
What do these search engine statistics show? That interest in AI is still steadily growing. While there are concerns about AI’s output quality, public interest in how it can improve users’ lives is still on the rise.
13. Nearly half of US consumers (44%) prefer Google Gemini over other AI tools
While no AI tool has beaten ChatGPT in terms of popularity yet (with a majority 59% vote), Google’s Gemini isn’t so far behind, with 44% of Americans voting it as their most preferred AI tool—putting it in second place. Google’s Gemini (formerly known as Bard) is one of its biggest investments in recent years and works as an all-around AI assistant in your Google Workspace account. It helps draft documents, take meeting notes, and even do your research.
14. Some users (42%) think AI chatbots will overtake search engines in the future
According to a 2023 survey by Aberdeen, 42% of Americans already foresee AI chatbots overtaking search engines to find answers in the future. In contrast, only 24% think search engines will still be the foremost way to find information, while 34% are undecided. In 2025, this prediction is still looking pretty accurate.
15. Google presents an AI Overview to search queries 40% of the time
One of Google’s biggest AI-driven developments is incorporating AI Overviews in its search results, aka short answers to your search query instead of a list of websites. It doesn’t do this all the time yet, but an analysis found that Google provided an AI overview for approximately 40% of its search queries.
Even more interesting is that two-thirds of those searches in the study were informational, i.e., they were looking for information on a topic, like a dessert recipe or information about a movie. So far, Google more often displays AI overviews to summarize broad topics.
There are three main types of Google searches: informational, navigational, and commercial searches.
- Informational searches are traditional “research” searches; for instance, if you’re searching for a recipe or instructions to fix a leaky faucet.
- Navigational searches are searches to a specific website or business; for example, “netflix,” “amazon,” or “Nashville public library.”
- Commercial searches, sometimes called “transactional searches,” have the specific intent to complete a purchase; for example, “cafes near me” or “buy noise cancelling headphones”.
16. AI will be the biggest shift in SEO in 2025 and beyond says 29% of SEO experts
If there’s any more indication of the shift towards AI-powered search, 29% of SEO experts say AI will make the biggest impact on the SEO industry in the next few years, even more than Google updates and site security. Already, the world’s top websites are changing the way they structure content to adapt to the new AI search landscape.
Google Business Profile & Local Search Statistics
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, your local community is your lifeblood. That often means focusing your marketing efforts on your local searchability and building your Google Business Profile. I always say that local searches are the veins that get your local online community inside your front door. Below, I’ve compiled the biggest local Google search statistics to keep in mind.
17. The top three Google Business Profiles get a 48.1% CTR
Here’s probably the biggest reason to start creating a Google Business Profile for your business if you haven’t yet: the top three profiles on a map pack get a combined 48.1% click-through rate (CTR). Meanwhile, the overall top profile gets a 17.6% CTR. This means local customers looking for businesses in their area find Google Business Profiles a valuable resource for their research.
This is one of the biggest reasons I recommend prioritizing building your Google Business Profile if you have a physical location. Google Business Profiles are completely free and are a tried-and-true way to get discovered by your local community, especially if you add important details like your business location, website, social profiles, and images.
18. Google is used to evaluate local businesses by 81% of customers
When researching and evaluating local businesses to try, 81% of consumers still use Google the most, according to a 2024 survey. Meanwhile, 45% and 44% use Facebook and Yelp, respectively. At least for the time being, Google still holds the most authority for customers looking for local businesses.
The key takeaway here is to not neglect your online presence if you want to get discovered by your local community. In the wake of the pandemic, customers are steadily looking for in-person experiences with their local businesses—they just like to know more and research about them online first.
19. Most consumers (91%) say local reviews impact their perception of a business
Do online reviews still matter to your business? Very much so. In 2024, 91% of customers said local reviews affect their overall perception of a business, with 27% saying it directly influences whether or not they visit its location.
20. Over 75% of consumers look for local businesses on Google every week
You already know that customers use Google to research local businesses, but did you know that over three-quarters of them do so every week? According to a 2023 consumer analysis, 77% of consumers visit Google to look for local businesses every week. More than that, 21% of them visit Google every day.
It’s a number that’s unlikely to shift anytime soon, with Google still being the biggest search engine. However, it does mean keeping watch of Google’s algorithm changes and seeing how it affects your local search rankings.
21. The average US business gets between 500 and 700 clicks per location on their Google Profile each month
Here’s another reason to start creating your Google Business Profile if you haven’t yet: the average US business gets between 500 and 700 clicks on their Google Business Profile per location each month. So if your business has multiple locations, that’ll be an even higher number. Even more interesting: the majority of those clicks are for directions to that business’ location—so make sure your profile has all your essential business info.
