As of March 2025, Google represented 79.1 percent of the global online search engine market on desktop devices. Despite being much ahead of its competitors, this represents the lowest share ever recorded by the search engine in these devices for over two decades. Meanwhile, its long-time competitor Bing accounted for 12.21 percent, as tools like Yahoo and Yandex held shares of over 2.9 percent each. Google and the global search market Ever since the introduction of Google Search in 1997, the company has dominated the search engine market, while the shares of all other tools has been rather lopsided. The majority of Google revenues are generated through advertising. Its parent corporation, Alphabet, was one of the biggest internet companies worldwide as of 2024, with a market capitalization of 2.02 trillion U.S. dollars. The company has also expanded its services to mail, productivity tools, enterprise products, mobile devices, and other ventures. As a result, Google earned one of the highest tech company revenues in 2024 with roughly 348.16 billion U.S. dollars. Search engine usage in different countries Google is the most frequently used search engine worldwide. But in some countries, its alternatives are leading or competing with it to some extent. As of the last quarter of 2023, more than 63 percent of internet users in Russia used Yandex, whereas Google users represented little over 33 percent. Meanwhile, Baidu was the most used search engine in China, despite a strong decrease in the percentage of internet users in the country accessing it. In other countries, like Japan and Mexico, people tend to use Yahoo along with Google. By the end of 2024, nearly half of the respondents in Japan said that they had used Yahoo in the past four weeks. In the same year, over 21 percent of users in Mexico said they used Yahoo.

In April 2025, Google accounted for ***** percent of the search market in the United States across all devices. Bing followed as the second leading search provider in the United States during the last examined month, with a share of around *** percent, among the engine's highest quotas registered in the country to date.

As of March 2025, Google continued to dominate the global search engine industry by far, with an 89.62 percent market share. However, this stronghold may be showing signs of erosion, with its share across all devices dipping to its lowest point in over two decades. Bing, Google's closest competitor, currently holds a market share of 4.01 percent across, while Russia-based Yandex hikes to the third place with a share of around 2.51 percent. Competitive landscape and regional variations While Google's overall dominance persists, other search engines carve out niches in various markets and platforms. Bing holds a 12.21 percent market share across desktop devices worldwide, as Yandex and Baidu have found success inside and outside of their home markets. Yandex is used by over 63 percent of Russian internet users, but Baidu has seen its market share significantly in China As regional variations highlight the importance of local players in challenging Google's global supremacy, the company is likely to face more challenges with the AI-powered online search trend and increasing regulatory scrutiny. Search behavior and antitrust concerns Despite facing more competition, Google remains deeply ingrained in users' online habits. In 2024, "Google" itself was the most popular search query on its own platform, followed by "YouTube" - another Google-owned property. This self-reinforcing ecosystem has drawn scrutiny from regulators, with the European Commission imposing millionaire antitrust fines on the company. As its influence extends beyond search into various online services, the company's market position continues to be a subject of debate among industry watchdogs and authorities worldwide.

In January 2025, Google remained by far the most popular search engine in the UK, holding a market share of ***** percent across all devices. That month, Bing had a market share of approximately **** percent in second place, followed by Yahoo! with approximately **** percent. The EU vs Google Despite Google’s dominance of the search engine market, maintaining its position at the top has not been a smooth ride. Google’s market share saw a decline in the summer of 2018, plummeting to an all-time-low in July. The search engine experienced a similar dip in June and July 2017. These two low points coincided with the European Commission’s antitrust charges against the company, both of which were unprecedented in the now decade-long duel between both parties. As skepticism towards search engine platforms grows in line with public concern regarding censorship and data privacy, alternative services like Duckduckgo offer users both information protection and unfiltered results. Despite this, it still held less than *** percent of the industry’s market share as of June 2021. Perception of fake news in the UK According to a questionnaire conducted in the United Kingdom in 2018, **** percent of respondents had come across inaccurate news on social media at least once before. Rising concerns over fake news, or information which has been manipulated to influence the public has been a hot topic in recent years. The younger generation however, remains skeptical with nearly **** of Generation Z claiming to be either unconcerned about fake news, or believed that it did not exist altogether.

Search engines, which collect, organize and display knowledge of the internet, remain central to the digital economy but are entering a period of rapid transformation driven by AI and shifting user behavior. Over the past five years, internet advertising spending maintained strong momentum, propelled by growing mobile internet access and consumer screen time. Consequently, industry revenue is expected to climb at a CAGR of 9.4% to $316.8 billion, including an anticipated rise of 7.7% in 2025, with profit at 18.6%. The industry stands apart from most in the tech sector, because of its platform-based revenue model, aggregation dynamics and deep integration with the broader digital ecosystem. While user engagement fuels relevance, it is advertiser demand that sustains revenue, requiring a careful balance between utility and monetization. This landscape has been reshaped by the rise of generative AI. Conversational tools and AI-generated summaries are reducing user interaction with traditional search results, challenging established SEO practices and disrupting referral-based traffic flows. Meanwhile, search engines are reconfiguring their ad models to prioritize quality and contextual relevance, moving away from legacy monetization strategies. These trends signal a broader shift in how search platforms operate, less as navigational tools and more as integrated, AI-driven environments. As digital behavior fragments and users seek information across apps like Amazon, TikTok and ChatGPT, industry revenue is still projected to climb at a CAGR of 7.3% to $449.9 billion through 2030. Advertisers are expected to continue investing in search, drawn by the format’s performance insights and optimization capabilities. However, AI is redefining search from a navigational tool into a task-oriented solution engine, where users expect conversational, multimodal and predictive answers instead of traditional results pages. To stay relevant, incumbent platforms must evolve into embedded AI utilities that power experiences across devices and enterprise workflows.

