For what appears like eternal, “Google” was synonymous with “search”. Do you have a question? Google it. Looking for a product? Google it. However, consumer search behavior has changed.
Now people flock to other channels. Gen z and millennials lead the change, since 29% of the group prefers to search for information on social media about actual search engines.
But that’s not all – generative artificial intelligence (AI) also comes to search results and throws another wrench in old habits. When your brand is dependent on search traffic, large consumer shifts (and already on the way) come. To prepare you, you will find the most important trends that we have found after measuring over 700 consumers.
Table of contents
TLDR: How the behavior of the consumer search changes and which marketers should do about it
Since these two groups quickly become the most powerful market share, the marketers must further develop their search behavior in order to remain competitive.
This means to optimize content for several platforms, prioritize mobile and local SEO and prepare for the AI-controlled search. With the integrated marketing tool from HubSpot, you can still optimize your search.
What is consumer search behavior?
Consumer search behavior relates to how people discover, research and find information online before purchasing.
Today’s consumers no longer “google it”. You use social platforms, AI chatbots, voice assistants and even visual search tools to find what you need. (This has been a great value for me lately.) You read reviews, looked at unboxing videos or carry out price comparisons.
This shift in the search habits of consumers requires a new approach for the strategy for digital marketing – one that meets customers wherever they are looking for.
How consumer behavior behavior changes
What does the search behavior of consumers look like in 2025? Let us break down some of the biggest trends and some meaningful statistics by category to discuss what everything means for your search behavior marketing.
The AI ​​search increases.
1. 72% of the consumers state that they are planning the search for the purchases of gene AI drive for purchases.
While Google remains the top research goal (more on this later), Our research showed that consumers are planning to look for products, more and more in apps such as chatt and confusion.
Actually according to the GWI, 31% of the Gen -zer report You are already using AI platforms or chatbots most frequently to find information online, while roughly the same amount also hope that research experience will only improve.
Add the fact that when researching a brand or product, 59% of consumers prefer to collect information themselves instead of speaking to another person, and it’s no wonder Experts expect Chatgpt alone took 1% of the search market in 2025.
Ok, that was a lot of numbers, but I think it makes the picture pretty clear.
The days in which the optimization of the answer engine (or AEO) can be ignored are long gone. AI quickly becomes a popular consumer search behavior, and marketers have to react accordingly.
Not sure where to start? First, you would like to see how your website, products and brand is currently performing with response agents. Our free AEO degree It will show how AI interpreted your brand and achieved a score of 100.
You will also be a detailed competitive analysis, brand feelings and reviews and maintain Strategic recommendations to improve your score. Lifting spots Breeze Ai In particular, your efforts can help to improve the AI ​​visibility of your brand. (How is that for Meta?)
Social media is increasingly becoming a preferred search channel.
2. 31% of consumers use social media to find answers to their questions.
Our studies have found that every third consumer uses social search to find answers online. This is actually more than twice as high as the number of people who use AI, and frankly it is not a big surprise.
People hang around on social media. It gets a bad reputation for “Brain rot“But there is also an abundance of educational and helpful information. From how-to-hack and life hacks to news, people in every generation consume content in any form of social media.
Actually …
3. 29% of the gene z and millennials prefer social media to search engines.
While only 15% of social searches over search engines prefer overall, 49% of the gene Z and millennials prefer social.
This is an important part that will probably only grow, especially if these platforms also contain artificial intelligence. (Think Meta Ai For example on Facebook and Instagram.)
If you think about future strategies, this could be an important change for marketers, since younger generations are in full purchasing power if they increase in career success and achieve more income.
Our research shows That B2B marketer plan to invest more in LinkedIn while B2C marketers are looking for Tiktok. Both steps reflect how buyers explore new products and services personally and professionally.
The traditional search is still outstanding.
4. Most consumers still turn to Google first for the general search.
All of this hype could think that search engines are dying, but SEO teams should not yet panic – if at all.
While 79% of those who have already used AI for the search, believe that it offers a better experience than conventional search engines, but most people still stand in Google for general searches in Google According to Brightlocal. And this does not even include Google Maps or users with Google as a standard search engine on Safari.
