Marzo, 2021

Alongside the public health crisis, the economic impact of the pandemic is being felt heavily around the world. As entrepreneurs, business leaders and Governments work to protect jobs and accelerate a return to prosperity in the long term, it’s clear that digital tools and skills are going to be more important than ever. That’s why Google is investing in new tools and training to ensure all businesses can build resilience and recover quickly. These are helping companies such as handmade accessories retailer MoonDot in Poland who used digital tools to improve online sales by 70%, and La Maison Des Soeurs Macarons in France who gained 200 new customers after its team took online training courses in digital skills. 

A new report released today by the Connected Commerce Council, funded by Google, shows how a “digital safety net” can serve as a support system for small businesses. The survey of more than 5,000 small businesses across Europe found that businesses that used digital tools to rapidly change how they find customers, sell products and operate reported 80 percent better sales during COVID-19 than those who didn’t, and hired three times as many people. And without such tools, many would have gone out of business.

Digital drives jobs and sales for small businesses

Whilst almost all (80 percent) of European small businesses increased their use of digital tools during the pandemic, the report identified three different types of small businesses based on their adoption of digital tools, and how this impacts their business:

• Digitally Advanced small businesses (42 percent of small businesses in Europe) use more than 10 digital tools and prioritize their importance, leading to better business outcomes such as higher revenue and jobs 

• Digitally Evolving small businesses (40 percent) viewed tools as supporting or essential for their business, but were deploying an average of six 

• Digitally Uncertain small businesses (18 percent) use less digital tools and don’t prioritize their importance, leading to worse business outcomes

This week, we saw some discussion about a claim that the majority of searches on Google end without someone clicking off to a website — or what some have called “zero-click” searches. As practitioners across the search industry have noted, this claim relies on flawed methodology that misunderstands how people use Search. In reality, Google Search sends billions of clicks to websites every day, and we’ve sent more traffic to the open web every year since Google was first created. And beyond just traffic, we also connect people with businesses in a wide variety of ways through Search, such as enabling a phone call to a business. 

To set the record straight, we wanted to provide important context about this misleading claim.

How people use Search 

People use Search to find a wide range of information, and billions of times per day, Google Search sends someone to a website. But not every query results in a click to a website, and there are a lot of very good reasons why:

People reformulate their queries

People don’t always know how to word their queries when they begin searching. They might start with a broad search, like “sneakers” and, after reviewing results, realize that they actually wanted to find “black sneakers.” In this case, these searches would be considered a “zero-click” — because the search didn’t result immediately in a click to a website. In the case of shopping for sneakers, it may take a few “zero-click” searches to get there, but if someone ultimately ends up on a retailer site and makes a purchase, Google has delivered a qualified visitor to that site, less likely to bounce back dissatisfied.

Because this happens so frequently, we offer many features (like “related searches” links) to help people formulate their searches and get to the most helpful result, which is often on a website.

People look for quick facts

People look for quick, factual information, like weather forecasts, sports scores, currency conversions, the time in different locations and more. As many search engines do, we provide this information directly on the results page, drawing from licensing agreements or tools we’ve developed. These results are helpful for users, and part of our ongoing work to make Google Search better every day.

In 2020, for example, we showed factual information about important topics like COVID and the U.S. elections, which generated some of the most interest we’ve ever seen on Search. Our elections results feature was seen billions of times, delivering high-quality information in real time as people awaited the outcome. We also provided factual information about COVID symptoms in partnership with the WHO and local health authorities, making critical information readily accessible and upholding our responsibility to fight against potential misinformation online. 

People connect with a business directly

When it comes to local businesses, we provide many ways for consumers to connect directly with businesses through Google Search, many of which don’t require a traditional click. As an example, people might search for business hours, then drive to the store after confirming a location is open. Or they find restaurants on Google and call for information or to place an order, using phone numbers we list. On average, local results in Search drive more than 4 billion connections for businesses every month. This includes more than 2 billion visits to websites as well as connections like phone calls, directions, ordering food and making reservations.

