A new study shows that nearly half of all internet users perform a search query every day.
Still not convinced that getting high search engine rankings is the greatest thing since sliced bread? Here is yet another in a long series of studies to show you just how essential search is in the everyday life of internet users.
According to a new study by PEW Internet the average internet user performs a search 49% of the time on any typical day. That represents a 69% increase since the study was first performed in 2002 when only about 33% of users performed a search on any given day.
Email is still at the top of the heap of daily activities with 60% of users reporting daily email use, but that figure has grown only 15% from 52% in 2002. Additional popular daily activities include checking the news (39% daily), checking the weather (30% daily) and hobby research (29% daily).
The staggering increase in the number of users that perform web searches on sites like Google everyday points to the importance of establishing a strong web presence. With so many people using search to find everything they need, your company could be left in the dark if your products or services are not ranked highly in the search engines or you are not using pay per click practices.
The study’s author suggests that the reason for this significant rise in search engine use could have to do with the number of content and website specific search options now available, an increase in high speed internet connections, or the increasing usefulness of the major search engines.
To learn more about this study, download a PDF copy here.
