Google Search: Users Now Average 10 Clicks Before Leaving

Recent data reveals a significant shift in Google user behavior. A 13-month study comparing Google and ChatGPT traffic patterns shows users now average 10 clicks within Google Search before exiting to another website.

Google Retains Users, ChatGPT Drives External Visits

Analysis by Tyler Einberger of Momentic, using Similarweb data, shows Google's "pages per visit" metric has risen to 10. This indicates users interact more with various search features before leaving Google's domain.

Image Credit: Momentic.

Graph showing Google's pages per visit increasing

Increasing "Pages per Visit" for Google.com suggests users spend more time interacting with SERP features, refining searches, and clicking images, all within Google's domain.

While Google still drives significant external traffic (175.5 million visits in March compared to ChatGPT's 57.6 million), its user retention strategy is becoming increasingly apparent.

The Efficiency Difference

Despite lower overall traffic, ChatGPT is more efficient at driving external website visits. ChatGPT generates 1.4 external visits per user versus Google's 0.6. This makes ChatGPT users 2.3 times more likely to visit external websites.

Google's SERP Retention Strategy

Google's expanding search features, like featured snippets and knowledge panels, aim to provide immediate answers, keeping users within its ecosystem. This reinforces Google's position as the primary web traffic source while increasing user time spent on its properties.

Implications for SEO and Marketing

This trend presents new challenges and opportunities for SEO professionals and marketers:

  • First-screen visibility is crucial for capturing user attention.
  • Optimizing for featured snippets and other SERP elements is essential.
  • Exploring alternative traffic sources like ChatGPT and other AI platforms is recommended.
  • Improved attribution models are needed to track complex user journeys within SERPs.

The Expanding AI Search Landscape

While Google and ChatGPT dominate, other AI search platforms like Perplexity, Grok, and Claude are experiencing rapid growth. These platforms may reshape traffic patterns in the future.

Google remains the dominant traffic source. However, its increasing "walled garden" approach necessitates that marketers monitor these trends and diversify their traffic acquisition strategies.

Featured Image: Here Now/Shutterstock