Sparktoro Research Reveals Traditional Search Is Not Declining

Sparktoro’s research reveals the narratives of decreasing organic search and explains why traditional search remains a necessity for discovery and traffic.

The latest research conducted by Rand Fishkin and the Sparktoro team has confirmed that traditional search isn’t waning, in spite of the growing use of AI search engines. 

According to Rand:

“95% of Americans continue to use them each month, and 86% are heavy users”

The report demonstrates this by two important charts below: one on the left in blue showing consistent engagement by frequent traditional users, while the other on the right in purple highlights the increasing, but varied usage of AI tools across the U.S. population.

Traditional Search and AI

Rand emphasizes:

My takeaway is that traditional search isn’t going anywhere, even for the heavy adopters of AI. The more data we gather, the more I’m convinced the “AI vs. Search” narrative is largely made-up by media and influencers seeking attention, rather than an accurate reflection of reality.

This goes against the commonly proclaimed narrative that portrays AI in a position of threat to take over traditional search engines.

Additional insights from Semrush Data

Rand also referenced new research from Semrush, which said ChatGPT is not replacing Google Search.

The findings of Sparktoro are in line with recent research conducted by Semrush, which analyzed the data of thousands of U.S. devices and found that 95% or more remain frequent users of the traditional search engines, which is a reduction of less than 1% over 2.5 years, despite AI tool usage rising from 8% to 38% over the same period.

These figures support the notion that AI tools can enhance rather than replace the search behavior.

Rand Commentary on the AI vs. Search Debate

Rand amusingly notes:

“That dude in your LinkedIn feed shouting about how AI will destroy Google has been conspicuously lacking in data for years. This new report will make his job even harder (though I have high confidence it won’t slow him down one bit).“

His commentaries highlight the dissonance between extravagant predictions and the actual facts, and emphasizes the importance of discussions that are based on facts.

Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) recently released similar findings, but with a less granular sampling of nine participants. The discussion sparked by these studies continues to be present on social media platforms such as X and LinkedIn, where researchers continue to study the changing patterns of searching.

Bottom Line

Contrary to what many believe that traditional search is the foundation of online discovery, even as AI adoption increases. Understanding this dynamic balance is crucial to marketing professionals, SEO experts, as well as people who want to understand how to navigate the new world of searching.

To gain more insight, look through the complete Sparktoro study here.