Only 5% stated that they fail for general search queries in Chatgpt, while only 1% use voice assistants. But why? Isn’t Ai the new Internet favorite?
Yes, but not quite.
Our studies It was found that a third consumer uses AI tools such as chatbots and chatt, but trust is still very low. In fact, 45% of consumers admit to feel hesitant in relation to AI, since they take privacy into account, among other things, potential distortions, misinformation and data.
This is also likely why our research still believes that search engines can answer their questions most effectively.
Overall, the traditional search is still a contact point for consumers who are looking for answers.
In addition, search engines still contain their own AI answers to search processes and response motor optimization (AEO) in its infancy. It is unclear whether the search has an impact on the agents’ mentions and there is still an opportunity.
However, things change quickly. So we will pay attention to it.
The mobile search is still popular.
5. 54% of consumers mainly use phones to search.
The consumers we asked Use mobile phones more than any other device When looking for questions online. Similar to social searches, the search habits of the mobile first first search habits become even more drastic in younger generations.
A whopping 80%of the gene Z use your phones most often in searching, with millennials (62%) and gene X (66%) not far behind.
Our latest Consumer trend report also shows consumers Business More than any other device on their telephones. This applies in particular to gen z, 81% of which use your phone as the primary shopping device.
This mobile approach shows how critical it becomes to optimize web experiences for mobile search platforms and adapt to the preferences of younger generations.
The search for consumers is more local than you may think.
6. The majority of consumers say that at least 21% of their search queries are local.
Found a study by Brightlocal71% of consumer visits are estimated to be devoted to local search queries. In particular, 32% estimated the 21-40% of their searches locally, 24% estimated 41-60%, 11% estimate of 61-80% and 4% estimate of 81 to 100%.
If your company has a specific service area or a specific physical location, the localization and local SEO should be part of your marketing strategy.
7. 1 of 5 consumers carry local search directly within the cards.
A habit that I have done in recent years is the use of Google Maps to search for places when traveling, stay, etc. I will enter the address where I go and then zoom in to see what is nearby.
Apparently I’m not alone.
Google Maps, Apple Maps and Bing Maps together make up 20% of the standard local search platforms for consumers. If relevant, you would like to ensure that your company is set up in results.
8. 1 of 4 of the Gen Z consumers use social media as the main method for local search.
Social media also plays a major role in local searches. With location tags and user-generated content, it is common for consumers to learn about companies in their geographical location or in the people in which they are.
Take me, for example. On Instagram I have collections in which I store places and restaurants that I would like to visit by state, city or country.
The visual search is up -and -coming.
9. At least 42% of consumers are interested in using visual searches.
If you have been on Google or Amazon lately and who has not – you have probably seen this function.
It is a camera symbol or a photo on or next to the search bar (as in the screenshot above), where users can upload a picture of a physical element that you want to learn more about.
This can be useful for a number of different searches. It can identify plants or animals, furniture styles or the most useful for companies. Users show exactly where you can buy a product like this in the picture. I was several times this summer and tried to find out where I can buy a certain dress or a few pants.
According to EmarketerOnly about 27% of people are doing the same (with gene z and millennials that go before the way), but encouraging 42% are interested in trying it out.
Amazon has also reported 70% of the number of 70% worldwide by an increase in visual searches of 70%, while Google organizes around 20 billion lenses per month and 4 billion in connection with purchasing.
The visual search is growing and with the spread of mobile purchases it can really be used by marketers to increase conversions and sales.
How to adapt your strategy to new consumer search behavior
Understanding these shifts in search behavior is now only the beginning. Here you can find out how you can optimize your digital marketing strategy for the developing search landscape.
(Give deeper in our free AI search manual: “How to intervene in the KI search: 5 strategies to remain visible in the Ki -era“))
1. Invest in AEO.
The 2025 marketing state It was shown that 19% of the marketers of SEO strategies for a generative AI search build, and almost half of the marketers of B2B and B2C (both 47%) have determined an increase in their website due to the AI ​​search.
These numbers must not be taken easily. They show a dramatic shift in consumers’ consumer behavior and potential competitive strategies.
