U.S.-based Google users are conducting significantly fewer searches than they were a year ago, according to a new report from Datos/SparkToro. The findings indicate that Google isn’t shedding users — it’s losing repeat queries. Why this matters. Google still overwhelmingly leads the search market, but the way people use it is shifting. Fewer searches per person translate into fewer chances for clicks, ad impressions, and referral traffic — even if overall search volume appears stable. By the numbers. On desktop, Google searches per U.S. user dropped nearly 20% year over year, based on clickstream data from tens of millions of Americans. That’s a stark contrast with Europe, where searches per user slipped only about 2% to 3%. Despite this decline, classic search still represents roughly 10% of all U.S. desktop activity — a proportion that remained almost unchanged throughout 2025. What’s behind the decline. The report points to AI-driven answers and instant results as the primary drivers: people are increasingly getting what they need without performing multiple follow-up searches. Zero-click searches remain elevated but have stopped accelerating, flattening out in the low-20% range by the end of the year. Repeat queries and clicks within Google-owned properties have shifted only slightly, suggesting user behavior has largely stabilized. AI is transforming search. AI is being integrated into search rather than replacing it. Despite the nonstop AI buzz, the report shows: AI tools still represent under 1% of total U.S. desktop activity (0.77%), even after strong year-over-year gains. Google AI Mode is still tiny, accounting for about 0.06% of U.S. desktop events…