Consumer search behavior in the age of AI

AI search isn’t the disruptive nemesis it’s been portrayed to be—yet.

On the contrary, Google is still in a dominant position, and it benefits from a powerful trifecta: a traditional search engine, a companion AI platform and the top site for social search, YouTube.

One day after Alphabet released strong quarterly earnings (and on the 3-month anniversary of being a solopreneur), my first-ever Sonata Insights research is live!

"Consumer Search Behaviors: What's Changing and What's Not in the Age of AI" is a custom white paper produced in partnership with Datos, A Semrush Company.

In the paper, I analyzed exclusive desktop and mobile web browsing data covering May 2023 to May 2024, focusing on traditional search players (Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo!), AI-driven platforms (Open AI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini and Perplexity), social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, Twitter/X and YouTube), and retail giants (Amazon, eBay, Instacart, Kroger and Walmart).

Here are two of my top findings:

1️⃣ The percentage of traditional search engine users who also use AI platforms remains low.

In May 2024, 16.45% of traditional search users used at least one of the AI platforms in the study, showing an increase of about two points year-over-year. However, 99% of AI platform users in the study also continued to use traditional search engines.

2️⃣ Google is showing no sign of weakness.

Google’s share of the combined desktop and web traffic for the properties in the study remained essentially the same between May 2023 and May 2024. The percentage of users who searched was also relatively unchanged over the course of the year.

For more, head to Datos to download the full report. https://lnkd.in/dKNr7PFQ

Huge thanks to Belinda Conde, Anna Laskovaya, Eli Goodman and the rest of the Datos team for patiently answering all my questions about the data and how we presented it.

This is the first of several custom research pieces I'll be delivering to clients this summer and fall. Reach out if you'd like to explore how Sonata Insights’ custom co-branded research and advisory services can help you prepare for and capitalize on the tectonic shifts in marketing that are being spurred by AI.