While the acceptance of AI still arises, the early AEO can help you position it before the curve.
You can do the following:
Perform an analysis of your brand.
First and foremost, you need to evaluate the current visibility of your brand in the AIS search, the brand feelings, perception in AI search engines and the comparisons with competitors. I mean, you can’t know how much work has to be done until you know where you are currently, right?
A tool like lifting spots for free AI search grader can do that for you.
Study content presented in AI search answers
What can be seen in AI agents and engines? Take a look at who “wins” and what your brand does, that your perhaps not the case. You can also use confusion, Gemini and Google’s suggested follow-ups and “ask people” to identify gaps in your content marketing.
Analyze quotes with AI-generated quotations to see where competitors are mentioned and examine how AI overviews are structured and formatted.
Structural content for understanding of AI.
Speaking of structure, all principles of creating high -quality content continue to apply with AEO. Use clear header, spherical dots and direct answers to common questions. Optimize for the nippets presented and focus on user intentions.
Overall, you would like to build authority and backlinks to signal LLMS that you are a trustworthy source and expert for your future content marketing. AI systems tend to prioritize credible, well-accusal information.
Pro tip: Create comprehensive topics. KI tools synthesize information from several sources, so that a thorough coverage is important. Find out more about “topics clusters”.
Create a strong online presence of multichannel.
AI modeled data from different sources, so it is important to set a strong presence and a strong reputation as an expert over several channels.
Make sure you take part in online discussions, monitor and react to reviews and feedback and create a convincing story about the problems that your product solves.
From blogging to social media and analyzes. Marketing hub Has all tools you need to adapt your marketing strategy to new consumer search behavior. The best thing about it: you can start with him for free.
2. Optimize the success with a social search.
Our latest report resulted 84% of the marketers Agree that consumers will search for brands on social media this year. In this sense, your social media strategy needs a search system.
You should do the following:
Create accessible content.
Use relevant hashtags, keywords in captions and descriptive old text in every visual content. This facilitates algorithms to crawl and access their content for users, as well as the content of the users who can be found themselves in the index.
Pro tip: The video is the name of the social media game in 2025 three of the five mostly-related social platforms in B2B and B2C brands are YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok. These are the platforms that promote the greatest site traffic, social commitment and growth of the audience.
Get platform -specific.
Each social media platform has subtle nuances and functions. Optimize the search algorithm from Tikkok, Instagram’s Explore page and the proposed videos from YouTube. Also ensure that you adhere to all technical specifications such as aspect ratio, dimensions, file size and file type.
Create theme authorization.
Create content around your core issues to create relevance to social algorithms. This not only gives the information of the platform about what you are about, but also your audience.
The social media management tools from HubSpot Can not only help you plan and publish social media content in order to achieve these goals, but also to create, analyze and monitor this content.
3. Master Mobile-First optimization.
When I started digital marketing for the first time, the mobile optimization was a great topic of discussion. We have preached to ensure that websites have been set up to offer the best user experience of a browser, but today this is also an important factor for the ranking mobile search.
Since the mobile search dominates all demographic data, mobile optimization is not negotiable.
That means you should:
Focus on the speed of the location.
Put the side loading times under three seconds on mobile devices. Faster websites offer better user experience, with the bounce rates and the improvement of your search rank being minimized.
Pro tip: AI can help.
Read: Understanding the technical SEO: examination basics + detailed checklists
Design for thumb.
Make sure that the buttons, links and interactive elements are slightly tappable on your website. Similarly, make sure it is easy to scroll or wipe your content.
Prioritize the local search.
Mobile search queries often have a local intention. People are looking for something nearby when they are on the move. So make sure to optimize your Google Business Profiles and your local SEO.
Pro tip: The Drift Kings Media marketplace is fuller Mobile reacting website templates To make optimization easier for you.
V.
Remember that most of the trends we have discussed are consistent for generations, but there are subtle nuances that vary.
For example, while all generations use social media, younger generations flock on Instagram and Tikkok, while older generations still enjoy YouTube. Pushing your search behavior marketing for the generations you want to reach.