Google Voice Search Statistics
Hey Siri, just how important is voice search? If you’ve ever used Siri or Alexa to run a Google search for you, then you’ll know that voice searches are on the rise—which is a whole new realm of Google search. Voice searches coincide with the rise in AI searches: both are more conversational and prioritize quick answers to long content. But one thing makes voice searches different: they’re usually done on mobile.
Below are some Google stats on voice searches and key takeaways from them.
22. Over 25% of Americans use voice assistants regularly
Just how many Americans use voice-assisted search regularly? Approximately 25.5%, according to 2024 data by DataReportal. It’s a number that’s remained steady over the past few years. In Q1 2023, just over 20% of the world’s population used voice assistants, and 22.6% in Q1 2022.
23. Over 27% of US consumers use voice assistants to make purchases
Think voice searches are just for finding information? Research has found that consumers are also increasingly using voice assistants to make purchases. In 2022, 27.4% of US consumers said they made an online purchase with the help of a voice assistant, aka Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, with as many as 10% doing so regularly.
So if you have an ecommerce business, it might be time to reevaluate if your content marketing strategy is ready for voice commerce. It can be as simple as tweaking your blogs to be more conversational and adding more question-and-answer sections.
24. Nearly 50% of Americans use voice search to find local services
If you’ve ever used Siri or Alexa or Google Assistant to find a local service in your area, say a car wash or home repair service, you’re not alone. In fact, 49% of Americans say they use voice search to look for nearby local services—all the more reason to optimize your Google Business Profile and other local online listings.
25. Voice searches bring results 1.56 seconds faster than webpage results
Another reason voice searches are on a steady rise is their convenience: they bring results faster than a manual search. There’s data for that: the average web page takes 2.10 seconds for the first byte to load. Meanwhile, the average voice search takes just 0.54 seconds, making them 1.56 seconds faster.
26. Google Assistant has the widest reach among AI assistants with 91.9 million users
So, which voice assistant has the widest reach among American users? Perhaps surprisingly, Google Assistant takes the win with 91.9 million US users. In contrast, Apple’s Siri currently has 86.5 million, and Amazon’s Alexa 77.2 million. The takeaway: optimizing your site for voice search is still one of the best things you can do to get that all-important Google traffic.
Organic vs Paid Google Search Statistics
There are two ways to get your website on top of Google search results: organically and through paid ads. Both are effective for different strategies. Organic searches help your site get discovered naturally and grow your brand authority and visibility. Meanwhile, paid ads are often more effective for high purchase-intent searches. Keep reading below for search statistics on Google for both organic and paid search.
27. Over half of Google traffic is from organic search
On the whole, 53% of Google traffic comes from organic searches. This means the majority of people still use Google for informational or navigational searches (aka researching topics or finding websites) instead of commercial ones (aka for making purchases).
By and large, the bulk of your search engine marketing should still revolve around organic content—blogs, ebooks, and videos—around your business’ niche. Save the paid search ads for your site pages with purchase intent, like your product pages or online store.
28. Users click on the top organic search result 37.7% more often than the top paid search result
While paying to rank first on Google certainly grants you visibility, that doesn’t automatically mean it generates clicks. On the contrary, the top-ranking organic search result gets 37.7% more clicks on average than the top paid search result. In fact, organic search results consistently get more clicks than paid ads.
These Google stats show that people generally trust, authentic, and valuable content rather than advertisements—which also shows why investing in SEO strategies is so beneficial. Even without paid ads, you’ll have a good chance of earning visibility, traffic, and users’ trust with the right SEO strategies.
29. Paid search ads have a 1.16% higher conversion rate than organic search
While organic search results get more traffic than paid search results, the opposite is true when it comes to conversion rates, aka getting people to follow your call to action. Statistics from Databox found that B2C Google Ads have an average conversion rate of 3.66%, while organic search results have an average of 2.5%, making paid ads higher by 1.16%.
All this means is when choosing between organic or paid search, strategy is key. Use organic search for building awareness about your brand, and paid search if you have a call to action, whether it’s signing up for an event or getting people to visit your online store.
30. Over 96% of websites get zero traffic on Google
While it sounds a little counterintuitive given the earlier stats, research shows that over 96% of websites get no traffic at all from Google. That means only the remaining 4% of websites get all the traffic on Google. But before you despair, remember that there are about 43 billion websites on Google—and that number’s still on the rise.
