111+ Google Statistics and Facts That Reveal Everything About the Tech Giant

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Today, people don’t search for something online – they GOOGLE it.

Google is a universe of its own. Today it’s more than a search engine we all know and use.

I compiled a list of more than 111+ Google Statistics and Facts to show you what’s under the hood of the third most valuable company in the world.

So without further ado, let’s jump right in.

Mind-Blowing Google Statistics and Facts

  • There are over 70,000 Google searches each second. That’s almost 227 million an hour and about 5.4 billion Google searches per day.
  • Google, the most popular search engine controls 90% of the global search engine market.
  • Google has over 246 million unique US visitors. That’s more than 75% of the US population.
  • Google earned $116.3 billion in advertising revenue in 2018.
  • Mobile devices account for 63% of all Google searches.
  • There are more than 2.5 billion Android-powered devices worldwide.
  • Google has invested $47 billion in its tech infrastructure during the last three years.
  • Alphabet’s market cap is over $840 billion.
  • Did you notice something about these Google stats?

Almost everything about Google is in billions!

And these figures are just the tip of the iceberg.

You’ll be amazed at what lies underneath.

Spoiler alert!

In the following list, you’ll find some Google statistics and facts that literally show what lies at the bottom of the ocean.

General Facts About Google and Alphabet

First off, let’s get to know Google and its parent company.

1. Alphabet Inc. statistics – as of September 2019, Alphabet’s market cap is over $840 billion.

(Source: Macrotrends)

  • At the end of the fiscal year 2018, Alphabet’s revenue was more than $136 billion.
  • Alphabet’s revenue for Q2 2019 was almost $39 billion. This is a 19.25% increase compared to the same period in 2018.
  • Alphabet’s “Other Bets” are still losing money. By the end of 2018, these companies had combined revenue of $154 million and $1.32 billion in losses.
  • Google’s employee count is about 102,000. Moreover, the company works with nearly 121,000 contractors and temps globally.
  • Naturally, Google is Alphabet’s top earner, followed by YouTube and Google Cloud. According to Sundar Pichai, its cloud services have an annual run rate of more than $8 billion.

In a nutshell – The alphabet is enormous. It owns more than 200 companies in various fields. Furthermore, it has the financial clout to support all of them, with enough money left to invest in multiple other ventures.

Google Services Statistics and Facts

Google’s spider web of services is so vast that online users can find almost everything in the corporation’s ecosystem.

2. How many people are using Google services? How many Google searches per day?

(Source: Search Engine Land)

As of October 2019, the number of Google searches per second is more than 77,500. Basic math calculation shows that approximately 6696000000 searches happen on Google Search engine every day.

Just to compare, the number of daily Google searches was 10,000 back in 1998 when Google appeared.

That numbers show Google Search Engine usage. But what percent of people on the internet are using other Google services besides the search engine? – let’s check it out

  • Google’s search engine market share is more than 90%.
  • Considering that there are almost 4.39 billion internet users, the number of Google users worldwide is nearly four billion.
  • There are 246 million unique Google users in the US.
  • Google usage statistics show Google Photos has over one billion active users.
  • YouTube has over 1.9 billion active users each month.
  • Google Chrome is the most popular browser with a market share of 69.28%.
  • According to Google statistics, Gmail has more than 1.5 billion active users.
  • There are more than 2.5 billion Android-powered devices worldwide.
  • One of the less well-known Google facts is that there are more than two million accounts on Google Ads.
  • There are more than 2.9 million companies that use one or more of Google’s marketing services.

These statistics answer two fundamental questions –

  1. “What percentage of the world uses Google?” and
  2. “How many users does Google have in 2019?”

The four billion Google users in 2019 account for about 52% of the entire world population.

Not only that, but Google aims to increase its user-base further.

By the way, here’s a fun fact about Google.

Do you know how many times has Google been Googled?

As of July 2019, there were almost 85 million searches for the word “google.”

It ranks fifth in the most popular Google searches.

Now you are probably wondering what is the most searched thing on google ever.

