Is Google Chrome slowly killing brand searches?
Ever since launching in late 2008, Google Chrome has slowly been growing to become the default browser for many, and in early 2016 Chrome was crowned the world’s most popular internet browser.
Chrome’s Omnibox feature was an instant hit with users and has established itself as the default navigational tool for many of us.
Let’s remind ourselves how this feature works. Using a fresh profile, the example below demonstrates a user looking to navigate to the BBC website.
As there is no history associated with this account, upon hitting enter, Chrome will perform a Google search for ‘BBC’, bypassing the need to visit Google, but still performing a Google search.
With time, Google learns about a users habits and the Omnibox becomes more useful, presenting multiple options to the user. In the example below a wide range of BBC pages are displayed and if clicked, they take the user directly to the BBC website, bypassing Google completely.
Hands up if you do this? I certainly do. It saves time, reduces the need for bookmarks and generally makes browsing more efficient.
How is the Google Chrome Omnibox impacted web traffic?
I was curious to understand whether the Omnibox is having any impact on web traffic.
Organic search (SEO) and direct traffic are typically the two biggest traffic sources for an established website. On top of that, a large proportion of SEO traffic consists of branded searches, that is, users Googling the brand name.
My hypothesis is that the growth of Google Chrome means less users Google brand names, opting for clicking directly on the Omnibox suggestions.
The analysis
- 9 years of online browser share trends from W3Counter.com, covering the period since Google Chrome launched
- 13 years of Google Trends data for four leading UK brands (all of which have grown over that period).
- BBC — The ubiquitous online resource. With nearly 19bn page views in 2015.
- Amazon — Market cap up 500% since 2013
- Auto Trader — 24% increase in market cap since 2014 float
- John Lewis — Profits of 370m in 2016/17 up 21% YOY
BBC branded search trend
BBC branded searches peaked in Jan 2013 and are down 37% in Jan 2017. A downward trend in BBC branded searches started in late 2012, 12 months after Chrome overtook IE.
Amazon branded search trend
Amazon branded searches peaked in Dec 2012 and are down 17% in Dec 2017. Amazon brand searches are still on the upward trend, however it has slowed down considerably in line with Chrome adoption growth.
Auto Trader branded search trend
Auto Trader branded searches peaked in Feb 2011 and are down 50% in Feb 2017. Auto Trader branded searches are clearly on the downward trend and correlate strongly with Chrome adoption growth.
John Lewis branded search trend
John Lewis branded searches peaked in December 2013 and are down 20% in December 2016. John Lewis branded searches look to be entering a downward trend and also correlate with Chrome adoption growth.
What does this tell us?
This is by no means an extensive study. It uses publicly available data sources and a standard Polynomial trend line. However all four brands featured are indeed stronger businesses today than they were in 2008 (When Chrome launched) and have all enjoyed considerable growth over that period.
With that being the case, why would there be less searches for their brands? It could be explained by market forces, increased competition,
With all four brands having ‘peaked’ in terms of brand searches on Google, this could indeed be a result of the rise in the Omnibox direct clicks, cannibalising branded searches.
As as final note, if my hypothesis is correct, the impact would be a shift away from branded SEO to direct sessions. With Google Analytics adopting the last non-direct view of things by default, this shift could be going un-noticed in the digital marketing community.