5. Own your search engine foundation.
With all the conversation about AI and social media, it is easy to believe that they can ignore traditional SEO – but that would be a big mistake. Traditional search engines remain the backbone of the online discovery. In fact, traditional search rank can even influence the visibility of AI. It is still unclear.
If you know this, continue investing in SEO bases while expanding to new channels. That means continuing to work on yours:
- Technical SEO: Make sure
- Depth of content: Create comprehensive resources that are able to recommend search engines with confidence
- User intentions: Agree with the specific needs that express users through their search processes
Frequently asked questions about the search behavior of consumers
What are the 5 phases of the buyer’s journey?
The buyer’s journey usually follows five key phases with different search behavior:
- Problem detection (or consciousness): Consumers identify a need and begin broad search for solutions.
- Search for information: You actively research several platforms and sources, including possible search engines, social media or even AI.
- Evaluation of alternatives (or considerations): Here the consumer compares options, reading reviews and recommendations to determine which is the right solution for your requirements.
- Purchase decision: The consumer has identified the desired solution and now looks at the availability and how to get the best offer.
- Behavior after purchase: Search for usage tips, support or approval of your experiences in reviews or feedback forms. This may also be that transfers or even a buyback can be made.
How have the search habits of consumers have changed in recent years?
The search habits of consumers have developed dramatically. While traditional search engines remain dominant, we change a shift to multi-platform search strategies. The most important changes include the rise in social media search, mobile behavior and the introduction of the emerging AI tools.
Why is the understanding of search behavior important for marketers?
Search behavior recognitions have a direct impact on the effectiveness of marketing. If you understand how and how your audience is looking for, you can refine your content to improve visibility and to contact the crucial moments of decision with consumers. This knowledge drives a better ROI and helps your brand to appear where customers are looking for solutions.
What percentage of consumers use social media for the search?
Every third consumer uses social search to find answers online. Thanks to improved algorithms, hashtags and even AI support, social media can provide users that have been created by peers and sources that they have been created.
Why is the mobile search becoming more and more important?
Statista reports that Over half of the global web traffic Mobile use comes from mobile use for every marketer and brand. Since mobile use is such a prominent consumer search, it would be wrong to neglect mobile optimization in its strategy from marketers.
How should marketers adapt to changing search behavior?
Marketers have to accept a hybrid strategy of traditional SEO, response motor optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO)-to remain visible via AI-driven search answers, voice assistants and conversation instruments.
The marketers also have to optimize the rise of AI-controlled search tools such as chatt and confusion, which now capture changing parts of the search traffic.
In addition, including structured data, appealing FAQ formats (such as this) and the secure securing of a precise visibility at the brand level in the AI-generated results and the language search and in the process of positioning brands in order to still find their target groups on today’s market.
What role does AI play in the future search behavior?
AI-powered search tools change the discovery. Tools such as chatt and confusion are now about to be calculated 5.6% of US desktop search traffic From mid -2025, more than doubled in one year.
Main actors such as Google embed CI overviews in search results a billion of users and the improvement of the user experience, but at the expense of fewer website clicks.
This shift demands that brands create content that was developed for direct citation from AI and cultivate authentic reviews and community votes created by the user, to which the AI ​​tools are increasingly referring.
Which search platforms should companies prioritize? Which search platforms should brands prioritize for maximum visibility?
This depends on your company, your product and your audience, but here are some general guidelines that are worth experimenting.
Google is still of crucial importance for a wide range, but companies also have to search for up -and -coming platforms and modalities. Social media platforms such as Tikok, forums such as Reddit and even AI chat tools such as chatted become powerful search targets, especially among younger or trend-driven audiences.
In addition, optimization for language, visual and local search – via tools such as Google Lens, Structured Markup and Local Business Profiles – offers visibility if the intention is rich and direct.
Adjust your strategy to new consumer search behavior
In 2025, the behavior of the consumer is no longer defined by a single platform or habit-it is a multi-channel, context and available.
While traditional search engines are still anchored and have great power, social media, AI-operated tools and mobile habits ensure new complexity and dimension. As a marketer, you have to remain flexible and experimental. This vigilance and early introduction will be relevant and easy to find when consumers are looking for.
Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in August 2023 and updated for completeness.