State of search 2025: What really happens when users search today (And how marketers can win!)

You are a paid search professional working for a brand/business who has just logged in to work on a Monday morning, with an extra-large iced latte to help you get through the day. You flip open your laptop and start digging into a client’s campaign. 

But before your coffee kicks in, you’ve already checked a few TikTok trends, peeked at a Reddit thread, asked ChatGPT a question, and glanced at a Google SERP. 

Here’s an insight into how users are searching across Google, AI, and other tools across the web:

In the US, traditional search continues to dominate user activity. Activity in AI tools has seen a consistent rise in event share, growing from 0.24% in April 2024 to 0.64% by April 2025. While the numbers remain relatively small, the growth rate is significant, nearly tripling in share over the year. E-commerce event share has remained relatively stable overall, with fluctuations from month to month, peaking at 4.07% in July 2024 and dipping to 2.48% in February 2025.

Source

By the time your daily Zoom call starts, you’ve witnessed a mini-ecosystem of search behaviors unfold, all in under 20 minutes. Welcome to 2025, where search isn’t linear anymore; it’s messy, fascinating, and full of micro-moments.

The State of Search 2025: Behaviors, Trends, and Clicks study shows exactly how users behave today, and if you’re still optimizing campaigns like it’s 2015, you’re leaving clicks, conversions, and insights on the table. Let’s walk through a day in the life of a modern searcher and decode what it means for marketers and SEM professionals like us.

Up and springy ~ The 8 AM dance of coffee, TikTok, and the rise of social search! 

So, our searcher starts the day like most of Gen Z and Alpha: not with Google, but with TikTok. They’re looking for a new café in town to chill in or work on their new startup, and they are not typing “best coffee near me” into a search bar; instead, they’re scrolling through hashtags, watching short clips, and bookmarking visually appealing results.

Here’s the kicker: social platforms are now search engines in disguise. According to eMarketer, over 66% of U.S. consumers report using social media platforms to discover products and services in 2025. 

And it’s not just Gen Z; professionals are increasingly relying on LinkedIn and Reddit threads for niche insights, from SaaS tools to marketing trends.

Here’s the marketer takeaway: if your campaigns live only on Google, you’re ignoring a huge swath of discovery behaviors. Branded queries on TikTok or Instagram require content that’s visually digestible, entertaining, and scroll-stopping, not just a 1,500-word blog post. On that note, you might want to read ‘How to Use TikTok Ads to Attract and Convert Gen Z & Millennials. ‘

The 11 AM conflation of ChatGPT & the AI-first searcher

By mid-morning, our searcher arrives at their desk and asks ChatGPT, “Which PPC tools are best for mid-sized SaaS?” Instead of wading through 10 blogs, they get a curated, actionable answer in seconds, complete with comparisons and links.

AI assistants aren’t just novelties. The State of Search 2025 study reveals that users are increasingly treating AI tools as a “first stop” for research, particularly for product comparisons or technical insights. Menlo Ventures reports 61% of users now rely on AI assistants for both general and professional queries.

Marketer takeaway: AI changes the funnel. Users may never click your content directly, but your brand can still dominate consideration if it appears in AI summaries. Structuring content for clarity, authority, and verifiable data is now as important as SEO itself. Want to delve deeper into the impact of AI search on SEO? It’s time to get some answers!

The 1 PM epiphany ~ Coming to terms with the nouveau zero click reality

As lunch break draws close, our searcher wants to compare project management software. They Google “Monday vs Asana pricing” and bam! The answer is right there in a rich snippet. No click necessary.

Zero-click searches are no longer niche. Search Engine Land reports that over 43% of searches in 2025 end without a click, and mobile makes it worse: 77% of mobile searches don’t result in a website visit.

Marketer takeaway: Well, to stay afloat, you must optimize for visibility, not just clicks. Schema, featured snippets, and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) are crucial. And when someone finally does click, your landing page must deliver, or all that effort is wasted. Try exploring this guide next ~ Decoding the rise of AI-trained content: How to stay visible in a zero-click world.

The 3 PM post-lunch visual SERPs and click competition snoozefest!

Back at the desk, struggling to keep their eyes open, our searcher scrolls a Google SERP and notices video carousels, shopping results, map packs, and AI overviews. Blue links are no longer king.

A study by GrowthSRC Media found that click-through rates (CTRs) for Google’s top-ranking search result declined from 28% to 19%, marking a 32% drop, following the expansion of AI Overviews.

Marketer takeaway: Generic ads and broad-match campaigns aren’t enough. Hyper-relevant messaging, visual assets, and enhanced ad experiences (sitelinks, promotions, videos) make a measurable difference. Want to know the impact of Google’s AI Overviews on your ad campaigns? Try reading ~ How Google’s AI Overview Is Disrupting Google Ads: What Advertisers Must Know.

Taking the 5 PM ride home ~ Contemplating the impact of Mobile & Voice on search 

While commuting home, our searcher asks Siri for “nearest coffee shop open now.” That’s voice search. And it’s growing fast. DemandSage reports that over 150 million U.S. users will be actively using voice search in 2025.

Meanwhile, mobile-first indexing isn’t optional. 78% of searches occur on mobile, resulting in conversions, and users expect instant load times and easy navigation.

Marketer takeaway: Optimize for conversational queries and quick, snippet-ready answers, because mobile usability isn’t a checkbox; it’s a conversion driver.

The 7 PM dinner table discussion on paid search budgets ~ Shifting to AI & discovery

A quick evening campaign check may show that budgets are migrating. Advertisers are blending search and social, experimenting with AI-powered Demand Gen campaigns and Performance Max.

For instance, one agency shifted 20% of generic search spend to TikTok search ads and saw CAC drop 30% for the same customer profile. It’s a sign that the paid search landscape isn’t just competitive, it’s dynamic, and nimble marketers win.

Marketer takeaway: Flexibility is key. AI-driven campaigns can complement traditional search, especially for mid-funnel discovery.  We recommend reading ~ AI Max for search campaigns ~ The smart marketer’s guide to maximize ad performance like a pro!

The 9 PM tryst with trust as the new currency!

Before calling it a day and hitting the sack, our searcher reads a blog on “best project management software.” They subconsciously look for trust signals, including author expertise, credible backlinks, and transparent reviews.

Interestingly, research indicates that Google’s AI Overviews are trending toward authoritative sites, particularly in sectors like healthcare and B2B technology.

Users are increasingly valuing credibility in a world of AI-generated hallucinations and fake reviews.

Marketer’s takeaway: Capitalizing on trust and matching intent is the need of the hour and matters everywhere, in SERPs, AI summaries, social content, as well as in paid ads.

Presenting your 2025 search playbook

While we agree that these changes can feel monumental and disruptive, there is always a way or a tweak to make them work. The good news is that the fundamentals still hold. You must meet users where they are, align content with their intent, and remain agile.

The road ahead

In case you’d like to delve deeper into the implications of Google AI Overviews and AI Mode on advertisers, we suggest reading ~ What are Google AI Overviews, AI mode, and why should you care as an advertiser?