According to Ahrefs, Facebook, followed by YouTube, Amazon, and Gmail are the top Google searches in 2020.

Google Search Statistics and Facts

The search engine is the key source of revenue for Alphabet. Let’s check out some facts about Google’s search algorithm and its changes throughout the years to help it stay on the top as the best search engine.

3. Google search stats show the company makes 500 to 600 changes to its search algorithms each year.

(Source: Medium)

  • In 2011 Google rolled out its Panda update. Its purpose was to lower the rankings of sites with inferior content.
  • Google released its “Top-Heavy” update in 2012. It targets websites with too many ads above the fold and too little content below.
  • In 2012 the company rolled out one more update – “Penguin”. It detects and de-ranks sites with manipulative and spamlike links.
  • Google introduced its “Hummingbird” update in 2013. Its goal is to provide users with better search results by understanding the overall meaning instead of focusing on the individual keywords in a query.
  • Pigeon” appeared in 2014, focusing on more relevant local search results.
  • Google’s “Mobile-Friendly Update” aka Mobilegeddon boosts the rankings of mobile-optimized pages. It only affects searches made via a mobile device and was launched in 2015.
  • Along with Mobilegeddon, “RankBrain” joined the fun in 2015. It uses machine learning to help Google deliver more relevant search results.
  • Since 2017 “Fred” targets low-quality search results that aim only to generate ad revenue.
  • Google stopped with the cool names in 2018 when it introduced “Algorithm Quality Update”. It changes the sites’ rankings based on content, loading time, bounce rates, and ad stuffing.
  • The “June 2019 core update” focused on website authority and targeted niche websites in different industries – like legal, finance, and medical.
  • At the same time, the so-called “Diversity update” came out. Its purpose is to diversify search results so that there won’t be more than two listings from the same domain in Google’s top results.

Apart from delivering the best possible search results to users, the Google algorithm updates keep every SEO expert busy. It’s a constantly evolving system, which helps maintain Google’s top spot among search engines.

4. RankBrain statistics – Google uses more than 200 ranking factors and about 10,000 ranking signals to produce the best search results.

(Source: Search Engine Land)

  • And one of the curious Google facts is that RankBrain is the third most influential ranking factor out of these 200.
  • When asked to find the best page for a given query, RankBrain outperformed Google’s engineers by 10%.
  • When Google rolled out RankBrain in 2015, it processed only 15% of all searches. Since 2016, the machine-learning system has been handling all queries.

Google constantly improves its services by implementing machine learning and AI. And its search engine isn’t an exception. RankBrain is only one part of Google’s algorithm, but it’s an essential component of how Google delivers its search results.

5. Statistics about Google’s mobile-first indexing – 63% of all Google searches happen on a mobile device.

(Source: Statista)

  • 68% of companies that have a mobile-first website report an increase in sales.
  • By the end of 2018, Google had applied mobile-first indexing to more than 50% of the pages shown in its search results.
  • Since July 1, 2019, Google has been using mobile-first indexing for all new websites.

Since mobile devices have dethroned desktop and laptop computers in terms of online access, it’s only natural that Google will also focus on mobile searches.

Considering the fact that there are over 2.47 billion Gen Zers, which accounts for nearly 30% of the total world population, this mobile-first initiative from Google is a smart decision. 45% of Gen Z teens have reported that they are “almost constantly” online, viewing content on their smartphones.

If you are a parent of one of these GenZ teens and worried about your teenage kids’ online activity, you could consider parental control software. Here you can find evaluated and listed the best parental control software for 2021.

 

Google already announced how it favors mobile-friendly websites. So, for those of you who are eager to start adapting to the upcoming trends, we have some fantastic web design stats and free of charge website builder options to help you build a more mobile-friendly website.

Google Reviews and Their Impact on Local Businesses

Reviews can make or break your business. Not only do they influence users’ purchase decisions, but they also affect your SEO.

