Google searches drop 20% YoY

Datos and SparkToro said on January 28 that Google desktop searches per U.S. user fell nearly 20% year over year in 2025, according to reporting by Search Engine Land. The data, based on clickstream activity from tens of millions of U.S. users, pointed to fewer repeat searches rather than a broad loss of Google users. (searchengineland.com) Traditional search still represented about 10% of all U.S. desktop activity through 2025, the report said. ### Where did the 20% figure come from? Search Engine Land reported that the figure came from a Datos and SparkToro analysis of U.S. desktop behavior. The decline was measured on a per-user basis, not as a collapse in Google’s overall reach. (gadgets360.com) Europe, by contrast, saw a smaller decline of about 2% to 3%, according to the same report. January 28 is the key date attached to the figure now circulating in marketing commentary. The report described the shift as a reduction in repeat searches, which means users were making fewer searches each, even as Google remained a large part of desktop behavior. (searchengineland.com) ### Does that mean people stopped using Google? Google was still handling a large share of user activity in the Datos and SparkToro analysis. Search Engine Land said traditional search held roughly 10% of U.S. desktop activity and stayed nearly flat through 2025, even as searches per person fell. (searchengineland.com) The distinction matters because the reported decline is about frequency, not disappearance. Search Engine Land said the data suggested Google was “losing repeat searches,” not necessarily losing its user base. ### What is pulling discovery away from classic search boxes? (searchengineland.com) Google spent its May 20 I/O announcements pushing more AI-led discovery across its products. Ars Technica reported that Google search executive Liz Reid said the company was remaking search around agentic AI in 2026. YouTube announced “Ask YouTube” on May 20 as a conversational search feature that lets users ask detailed questions and refine results with follow-up prompts. (searchengineland.com) Gadgets 360 reported that the feature uses Gemini to surface both Shorts and long-form videos and is initially available to U.S. Premium users aged 18 and older. (martech.org) TechCrunch reported that Google also added Gemini Omni tools to Shorts. That puts short-form video inside a search-like interface where users can ask for advice, reviews or how-to answers without starting on a traditional web results page. (arstechnica.com) ### Why are marketers connecting this to Reels, creators and UGC? The social-media claim that users are shifting to Reels, creators and user-generated content goes beyond what the Datos and SparkToro report directly measured. The report established the search decline; the idea that discovery is moving toward creator-led video is an inference supported by platform product changes and current marketing behavior, not a direct quote from the underlying search data. (gadgets360.com) Search behavior is also being reshaped by answers that appear before a click. Semrush said in a 10 million-keyword study that Google’s AI Overviews were affecting which queries trigger direct answers and how clicks are distributed. (techcrunch.com) Ahrefs reported in February that AI Overviews reduced clicks to top-ranking content in its updated analysis. ### What should a local brand do with this? A local business cannot assume that discovery starts and ends with a Google results page. The reported decline in searches per user, combined with YouTube’s conversational search rollout, suggests that answer-driven video is becoming part of how people look for products, services and advice. (searchengineland.com) That is an inference from the data and product launches, not a formal forecast. Brands that want to be found need short videos that answer specific customer questions in plain language, using recognizable people, products and locations. Google said Ask YouTube will expand beyond its initial U.S. (semrush.com) Premium release in the coming months, putting more weight on video as a discovery surface as 2026 progresses. (gadgets360.com) (searchengineland.com)