Understanding how people interact with Google is essential for crafting an effective online marketing strategy. With the majority of consumers turning to Google as their go-to tool for answers, products, and services, staying on top of user behavior trends can offer businesses a significant competitive edge.
Below are our top 10 Google user trends, based on current studies and statistics, to help you refine your strategies, enhance user experience, and ultimately achieve better results for your business online.
1. 77% of people use Google 3 or more times per day
2. 91% of Google users don’t make it to the end of the first page of search results
There’s a saying that the best place to hide a dead body is on page two of Google search results and recent data shows that this is as relevant as ever. Only 9% of Google users make it to the bottom of page one when they search and only 0.44% click through to page two of results. This aligns with clear trends in user behavior that indicate that we want information quickly and efficiently – the same study shows that 83% don’t go back to the same search results to click through to another site. Instead, users may choose to alter their search query to something more specific if they don’t find what they are looking for the first time.
3. The average Google search is 76 seconds long
Google’s algorithms have advanced considerably which means that most of the time the results they serve up are pretty spot on. The average user spends just 76 seconds from the time they search to finding what they are looking for, and for around 25% of searches this time sits at less than 31 seconds. The timeframe varied a little depending on the type of search but in general, users are making quick decisions across the board.
4. 39.8% of users will click on the first result in Google search results
Adding to the statistics above, a report on click-through rates based on ranking position showed that (not surprisingly) the #1 position is the best place to be. The first ranking organic result was the biggest winner with 39.8% of users clicking through. This percentage drops significantly for position #2 with an 18.7% click-through rate with the percentage continuing to drop off further down the page. If the first result contains a featured snippet the CTR increases to 42.9% but if a map pack is also present in SERPs the percentage drops to 23.7%. Despite appearing higher up in SERPs, paid ads had an average CTR of only 1.5%.
5. “Best” and “How-To” Queries are on the rise
Search queries containing the word “best” have increased by 80% over the last 2 years, while “how-to” searches are up 140%, pointing to a growing trend for online research and guidance. This behavior shows that people are looking for more than just basic products or services; they want comprehensive information and solutions that can inform their decisions. In fact, our tendency for research-based queries means that Google search trends can now predict an upcoming outbreak of the flu with 97% accuracy!
6. 63% of Google searches in the U.S. are from mobile devices
Searching on the go is part of our daily lives, with 63% of Google searches in the U.S. being made on smartphones or tablet. Since October 2023, all Google indexing has been on a mobile-first basis, meaning that how well your website works on mobile devices can impact both your rankings and your interaction with potential customers.
7. The typical Google search query is 3-4 words long
The majority of Google search queries are short and to the point. A study by Semrush showed that 38.2% of search queries are 3-4 words long, with 1-2 word searches coming in a close second at 31.6%. This doesn’t mean that long-tail keywords aren’t useful though – long tail terms may attract higher click-through rates and help to target users who are further down the sales funnel and more likely to convert.
8. Over 50% of Google searches result in no clicks
Almost 60% of Google searches end with a user not clicking through to any result. This is what is known as a “zero click” search and this data shows that they are more common than you might think. Why would a user choose not to click through to a website after entering a search query? There are a few reasons this may occur including around 20% of users who refine their query and other users finding the answer they are looking for on the search results page itself through featured snippets or other rich results. The increase in AI generated overviews on SERPs is also contributing to this – early models were pulled back after criticism of their quality, but we saw a new increase of AI generated responses on certain query types towards the end of 2024.
9. 50% of the U.S. population use voice search every day
Voice searches have increased significantly in popularity, especially with younger demographics as users look for more ways to access answers quickly. Over 50% of the US population used voice search daily, with the most frequent vice search queries relating to weather, news and music or services such as food delivery. The rise of voice assisted technologies means this trend is likely to continue to increase as users become more comfortable with speaking their requests, both when at home and on the go. As a result of this, voice optimization techniques such as using conversational language and focusing on longer tail keywords will become important factors in online marketing.
10. Searchers will use Google Suggestions to complete their search query 23% of the time.
Once again, efficiency, convenience and speed are driving our search behavior. Google autocomplete is an automated system that offers suggestions on search queries as a user types. 23% of all searches result in a user choosing one of the suggested search queries provided by the autocomplete feature, particularly when searching for commercial or transactional keywords. While individual factors such as a user’s location, language style and past search history are all considered, suggestions are also based on common queries across all searches, making autocomplete a potentially valuable tool for discovering new keywords and popular search queries.
Transform Insights into Actionable Results Today
Google user behavior trends offer vital insights into how you can maximize your online impact. By leveraging this data, your business can make smarter decisions about SEO, content creation, and digital advertising, ensuring they meet their customers where they are—and where they’re headed.
Looking for help with strategic digital marketing services that are specifically tailored to your target audience? Get in touch with the team at Digital Edge today for personalized marketing solutions for your business.