6. Stats about Google reviews – they account for 57.5% of all reviews worldwide.

(Source: Review Trackers)

In case you didn’t know, people do read reviews. And they matter a lot. If you want to find out more, check out our online reviews statistics.

7. The impact of Google reviews on local businesses – 74% have at least one Google review.

(Source: BrightLocal)

  • More than half (54%) of US consumers pay the most attention to a local company’s star rating.
  • 60% of all consumers say they read reviews for local businesses on Google.
  • Google stats show 61% of local businesses have between a 4 and a 5-star rating.
  • The first three local businesses that appear on Google’s search results page have an average of 47 reviews.

Google reviews and ratings have a massive impact on local businesses’ online profiles. If you want to stand out among the competition (and I bet you do), ask your customers to leave reviews.

Google Financial Health Statistics

Now that you know how many people use Google and how many Google searches per day there are, it’s time to monetize the data.

8. Google financials stats – in Q2 2019, Google’s revenue was more than $38 billion. 84% came from advertisements.

(Source: Alphabet)

  • In Q2 2019, Google made more than $6 billion in other revenues. That’s almost a 40% increase YoY.
  • Ever since Alphabet was launched and Sundar Pichai became Google’s CEO, the company has been growing at a breathtaking pace. Overall, Google’s revenue has increased by 82.74% from 2015 to 2018. Here’s its YoY growth.
    • 2016 – 20.71%
    • 2017 – 22.67%
    • 2018 – 23.41%
  • Alphabet’s stakes in other companies are worth approximately $11 billion.
  • According to Google financials, Android generated $31 billion in revenue and $22 billion in profit in 2016.
  • Since February 1, 2019, European Android manufacturers have had to pay Google to include the Play Store and other Google apps on their devices. The cost can reach up to $40 per device. This act has to do with the $1.5 billion antitrust fine the EU imposed on the tech giant.
  • From June 2018 to September 2019 US political ad spend on Google was over $106 million. The “TRUMP MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN COMMITTEE” was the biggest spender with more than $6 million spent on Google ads.
  • Although Google’s advertising business is the organization’s top earner, it doesn’t lack competition. Some brands have transferred 50%-60% of their Google ad budgets to Amazon.

There’s an undeniable trend in Google’s growth – under Sundar Pichai’s management, the company is making more and more money each year.

There’s also a slight change in income sources. Although there’s a slight decline in its digital ad market share, Google’s other sources of income are performing better YoY.

Overall, Google’s management is balancing the company’s finances well, growing them at incredible rates.

9. The search engine giant earned $116.3 billion from advertisements by the end of 2018.

(Source: Statista)

  • US digital advertising spend is set to reach $129.34 billion by the end of 2019. That’s a 19.1% increase compared to 2018.
  • The industry that spends the most on digital ads in the US is “retail” – $28.33 billion. The automotive industry is second with $15.91 billion, followed by financial services ($15.69 billion).
  • Digital ads will account for 66% of the global ad spend by 2023.
  • Google’s market share in US digital advertising is 37.2%. However, other significant players are undermining Google’s dominance because in 2018 it had a 38.2% market share. Meanwhile, Facebook (22.1%) and Amazon (8.8%) are on the rise compared to last year.
  • The industries that use Google Ads the most are “retail” (more than 26,000 companies), “automotive” (18,000+), and healthcare (17,000+). Information Technology and Services advertise the least (8,000+ companies).

Statistics show digital advertising is a lucrative business. The retail industry is Google’s biggest advertiser and contributes the most to Google’s impressive ad revenue.

Still, Facebook and Amazon are taking increasingly more significant pieces of the digital advertising pie.

So, make sure to include a section dedicated to digital marketing in your business plan.

How Does Google Spend Its Money?

You are probably wondering what Google does with this mind-blowing amount of money. Like many big corporations, it invests in various ventures.