We also help the many local businesses that don’t have their own website. Through Google My Business, businesses can create and manage their own page on Google, and get found online. Each month, Google Search connects people with more than 120 million businesses that don’t have a website. 

People navigate directly to apps

Some searches take people directly to apps, rather than to websites. For example, if you search for a TV show, you’ll see links to various streaming providers like Netflix or Hulu. If you have that streaming app on your phone, these links will take you directly into the app. The same is true for many other apps, such as Instagram, Amazon, Spotify and more.

More opportunity for websites and businesses

We send billions of visits to websites every day, and the traffic we’ve sent to the open web has increased every year since Google Search was first created. 

Over the years, we’ve worked to constantly improve Google Search by designing and rolling out helpful features to help people quickly find what they’re looking for, including maps, videos, links to products and services you can buy directly, flight and hotel options, and local business information like hours of operation and delivery services. In doing so, we’ve dramatically grown the opportunity for websites to reach people. In fact, our search results page, which used to show 10 blue links, now shows an average of 26 links to websites on a single search results page on mobile. 

Building for the future of the web

We care deeply about the open web and have continually improved Google Search over the years, helping businesses, publishers and creators thrive. Some would argue that we should revert back to showing only 10 blue website links. While we do show website links for many queries today when they are the most helpful response, we also want to build new features that organize information in more helpful ways than just a list of links. And we’ve seen that as we’ve introduced more of these features over the last two decades, the traffic we’re driving to the web has also grown — showing that this is helpful for both consumers and businesses.

As students, parents and teachers continue to rise to the challenges of remote learning, we’ve created tools across desktop and mobile to help you find the best educational resources on the web. Whether it’s step-by-step guidance on complex math problems you’ve been stuck on or visual 3D models to ace that chemistry lab report, Search is here to help. These features are currently available in English everywhere, with plans to expand to more languages. And to make these tools more accessible, we’ve built these products to support screen readers and improved keyboard usage for people with motor disabilities. 

Here are five tools you can use to you help you L.E.A.R.N.: 

Look up over 2000 STEM concepts for quick access to educational resources  

When you search for underlying science and math concepts, such as “chemical bonds”, you’ll have easy access to educational overviews, useful examples, and helpful videos from across the web. 

Explore close to a million practice problems

Practice makes perfect, and with the launch of practice problems you can do just that. This interactive feature tests your knowledge of high school math, chemistry and physics topics directly on Search. Start by looking up a subject matter like “chemical bond practice problems”. You’ll be one click away from learning resources from educational providers like BBC Bitesize, Byjus, Careers360, Chegg, CK12, Education Quizzes, GradeUp, Great Minds, Kahoot!, OpenStax, Toppr, Vedantu and more.

Augment lessons with 3D models 

Who said you couldn’t turn your living room into a science lab? Our 3D augmented reality concepts bring to life over 200 chemistry, biology, physics and anatomy concepts — right in your room. With the help of AR on mobile you can visualize everything from a human skeleton to Bohr’s model.

Review how to solve math problems

Are you struggling to help your child with their math homework? Don’t worry, Google has your back. Type the  equation, like “x^2-3x-4=0”, into the Search bar or take a picture through Lens in the Google App to find step-by-step explanations in over 70 languages. We’re expanding support to even more types of math equations through our partnerships with Symbolab, Mathway (a Chegg Service), and Tiger Algebra which is coming. You’ll also be able to access a variety of explanations for how to solve math problems, increasing the chances that one of them may stick.

Navigate complex questions 

Getting stuck on a tricky STEM question, like “0.50 moles of NaCI are dissolved in 2.5 L of water, what is the molarity?” can be frustrating. In the coming weeks, you can access detailed explanations for specific questions and similar ones as well as targeted resources on these types of complex subjects. These tools will help take your understanding to the next level.