Google search terms are a powerful indicator of human behavior. They tell us about people’s interests. We have researched online searches in 27 European countries to understand better what interests Europeans on the Internet. The results are surprising… and confirm certain clichés.
Contact IntoTheMinds for your Market Research
What do European Internet users search for on Google: 6 statistics
- the top 3 European keywords are: news, adult websites, and online shopping (e-commerce)
- traffic generated by news and pornography keywords is the same:Â 363 million and 351 million visits, respectively
- the number 1 keyword in Germanyis “Amazon,” generating 28 million visits per year
- the number 1 keyword in Franceis “Pornhub,” generating 31 million visits a year
- the weatheris the most popular search in Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
- The weather generates 3 times lessinterest than pornography in Italy.
Methodology
We used Ahrefs to obtain data on the most searched-for keywords in the European Union. We obtained data on the 50 most searched keywords in each of the 27 countries of the European Union, i.e., 1,350 keywords over 12 months from June 2022 to June 2023. We then assigned each keyword to a category indicating the subject of the search. A total of 26 categories were defined.
Europeans are interested in news and porn
The first result is that Europeans are addicted to news and porn. These 2 categories dominate Internet searches. Over the period researched, 363 million online searches were conducted for news and 351 million for adult content.
Naturally, one would expect adult content to be one of the most sought-after categories. But who would have anticipated such search volumes, and especially such a close second place to news-related searches? What is also striking is the gap between second and third place. E-commerce accounts for 100 million fewer searches than adult content, even though its economic weight is nothing like that.
Porn is No. 1 in Italy and France
In this second analysis, we wanted to understand how Europeans’ interests varied according to the category of the most searched-for keyword in each country. Here again, the results are surprising.
First, we can see that an adult website is at the top of Google searches in 6 countries. These countries are Italy, France, Spain, Romania, Belgium, and Ireland.
In the other 21 countries of the European Union, porn is not the most searched-for category on Google. Germans, for example, are primarily interested in online shopping, as are Austrians. In these 2 countries, the keyword “Amazon” tops the list of Google searches.
In other countries, it’s translation that captures most search intentions on Google. Internet users in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, and Luxembourg have far greater translation needs than their fellow Europeans. Is this because their national language is little spoken in the rest of the Union, and their need to communicate is greater? Whatever the case, the keyword “translate” comes out on top in these countries. It’s also interesting to note that the need for translation is expressed in the name of a Google service: “Translate.”
Internet users don’t find what they’re looking for on the first try
This is a more technical analysis. It tells us something about the quality of the search results returned by Google. Before explaining the results, let’s have a look at the data.
The graph shows search volumes for the 26 website categories as a histogram. The dots correspond to the CPS or “Clicks Per Search” value. This indicator corresponds to the average number of clicks a user makes per search. If Google does its job perfectly, the results proposed on the first page should enable you to find the information you want. Click the right search result directly, and the CPS will be 1.
On the other hand, if you must go back several times to find what you’re looking for, the CPS will be higher than 1. The CPS is sometimes lower than 1 (it can even be close to zero). This means the user gets the answer directly from the search page and doesn’t need to consult a website. This behavior is typical of translation, calculation, and route request needs. Google services are displayed directly on the search page, ensuring that you don’t escape the Google ecosystem.
Returning to the results of the analysis, what do we find?
4 types of websites generate exceptionally low CPSs
Some types of need aren’t even worth the SEO investment. This is the case for translations, itinerary requests, and arithmetic calculations. The results are displayed directly in the search window, and the surfer no longer needs to leave the search engine. Google has, therefore, succeeded in capturing this traffic on its own account for certain recurring and basic requests.
Search results look unsatisfactory in x categories
In other categories, on the other hand, Google is delivering unsatisfactory search results. We don’t necessarily have any explanations, but the facts are there. In 3 categories, CPS is well above 1: adult websites, gambling, and gaming. This means that Internet users click on more than one result proposed on the search page. We can deduce that more than keywords (although very explicit, believe us) are needed for Google to determine the user’s intention and needs. The reason is simple. For certain keywords, there are many remarkably similar results and many freeriding. Some websites pretend to be others or try to position themselves unduly on certain keywords. We can assume that some Internet users are disappointed by their first click and return to the results page to make a second choice.
Posted in Research.
