Google Say More Searches Now On Mobile Than On Desktop

Google confirmed yesterday at a digital advertising conference that for the first time ever, more searches were being conducted from mobile devices than PCs. While they haven’t told us exactly how many searches are coming from our mobile screens, we can safely assume that it’s a pretty significant amount considering more than 100 billion search requests are processed by Google every month.

Many will have been anticipating the mobile search leapfrog for some time, so this is certainly a landmark for Google and coincides with their recent, well-publicised algorithm update. There were some informal whispers coming from Google last year that suggested mobile would soon overtake desktop searches, so it would seem confirmation hasn’t come out of the blue.

Where Is Mobile Search Most Popular?

Google cited 10 countries where mobile search is most prevalent, naming the US and Japan as two of these countries. As well as not disclosing specific search figures and the additional eight countries, Google also declined to comment on how recently the change happened. They did say that mobile queries included browser-based searches as well as those coming from Google’s mobile search apps.

Remember that Google place desktops and tablets in the same bracket, so recorded mobile search queries only ever come from our smartphones. It’s difficult to determine the specifics behind the mobile take over with very little information released, although comScore have previously released a report and graphic that shows the volume of US-based search queries on PCs, tablets and smartphones.

ComScore’s data greatly contradicts Google’s revelations, so it would seem that mobile search has either grown much faster than anticipated since these findings were published this time last year or the data is simply incorrect.

Impact Of The Mobile Changeover

What we do know is that online behaviour has changed considerably since 2007, when the first iPhone was released by Apple. This saw an influx of similar devices introduced to the market, changing the way we stayed connected and used online services. The popularity of mobile search today will certainly rock manufacturers loyal to their desktop and laptop computers.

However, Google were also affected in the past by the dramatic increase in smartphone sales, with ad prices declining to this day due to marketers being cautious over commercial messages displayed on smaller mobile screens. Google have countered this in the past, saying that ad prices have actually been rising and will continue to do so as marketers recognise the value of connecting with prospective customers through mobile-friendly advertising.

Mobile Is The Future For Marketers

These revelations have come about swiftly after the release of Google’s most talked-about algorithm update, giving the mobile-friendly algorithm a bit more colour and context. There’s no doubting the fact that mobile search is growing and smaller screens could now be exactly what marketers have to prioritise.

Contact Us

To find out if your site is mobile-friendly or to learn more about how Google’s latest revelation might affect you, get in touch with Artemis today.