To make sure your website doesn’t get buried beneath millions of others, make sure you create an SEO content marketing plan for your website. Target the right keywords for your business, create relevant and helpful content for your audience, and get backlinks to your website from other authoritative websites.
31. Every $1 spent on Google Ads gets $8 in profit
Do Google ads ultimately bring in profit? According to Google Economists, they do. In fact, according to their analysis, every $1 that businesses spend on Google Ads brings in $8 in return. However, it’s important to note that this includes both Google Search and Display ads, and your revenue will still ultimately depend on your ad campaign.
32. Moving up one rank on Google increases CTR by 32.3%
Ranking is everything on Google, and where your website ranks on Google’s search results impacts your overall traffic and conversion rates. And, according to an analysis, moving up just one rank can increase your click-through rates by 32.3% on average.
However, this also depends on where your website is ranking in the first place. A higher ranking also brings a higher CTR change while a lower one brings a smaller change. For instance, moving from second to first place can increase your CTR by 74.5%, while going from 10th to ninth place increases it by 11.2%.
Ecommerce Google Search Statistics
Google today is much more than a search engine. It’s also often the starting point for other experiences, like ecommerce shopping. Google’s massive revenue from its ads is just one testament to that. Another is the growing popularity of Google’s Shopping tab. Below are ecommerce-related Google statistics, including how Google influences your customers’ purchase decisions.
33. Almost a third of consumers start their ecommerce journey on Google
Online shopping has experienced an unrelenting rise since the pandemic, and consumers are constantly seeking new ways to reach their favorite brands and discover new ones. One of the top places they start those searches is, no surprise, Google. Recent surveys found that nearly 32% of online shoppers started their ecommerce journey on Google, outranked only by Amazon.
These statistics signal to Google continuously becoming a platform for nearly every type of online experience, from research to purchasing. More and more customers are starting and ending the buyer’s journey on Google.
34. Most customers (92%) use Google for shopping at least once a month
While some people use Google as a starting point for their buying journey, about 92% use it expressly for making purchases, according to a 2023 survey. What’s more, 37% use Google to make purchases every day. If you needed any more proof of Google’s growing power for ecommerce instead of just research, these stats are the clearest indication.
While this is a consistent figure across generations, Gen Z and Millennials (unsurprisingly) use Google for ecommerce the most, with 96% of both generations saying they shop on Google every month.
35. Google plays a key role in online shopping says 90% of holiday shoppers
Gone are the days when holiday shopping always meant braving large crowds in shopping centers. Today’s consumers, even holiday consumers, are more informed and intentional about their shopping habits. And their research platform of choice? The majority choose Google. According to Google’s internal survey, nearly 90% of holiday shoppers said Google played a key role in their holiday shopping decisions.
36. Google searches with the keyword “deals” jumped by 2,300% on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
It’s no secret that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are when consumer shopping (both online and in-person) hits its peak. But one area customers specifically focus on is in getting good deals. According to Google’s study, searches with the keyword “deals” grew by to 2,300% during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The implications here are pretty clear: customers look for deals the most during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. My advice is to resesarch long-tail keywords related to your business including the keyword “deals” and try to rank for them. For instance, if you run a kids’ clothing brand, a long-tail keyword you might try to rank for is “black friday deals kids clothing”.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In 2025, the number one most searched term on Google worldwide was “youtube,” followed by “facebook” and “amazon.” Meanwhile, the most searched term in the US was “weather,” followed by “amazon” and “youtube.” In general, most of the top Google searches are navigational, i.e., looking for a specific website. Only a minority are informational (searching for information) or commercial (searching to make a purchase).
The best way to find out how many Google searches a term gets is by finding out its search volume. You can do this through keyword platforms like Semrush and Ahrefs. More popular search terms like “weather” or “amazon” typically get higher search volume, while less popular ones get lower volume. In most cases, you can also see the keyword density of each search term, aka how many websites also have that search term.
There is no way to see the exact number of times your website was Googled; however, you can check your website traffic from Google on Google Analytics, which is free. Google Analytics shows you how many people visit your website each month, how long they spend in your website, what links they’re clicking, as well as data on your users like where they’re searching from and on what device.
Bottom Line
Google remains a behemoth in the online world, and it’s still your website’s biggest chance of getting found online by your target audience. The Google search statistics above are proof of that. But Google is also constantly changing, and it’s always in your best interest to keep watch of Google’s constant updates and continue testing and tracking your website’s performance to continue improving. Use the Google stats above as a starting point for your content strategy.