10. Facts about Google spending – the company spent more than $18 million on lobbying in 2017.

(Source: Time)

  • Google’s federal lobbying expenses for 2018 equaled $21 million. In Q1 and Q2 2019, Google spent $6.3 million.
  • In 2017, Google paid HTC $1.1 billion for smartphone expertise.
  • According to Google statistics, the search engine spent more than $7 billion on traffic acquisition costs in Q2 2019. That’s 22% of its advertising revenue for the same period.
  • In Q2 2019, the company’s “Other Bets” had nearly $1 billion ($989 million) in losses.
  • In 2019, Google will spend more than $13 billion on data centers and offices in the US.

Source: Google

In a nutshell – Google spends its money on becoming even more powerful and aims to expand its dominance across various fields.

11. Google spending on internet infrastructure – the search engine titan has the most significant private network, which delivers up to 25% of the world’s internet traffic.

(Source: Geo-Tel)

  • Google has invested $47 billion in its tech infrastructure during the last three years.
  • Google will invest $600 million in Nevada’s internet infrastructure by the end of 2019.
  • In 2017, one of Google’s “Other Bets” – Loon, managed to connect 250,000 people to the Web in Puerto Rico.
  • One of the little-known Google facts is that by the end of 2019, the company will own 10,433 miles of submarine cables that deliver internet internationally.

The company is set to build three international submarine cables:

  • “Curie” will deliver internet from California to Chile. The cable’s length is about 6213 miles. Google didn’t disclose the project’s price, but it could be up to $350 million. It should be up and running by the end of 2019.
  • “Dunant” will connect the US and France. By 2020, it will deliver 250 terabits per second.
  • The “Equiano” cable will link Portugal and South Africa. It’s going to be online in 2021, and Google expects it to have about 20 times more capacity than the last cable serving that region.

Source: Google

Boy, for a non-telecom company, Google sure does have a lot of wires!

The main idea is to connect as many people as possible to the internet.

And although the company doesn’t say it outright – it’s a race for power.

The higher the number of people on the Web, the higher the number of Google users. That will translate into more significant influence and bigger profits.

Needless to say, whoever controls the internet controls the modern world.

Google Acquisitions and “Other Bets”

Although its search services are the goose that lays the golden eggs, Google is investing in many other ventures. Some of them, like YouTube, have become mind-blowingly profitable.

Still, some of them haven’t.

12. Stats about Google’s assets and their worth – the search giant bought Android for $50 million in 2005. Today the OS is worth $2.5 billion.

(Sources: Wired and The Wealth Record)

  • Google acquired Waze for $966 million in 2013. Today its estimated annual revenue is $37.7 million.
  • Google bought YouTube for $1.6 billion in 2006. In 2018, Morgan Stanley pegged the platform’s worth at $160 billion.
  • Nest Labs cost $3.2 billion in 2014. The company, which produced smart home appliances, was unable to reach $1 billion in sales per year. In 2019 Nest doesn’t exist as a subsidiary but is now a part of Google Inc.
  • Google bought DeepMind for $600 million in 2014. The competition for AI researchers between Google, Facebook, and Amazon suggests enormous staff expenses. That, in addition to research costs, lead to $570 million in losses for the AI lab in 2018.
  • The most expensive deal for Google in 2019 is the acquisition of Looker, a business intelligence platform. Its estimated cost is $2.6 billion and Google is set to close the deal by the end of the year.
  • The worst deal Google made is also the most expensive one. It’s the purchase of Motorola Mobility for almost $13 billion in 2012. Two years later, Lenovo bought the company for $2.91 billion.

Although not all of Google’s acquisitions turn profitable, they are strategic investments. Google implements their services on its own, thus increasing the company’s influence on different markets.

Take Waze, for example. It doesn’t make that much money (considering the purchase cost). Still, the live traffic information provided by Waze turned Google Maps into the number one mapping service.

And even the Motorola Mobility deal has had its benefits. Despite the $10 billion write-downs, Google obtained more than 17,000 technology patents.

13. Google maps statistics – over four million websites worldwide use Google Maps.

(Source: SimilarTech)

Google Maps is the leader in the navigation apps market. Considering that Google owns Waze (which has about 12% market share), it’s safe to say all others are fighting for the crumbs on the table.

