Tiago Bianchi
Research expert covering internet & gaming in Latin America and Spain
Online search market in the United Kingdom - statistics & facts
Among some of the most important English-speaking online markets worldwide, the United Kingdom provides a rich environment for search engines to thrive. With millions of pounds invested in search and product advertising, the country is responsible for almost four percent of Google.com’s worldwide traffic, alongside its powerful local domain, Google.co.uk. Globalized and extensive as it is, the search market in Great Britain is not unaffected by worldwide trends. Demands for higher privacy and accuracy in search results resonate loudly among UK users, while the first impacts of the AI-powered online search trend first start appearing in one of the world’s most desired markets.
Microsoft’s Bing has a smaller but relatively successful market share of around four percent in the United Kingdom, slowly reproducing its recent growth observed in the U.S. search market. And while Yahoo! remains the third most-visited engine in the country, services like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia enjoy their biggest audience reach among British users. On the other hand, the Russian engine Yandex still has not caught the interest of users in Great Britain, despite its growth in the European and worldwide search markets.
This role puts online search as the main propeller of the UK digital advertising market, outstripping social media, banners, video, and classifieds. Spending on search advertising surpassed 21.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, growing around 9.37 percent in 2023 and projected to grow over eight percent throughout 2024. This positive outlook confirms the UK’s search market's worldwide relevance. However, the skepticism of the British public might pose higher stakes against the changes brought by AI-powered search tools, whose accuracy and usability remain contested and yet to be explored. Therefore, the main players in the British search market will still need to cater to the increasing demands of their local users to profit from one of its most strategic and representative markets.
The rulers of the British search market
Despite recent bumps and earthquakes experienced throughout the world, Google’s trajectory in the United Kingdom remains steady. With minor market share dips, its engine remained comfortable as the top player in the country, accounting for over 90 percent of the industry’s market share across all devices since 2015. While the impact waves of the AI-powered online search trend still haven’t affected the waters of the UK search market significantly, the relative success of other search engines appears across British lands.Microsoft’s Bing has a smaller but relatively successful market share of around four percent in the United Kingdom, slowly reproducing its recent growth observed in the U.S. search market. And while Yahoo! remains the third most-visited engine in the country, services like DuckDuckGo and Ecosia enjoy their biggest audience reach among British users. On the other hand, the Russian engine Yandex still has not caught the interest of users in Great Britain, despite its growth in the European and worldwide search markets.
The role of search engines for the British
Despite continued and intensive usage, British search users remain wary of search engines and the information they are provided. With a concerning pervasiveness of fake news in the country, most UK users believed that the accuracy of their search results depends on the search website itself. Only a fourth of them felt that the information listed on these tools is truthful, while even fewer respondents fully trusted search results. On the other hand, search engines are a valuable tool for British users when shopping, with 60 percent of local consumers use these tools when deciding which purchases to make.This role puts online search as the main propeller of the UK digital advertising market, outstripping social media, banners, video, and classifieds. Spending on search advertising surpassed 21.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, growing around 9.37 percent in 2023 and projected to grow over eight percent throughout 2024. This positive outlook confirms the UK’s search market's worldwide relevance. However, the skepticism of the British public might pose higher stakes against the changes brought by AI-powered search tools, whose accuracy and usability remain contested and yet to be explored. Therefore, the main players in the British search market will still need to cater to the increasing demands of their local users to profit from one of its most strategic and representative markets.
