Does Google Have a Search Monopoly?

How Many Search Engines Are There?

Jumpshot (a company that analyzes user activity on platforms such as Amazon, Google, Netflix, and Walmart) analyzed 24 billion searches conducted by users in the US since January 2016 to create a broader picture of this environment. This analysis focused on desktop search; on Android phones; voice search; and in-app search. iOS devices were not included in the quantitative analysis.

This data, focusing on the dominant search provider, suggests that on Google itself there are approximately 789 million searches on desktop computers and 925 million searches on Androids on a typical day in the US - these numbers would increase by 25-30% if we included searches in Google Images, Google Maps, and YouTube.

The Number of Searches on Google Is Actually Declining

This is a decrease of approximately 10-15% since January 2016. It is difficult to estimate whether this reflects a genuine decline in consumer engagement with Google, or merely a shift of some search-related activities to the Google app and Google Home. It is doubtful that Google is being used less frequently or is becoming less relevant in consumers' lives.

For example, on Android phones, the data shows that use of the Google app is strong, growing, and far outpacing other search apps. In May 2019, 82% of Android phones were used to access the Google app, while for other search apps this figure is less than 5%. Users of the Google app access it four times a day.

Which leads to the next question: What is Google's share of search? On desktop, Google has a 61% share of search, compared with 52% in January 2016; on Android, Google receives 76%, compared with 65%.

The direct number of searches on Google has fallen - so if its share is stable or growing, this means that competitors are losing even more. And that is exactly what the data shows. The number of Bing searches has fallen by approximately 60% since January 2016, and Yahoo has declined by approximately 45% (both are small compared with Google, receiving less than 5% of Google's search volume).

New Competitors: Amazon on the Rise

What Is Google's Share of Search?

Does Google Have a Search Monopoly? Market Shares

Two emerging competitors stand out in the search field. The first is Amazon, which has overtaken the older players Bing and Yahoo, taking second place in the ranking, behind Google. Amazon receives 38 million searches on desktop per day and 18 million on Android. The number of Amazon searches is 5% of Google's on desktop and 2% of Google's on Android - and that is enough for second place.

Of course, the nature of search on Amazon differs from search on Google. Search on Amazon is more product-related and has different pathways. Search queries on Google are more unique and reflect the fact that consumers often use Google to get to the websites they use most frequently.

A Qualitative Difference in Searches

Even in the more specific area of product search, Amazon and Google have qualitatively different types of search. In particular, Google receives more unique searches, while Amazon gets more searches focused on general category descriptions. For example, Amazon gets most search results for "headphones" and "earbuds," while Google gets more searches related to "Bose noise-cancelling headphones" and "Airpods."

In women's fashion, the most popular searches on Amazon are general terms such as "women's leggings," while the most popular searches in this category on Google are brands such as Forever 21 and H&M.

Summary

Jumpshot's analysis covering 24 billion searches in the US shows that although the number of Google searches has fallen by 10-15% since January 2016, the giant's market share is growing - it stands at 61% on desktop and 76% on Android. Competitors such as Bing and Yahoo are losing far more - their search volumes have fallen by 60% and 45%, respectively.

However, the biggest gains are being made by Amazon, which has overtaken Bing and Yahoo to become the second most popular search engine - it generates 38 million searches per day on desktop and 18 million on Android. Unlike Google, searches on Amazon are more product-related, which demonstrates a qualitative difference in user intent.