A comprehensive new analysis of Google search behavior has provided unprecedented insight into how Americans use the search engine. Released yesterday, March 4, 2025, the research from SparkToro in partnership with Datos (A Semrush Company) examines hundreds of millions of Google searches to quantify usage patterns across different search verticals.
The study represents one of the most detailed examinations of search behavior to date, analyzing both the frequency of searches and the popularity of different Google search verticals including Images, Video, Maps, News, Shopping, and the recently introduced Web tab.
Search frequency reveals distinct user segments
According to the research, active American desktop web users performed an average of 126 unique Google searches each month in 2024. However, this average masks significant variation among users, with the median number of monthly searches being just 53.
The disparity between average and median values indicates a highly skewed distribution. According to the data, approximately one-third of active web users conducted only 1-20 searches per month, while another third performed 21-100 searches monthly. The final third consisted of power users who executed between 101 and over 1,000 searches every month.
This segmentation highlights a critical insight for those analyzing search behavior. “My guess is many of us who live, eat, sleep, and breathe digital marketing and the web for our jobs fall into those upper tiers, and we might sometimes forget about the folks who turn to Google only a few times each month,” notes Rand Fishkin, the author of the research.
Based on additional metrics cited in the study, including Google’s 90.15% global market share in search (according to Statcounter) and the fact that approximately 81% of 5.35 billion monthly internet users utilize search engines (according to GWI), the researchers estimate Google serves at least 492 billion searches per month globally. This translates to approximately 1.3 billion searches daily.
Interestingly, Google itself recently confirmed these findings. According to the report, “Google, a few hours prior to the publication of this post, announced that they had ‘more than 5 Trillion searches in 2024.'” The researchers’ estimate of 5.9 trillion annual searches aligns closely with Google’s official figure, lending credibility to the methodology employed in the study.
Search vertical popularity shows clear preferences
The research also provides valuable insights into the popularity of different Google search verticals. While the main Google.com interface dominates with an average of 110 searches per user per month, Google Images emerged as the second most popular vertical with approximately 13 searches per month per user.
The remaining verticals showed significantly lower usage rates. Google Maps registered approximately 3.5 searches per month per user in the desktop environment, though the researchers note this likely underrepresents total Maps usage due to the exclusion of mobile app data from the study. The Google Shopping, News, Video, and Web verticals each averaged between 2.5 and 3 searches per month per user.
These findings highlight the continued dominance of traditional web search, while also demonstrating the significant role of visual search through Google Images. The study emphasizes the importance of this finding for content marketers: “If you’re a search or content marketer and you’re not using visuals in your content strategy, now’s your wake-up call to rethink that.”
Methodology provides credible data source
The study methodology addresses several common challenges in search behavior analysis. First, it focuses exclusively on desktop web usage, which allows for consistent measurement over time despite the inability to track in-app search behavior. Second, it counts unique searches rather than total searches, excluding repeated identical queries performed on the same day.
Additionally, the research concentrates on what the authors call the “big 6” tabs in Google’s search interface: Images, Video, Maps, News, Shopping, and Web. Specialized search options like Google Scholar, Forums, and Flights were excluded from the analysis.
The researchers acknowledge certain limitations of their approach. Most notably, the study does not capture searches performed in mobile apps such as Google Maps or Google’s Android search app. However, they argue that the desktop data still provides “an excellent baseline to measure change over time” and remains “indicative of desktop search behavior and any loss to AI tools, which happens primarily on desktops and in web browsers.”
Implications for search marketing strategies
The findings have several implications for search marketing strategies. First, the wide variation in search frequency suggests that marketers should consider different user segments when developing their approaches. Heavy searchers may interact with content differently than occasional users.
Second, the popularity of Google Images reinforces the importance of visual elements in content strategy. As the research points out, “Google Images is a big story” that deserves attention from marketers. The data shows that while Images has declined from approximately one-third the volume of Google.com in 2018 to about one-eighth in 2024, it remains an extraordinarily important channel.
Third, the relatively low usage of specialized verticals like Shopping, News, and Video indicates that these channels may be more effective for targeted campaigns rather than broad reach strategies. However, the researchers note that content from these verticals often appears in main Google search results, meaning their influence extends beyond direct searches.
Future research directions
The researchers intend to repeat this study in Fall 2025 to track changes in search behavior over time. A particular focus will be measuring whether AI tools displace Google’s market share, which would manifest as a decrease in searches per user per month.
The research team also plans to monitor changes in the relative popularity of different Google search verticals and assess whether AI or other competitors specifically target features like Maps, Shopping, News, or Images.
While acknowledging the growing influence of AI tools, the researchers express skepticism about their short-term impact on mainstream search behavior. “My personal suspicion is that AI tools as a replacement for search is unlikely among most Internet users,” writes Fishkin. “A small group of passionate early adopters has definitely switched, but I think it’s unlikely we’ll see that penetrate the mainstream in the next year.”
This perspective contrasts with some commentators who have suggested a more rapid transformation of search behavior. The planned longitudinal study will provide empirical evidence to evaluate these competing hypotheses.
User reactions highlight divided perspectives
Early reactions to the study highlighted diverse viewpoints on the future of search. One commenter stated, “I now do, I’m guessing, 95% of my search on Perplexity. Good-bye Google,” reflecting the early adopter mindset mentioned in the research.
However, another commenter emphasized the research’s implications for those who had prematurely declared the decline of search engine optimization: “A lot of ‘SEO is dead’ theory was centered on the assumption that AI platforms are cutting deep into Google’s traffic. And that’s prolly because we SEOs and content marketers made a switch much faster than our customers.”
Others highlighted additional use cases for Google Images beyond those mentioned in the report. One commenter noted using image search “all of the time to find the exact product or information I want (by looking at the image). That is a shortcut to getting to the right link the first time.”
Timeline
- March 4, 2025: SparkToro and Datos release comprehensive analysis of Google search behavior
- January 2023 – January 2025: Period covered by the Datos US panel data used in the analysis
- 2024: Average American desktop web users performed 126 unique Google searches per month
- 2024: Google processed more than 5 trillion searches globally
- 2024: Google Images accounts for approximately one-eighth the volume of main Google.com searches
- May 2024: Launch of Google’s new “Web” tab, which shows limited adoption in the current data
- 2018: Previous research showed Google Images represented nearly one-third the volume of Google.com searches
- Fall 2025: Planned follow-up study to measure changes in search behavior over time