14. Waymo statistics – the autonomous system of Google’s self-driving cars disengages only once every 11,017 miles.

(Source: Forbes)

  • According to different sources, Waymo’s worth is between $25 and 175$ billion.
  • The investment bank UBS estimates Waymo could book $114 billion in revenue in 2030.
  • Waymo’s cars have driven over 10 million miles on the US roads. Additionally, they’ve driven more than 10 billion miles in simulation.
  • As of 2019, Waymo’s carpool consists of 600 autonomous cars. Google announced they had ordered 62,000 additional Chrysler Pacificas and 20,000 Jaguar I-Paces.

Formerly known as Google Cars, Waymo is on its way to transforming the automotive market.

Several competitors are trying to create the best autonomous vehicle, but Tesla is arguably the leader in 2019.

Will Waymo become the Tesla-Killer?

Only time will tell. And that time is coming soon.

15. Google statistics and facts about AI investments and innovations – there are over one billion devices with Google Assistant. And their number has doubled since 2018.

(Source: The Verge)

  • Google statistics show the company has spent about $3.9 billion in AI startups since 2006. For comparison, for the same period, Amazon spent $871 million, followed by Apple – $786 million.
  • Google facts show its DeepMind AI can identify more than 50 eye diseases.
  • By analyzing a single CT scan, Google’s AI can detect cancer 5% more often than a group of six human experts. Moreover, it has an 11% higher chance of reducing false positives.
  • In 2019 Google announced its AI voice recognition software can now work offline. The software requires only 80 MB of storage – an impressive compression from its prior size of 20 GB.
  • An even more impressive statistic shows that Google’s voice search has an accuracy of 95%.
  • Google search stats show that in 2013, its AI could recognize 77% of spoken words. Today, that figure is 97%.
  • Google is testing its AI with flood predictions. In 2019, it achieves its goal with 75% precision.

It’s safe to say Google is expanding its AI capabilities beyond delivering more relevant search results.

So far, it looks like Google’s AI is going to make the world a better and safer place.

If it doesn’t turn into Skynet, that is.

16. Google innovations presented at I/O 2019. People have used “Google Lens” more than one billion times.

(Source: Google I/O 2019)

  • Users will be able to interact with 3D objects directly from the search results thanks to Google’s AR technology.
  • Google Lens will use AR to show users recipes by scanning a cooked meal from a magazine.
  • Google Lens can now translate and read out loud in real-time.
  • Google Maps will also have an AR feature. It’s called Live View, and it shows directions in the real world.
  • The next Android version will use on-device machine learning to predict which apps people will use in the next few hours. So far, it has a 60% success rate.
  • The next-generation Google Assistant will be 10 times faster than its predecessor. It will also be able to multitask across apps.
  • Google Assistant now has a driving mode. Go ahead and try it – all you have to do is say: “Let’s Drive.”

At Google I/O 2019 the company announced some cool stuff. To summarize, Google’s trend of implementing AI and machine learning is taking artificial intelligence one step further.

On top of that, we’ll see some awesome AR features by the end of the year.

Wrap Up

Phew, that’s a lot of numbers.

Although there are more hidden numbers and projects, you now know more about Google than most people.

Self-driving cars, international subsea cables, AI and machine learning, and hundreds of other tech ventures make Google one of the most influential companies on the planet.

Hopefully, these eye-opening Google statistics and facts have helped you find out what the company is, beneath the search engine.

Stay informed!

Till next time!

Easter egg – there’s a mirror version of GoogleelgooG. If you want to see everything reversed and other fun stuff, go ahead and visit it. 

ABOUT AUTHOR

I've been a tech-addict all my life. I still remember the sound of a successful dial-up connection. I started my writing career at a very young age for a gamers' magazine. I'm fascinated by each new technology, as a kid with a long-anticipated Christmas gift. My hunger for knowledge and child-like fascination with everything with wires or codes helps me cover a wide array of articles here, on Review42.com. Whenever I'm not staring at a display I enjoy exploring new places.

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