• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Consumer

Data: Google monthly search volume dwarfs rivals because of mobile advantage

Google likely has 30+ billion queries per month across platforms.

Greg Sterling on February 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm
  • More
local-search-maps-ss-1920

In the past year, comScore has de-emphasized its search market share and mobile market share reports. Part of the reason is that the numbers don’t change that much anymore.

In addition, for reasons that remain mysterious, the measurement firm has declined to present a consolidated view of the search marketplace that includes both desktop and mobile. Mobile search is now both larger and, in many respects, more important than desktop search.

Below are the most recent comScore PC search market share and query volume figures for December 2016:

Screen Shot 2017-02-09 at 2.13.12 PM

Across the board, desktop search queries are down vs. November. Google’s overall share remains basically stable at 63+ percent. Microsoft continues its slow growth on the PC, while the others continue their slow declines. It’s worth noting again that Bing powers search results for AOL, Yahoo, Siri + Spotlight search and Amazon, which is not reflected above.

On mobile devices, it’s mostly a story about Google, however. According to data from StatCounter, Google controls about 95 percent of mobile search query volume on a global basis. Even if this number is not entirely accurate — some people are critical of StatCounter data — it’s beyond dispute that Google has a massive lead in mobile search.

Global Smartphone Search Market Share (StatCounter)

statcounter mobile search data
We know from Google itself that at least 50 percent of its global query volume is now from mobile devices. The number varies by category but is probably closer to 60 percent overall.

If we assume that the comScore PC query volume figures are accurate, Google had roughly 15 billion desktop searches in the US this past December. If so, Google is seeing at least 15 billion more from US mobile devices, which is partly how the company is able to keep generating strong financial results even as desktop queries are flat.

At the end of last year, according to comScore, smartphone penetration among mobile phone owners passed 80 percent. That means there are now more than 200 million smartphone in the US, which is probably a conservative number.

smartphone penetration

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Channel: ConsumerGoogle: Web SearchStats: comScoreStats: PopularityStats: Search BehaviorStats: Size

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

Available On-Demand: SMX Create

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

Next Event: Sept. 14-15, 2021

Available On-Demand: March 2021

Available On-Demand: October 2020

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms
  • Selecting a Customer Data Platform For Your Organization: The 2020 Gartner Market Guide
  • The Complete Guide to Web Core Vitals
  • The New Era of Automation in SEO
  • Nielsen Annual Marketing Report: Era of Adaptation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Drive Customer Engagement with the Power of Personalization
  • 7 Use Cases That Prove Why You Should Implement DAM
  • Accelerate Your SEO & Content Marketing Program with 4 Key Milestones
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Attend SMX For Only $199

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok