With an established market led by companies like Google and Microsoft, the usage of search engines and assistants is an almost ubiquitous factor in the online experience. The ever-increasing insertion of the internet into everyday activities and services means more usage of these tools, resulting in more consumer data and potential for advertisers seeking to reach their target audience with ads. But higher scrutiny of how tech companies manage user data and online privacy, added to trends like artificial intelligence and chatbots to search engines, might make the online search market undergo substantial changes in the upcoming years.
Digital advertising spending worldwide from 2018 to 2028, by format (in billion U.S. dollars)
Further details: Visit original statistic Digital advertising spending worldwide from 2018 to 2028, by format (in billion U.S. dollars)
As seen from the success of the market leader Google over the last couple of decades, online search is a lucrative business, generating more than 300 billion USD for the company. By 2023, the search advertising expenditure in the United States was expected to reach 88.8 billion and over 279 billion USD worldwide.
Online search usageMarket share of leading desktop search engines worldwide from January 2015 to January 2024
Further details: Visit original statistic Market share of leading desktop search engines worldwide from January 2015 to January 2024
Google is the dominant market leader in search, in large part thanks to the quality of the search engine itself which is powered by highly advanced algorithms. However, interoperability with the tech giant’s other products, as well as default settings on browsers and mobile devices helped to consolidate Google’s powerful position in the sector. Bing is the only real contender to Google in the English-language online search market, albeit with a far smaller market share in comparison.
GoogleU.S. customer satisfaction with internet portals and search engines in 2024 (index score)
Further details: Visit original statistic U.S. customer satisfaction with internet portals and search engines in 2024 (index score)
Many alternative search providers, like Ecosia and DuckDuckGo, use Bing to power their results through syndication agreements. These alternatives are trying to get a foothold in the search market by offering superior online privacy and, in Ecosia’s case, sustainability incentives. In China, where Google is not available due to disputes over censorship regulations, Baidu is the country’s preferred search engine. In Russia, Yandex is the market leader.
Search engines in ChinaTop Google search queries worldwide in 2023 (index value)
Further details: Visit original statistic Top Google search queries worldwide in 2023 (index value)
Online search is part of everyday life for anybody connected to the web. The searches for weather forecasts and access to social networks beat any current topic and remain some of the most popular queries worldwide. At the top, ranking only behind Google itself and YouTube, is the global interest in video as a keyword, showing the power and potential of this kind of content on the current internet landscape.
2023 in Google SearchesNumber of adults in the United States using generative artificial intelligence (AI) first for online search in 2023 and 2027 (in millions)
The release of ChatGPT warmed up the well-established online search market, forcing a new trend of chatbots that provide search results in the format of a conversation. With lots of enthusiasm from companies and users, the artificial intelligence-powered online search has already shaken the ground of leading companies, starting in a race with smaller competitors and startups to present the best candidate for a rather experimental and risky technology.
AI-powered online search
Statista offers a wide range of statistics, facts, and survey data relating to online search engines. The platform provides up-to-date information on the number of search engine users, global and regional search volumes, as well as online search usage trends and demographics.
In this section, users can find comprehensive data on the world’s leading search engines and internet companies. Statista’s reports and rankings cover everything from reach and penetration rates to visitor numbers, annual revenue figures, and desktop and mobile market shares of the most popular search portals worldwide. Information surrounding trending keywords and technologies can also be found.
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