Search engine = The Internet

Search engines have completely revolutionized the way we search for and explore the vast realm of the Internet in the 2000s. Without search engines, the Internet as we know it today would simply not exist.

Search engines are the most widely used and highest-earning applications

The ubiquity and profitability of search engines are nothingSearch for “nothing” by dot AI short of extraordinary. Search engines capture the attention and curiosity of billions of people, attracting an impressive 98% of Internet users [1][2]. Google alone processes an astonishing 2 trillion searches annually, which is equivalent to 99,000 per second or 8.5 billion searches per day [3]. Google’s ad revenue takes up 28.4% of all Internet ad revenue, making it the biggest player in the Internet ads business [4].

Image 1: Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day. Internet Live Stats, 2022. (Source: Oberlo).

These jaw-dropping figures highlight the pivotal role that search engines play in satisfying our insatiable curiosity and information needs.

Search engines are the most important distribution backbone of Internet traffic

Search engines serve as the backbone for distributing information on the Internet, driving the online ecosystem forwardSearch for “forward” by dot AI . Through sophisticated algorithms, they efficiently “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” (Google’s mission). This significantly impacts traffic, with search engines responsible for driving an impressive 68% of overall traffic to websites [5].

Image 2: Organic and Paid Search dominated websites’ traffic in 2019–68% of all trackable website traffic is sourced from Organic and Paid Search, vastly exceeding all other channels, including Display and Social Media. (Source: brightedge.com).

Approximately 71% of B2B clients rely on search engines for product research [6] and 73% of online transactions commence with the use of search engines[7].

Image 3: Consumers researching water heaters, auto parts, bicycles, and mattresses are the most likely to research products via search engines. In almost all retail verticals, the majority of shoppers start the research process with a search engine query (Source: LSA).

In the competitive digital landscape, the efficient distribution of information provided by search engines is indispensable. It ensures that developers and websites not only survive but thrive. Search engine users seamlessly discover and reach their online destinations, enhancing their digital experiences. Google, as the leading search engine, has also enhanced its position as the Internet entry point by developing Gmail, Android, YouTube, and Google Maps. These applications, together with their integration with search engines, enrich the traffic distribution abilities of search engines.

Image 4: List of Google products and services.

Google ads are one of the most important revenue streams for developers

The financial significance of search engines cannot be overstated. Google’s advertising systems, such as AdSense and AdMob, are some of the most important ad platforms [8]. They have created a powerful revenue-sharing model that benefits both Google and its partners, including websites or app developers that display Google ads [9]. This innovative system incentivizes the creation and delivery of valuable content while facilitating the monetization of developers.

Image 5: Advertisements remain Google’s primary source of revenue (source: Digital Information World).

In summary, search engines have shaped today’s Internet, making them the most important and powerful application for the entire Internet. Without search engines, the Internet would be fragmented and disorganized, hindering users from quickly accessing relevant information and impeding the growth of online businesses.

This was the case in Web2. Currently, many developers are working on Web3 and aiming to build it as the next generation of the Internet. Similar to what happened in Web2, Web3 will also require its own search engines in order to truly become the next generation of the Internet.

About the author

Dr. Wei holds a Ph.D. degree in the field of Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing (NLP). He was one of the pioneering engineers in Google’s mobile search ads team. Currently, Dr. Wei is the CEO of Adot, where he is developing an AI-powered search engine for Web3.

References:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-visited_websites.

[2] https://99firms.com/blog/search-engine-statistics/

[3] https://seo.ai/blog/how-many-people-use-google

[4] https://www.statista.com/statistics/242549/digital-ad-market-share-of-major-ad-selling-companies-in-the-us-by-revenue/

[5] https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-statistics/

[6] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/the-changing-face-b2b-marketing/

[7] https://optimus01.co.za/search-engine-stats-and-facts/#:~:text=81%25%20of%20online%20users%20find,into%20the%20search%20engines%20portal

[8] https://instapage.com/blog/best-advertising-platforms/

[9] https://www.quora.com/How-does-Googles-ad-revenue-split-work

About Adot

Adot is building a Web3 search engine for the AI era that provides users with real-time, intelligent, and professional decision support more conveniently.

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