In a significant shift in online behavior, a new report by Datos and SparkToro released on January 28, 2026, reveals that Google desktop searches per user in the U.S. plunged by nearly 20% between 2024 and 2025.
This decline does not mean Americans are abandoning Google; rather, the data suggests Google is losing repeat searches because users are getting their answers faster.
1. Why the Drop? The “One and Done” Effect
The primary driver behind the decline is the rise of AI-powered answers (like Google’s own AI Overviews and “AI Mode”).
- Reduced Follow-ups: Previously, a user might perform 3–4 searches to triangulate an answer. Now, AI summaries often satisfy the query in a single prompt.
- Zero-Click Stabilization: “Zero-click” searches (where the user gets the answer on the SERP without clicking a link) stabilized in the low-20% range by late 2025.
- Complex Queries: Mid-length queries (6–9 words) are the fastest-growing segment, as users now trust the engine to handle complex, natural-language questions in one go.
2. U.S. vs. Europe: A Habitual Gap
The search recession is uniquely American. The report highlights a sharp contrast in how quickly AI is altering habits across different regions:
- USA: ~20% decline in searches per user.
- EU/UK: Only a 2% to 3% decline over the same period.
3. Where is the Traffic Going?
While users are searching less frequently on Google, they aren’t necessarily wandering into the “open web.” Traffic is becoming increasingly concentrated:
- The “Big 5” Destinations: Post-search traffic is still dominated by YouTube, Reddit, Amazon, Wikipedia, and Facebook.
- The Rise of ChatGPT: ChatGPT has climbed to No. 7 among top U.S. search destinations, making it one of the few platforms to successfully “steal” significant search intent from traditional engines.
- Quora’s Fall: Interestingly, Quora has dropped out of the top 15 destinations, largely replaced by AI summaries that distill the same types of community-driven answers.
4. The “Search Traffic Drop 2026” Impact
For publishers and marketers, this 20% drop in user activity represents a “tougher discovery era”:
- Informational Queries: Since 88% of AI-triggered searches are informational, sites that rely on “how-to” or “top-of-funnel” traffic are seeing the steepest declines.
- Clicks vs. Visibility: Brands are 6.5x more likely to be cited in an AI Overview than to get a click from their own domain, forcing a pivot toward “AI Optimization” (AIO) over traditional SEO.
- Conversion over Traffic: Local businesses are seeing rankings hold steady while actual website clicks fluctuate, as users now convert directly through Google Business Profiles.
Conclusion: A Shift in Metric
The data proves that Search Volume is no longer a reliable metric for digital health. In 2026, the goal for brands is no longer just “appearing in the top 10,” but becoming the primary citation within the AI summary that ends the user’s search journey.
