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Google reaffirms 15% of searches are new, never been searched before

Google processes trillions of searches every year, and still, 15% of those queries have never been seen by Google before.

Barry Schwartz on April 25, 2017 at 10:47 am

Today, Google has reaffirmed that 15 percent of Google searches done by users on a daily basis have never been seen before. Google said this back in 2013 and now has restated that metric as Google announced Project Owl this morning.

Google wrote:

There are trillions of searches on Google every year. In fact, 15 percent of searches we see every day are new — which means there’s always more work for us to do to present people with the best answers to their queries from a wide variety of legitimate sources. While our search results will never be perfect, we’re as committed as always to preserving your trust and to ensuring our products continue to be useful for everyone.

Last year, Google told us they handle over 2 trillion searches per year. In 2012, Google claimed they processed 1.2 trillion searches per year. Google did not give a more specific number today, saying “trillions” of searches are performed yearly on Google.

Google was specific in saying that 15 percent of the queries Google sees are brand-new, which is why search is a challenge in general. Back in 2007, that figure was closer to 20 to 25 percent.

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on SEM topics.