In January 2025, Google accounted for 93.82 percent of the global mobile search engine market worldwide. Yandex had 2.5 percent of the global mobile search, while, competitors like Baidu and Yahoo! accounted for less than one percent each on a global scale.

In May 2025, the online search engine Bing accounted for 4.11 percent of the European search market across all devices, while market leader Google held a search traffic share of around 89.45 percent. Meanwhile, Yandex's market share was 3.72 percent, while Yahoo! represented around 1.08 percent.

In January 2025, Google accounted for 93.89 percent of the global mobile search engine market worldwide. Ever since the release of Google Search in 1997, the company's search engine has dominated the search engine market, maintaining a margin of more than 93 percentage points since January 2015. Currently owned by the parent corporation Alphabet Inc., Google has one of the highest tech company revenues, with roughly 305.63 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

In the past five years, the web portal industry in Germany has seen dynamic growth, driven by high internet penetration and the increased use of mobile devices. Demand for digital services has remained robust across all sectors, with advertising revenue, premium models and commission business establishing themselves as key revenue pillars. At the same time, competition from international technology groups, increasing regulatory requirements and growing data protection awareness are intensifying the pressure to innovate. Web portals are increasingly investing in mobile applications, personalisation and a differentiated range of services in order to maintain user intensity and user loyalty despite increasing saturation and growing digital detox trends. Industry revenue increased by an average of 9.6% per year between 2020 and 2025 and is expected to reach 14 billion euros in the current year.In 2025, industry turnover is expected to increase by 3.9%. The industry is currently characterised by a greater awareness of data protection and user trust. New studies show that many users are sceptical about web portals with inadequate data protection measures and are switching. At the same time, content and community-orientated portals are gaining massive visibility, while traditional e-commerce and technology portals are coming under pressure. Increasing mobile use and the trend towards digital self-regulation functions are influencing development priorities. To ensure their competitiveness, providers are increasingly focussing on transparent data protection solutions, innovative content and cross-service platform strategies.In the next five years, turnover in the sector is expected to increase by an average of 3.2% per year to 16.5 billion euros. The web portal industry is undergoing a phase of profound change, which is primarily characterised by stricter data protection regulations, higher technological requirements and new tax regulations. In particular, the complex compliance with data protection regulations is hampering innovation and making the development of data-based business models more difficult. In addition, the minimum tax law deprives international providers of an important locational advantage and thus changes the competitive landscape. In response, companies are driving forward automation and the use of artificial intelligence in order to fulfil regulatory requirements more efficiently. At the same time, there is a strategic focus on the integration and diversification of digital services. The bundling of email, cloud, calendar and other services increases user loyalty and advertising revenue, but at the same time increases the pressure to consolidate and makes it more difficult for smaller providers to participate in the market.

In the observed period, Google increased its lead as the search engine with the largest market share in Czechia. At the beginning of 2015, it had roughly ** percent, however, this figure rose to nearly ** percent by March 2025. Accordingly, the market share of the second-largest Czech search engine - Seznam, slowly decreased over time. In January 2015, it still amounted for ***** percent market share, however, the share fell to less than ** percent. The share of the other engines fluctuated except for YANDEX RU, as its market share dropped to ****, yet Yandex was still active in Czechia.

The Web Portal Operation industry is highly concentrated, with three companies controlling almost the entire industry. Search engines generate most of their revenue from advertising. Technological growth has led to more households being connected to the internet and a boom in e-commerce has made the industry increasingly innovative as players strive to keep up. Revenue growth has also been supported by changes in societal behaviours like heightened leisure time and the proliferation of remote working, both of which have contributed to a hike in online spending. With a continued swell in online spending, revenue is forecast to climb by 3.7% in 2025. In the wake of the digital world, French and global businesses have capitalised on these trends by investing heavily in digital advertising to boost their online footprint, as evidenced by the 15% jump in French digital ad spending in 2022, according to IAB France. More transactions being carried out online has driven innovation in targeted digital advertising, with declines in rival advertising formats like print media and television increasing the focus on digital marketing as a core strategy. Industry revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 17.7% over the five years through 2025, reaching €5.3 billion, while profit has remained high. Moving forward, revenue growth will likely be steered by advances in mobile advertising and localisation strategies. With approximately 70% of French internet users accessing the web via mobile devices according to Médiamétrie, there’s a fertile ground for exploiting mobile advertising revenue. However, challenges loom as the industry grapples with the growing influence of social media platforms that effectively leverage user data to attract advertisers. Smartphones could disrupt the industry's status quo, as the rising popularity of devices that don’t use Google as the default engine benefits other businesses. Technological advancements that incorporate user data are likely to make it easier to tailor advertisements and develop new ways of using consumer data. Industry revenue is forecast to jump at a compound annual rate of 3.1% over the five years through 2030 to reach €6.2 billion.

In May 2025, Google led the European mobile search market, holding a market share of around 94.54 percent. Its biggest worldwide competitor, Bing, accounted for only 0.59 percent of the European mobile search market. Meanwhile, Yandex's mobile market share in Europe was 3.04 percent.

Use of online marketplaces and search engines by small and medium enterprises. Topics: attitude towards selected statements on online marketplaces: available information about customer behaviour and preferences is useful for development and improvement of products and services, data about customers are sufficient for company’s purposes, awareness about which data about the company are being collected by marketplace and use of the data, easy transfer of key commercial data from one marketplace to another; attitude towards the following statements with regard to the terms and conditions of online marketplaces: are clear in general, can be influenced according to own interests, possibility to switch to different marketplace in case of unfavourable changes to existing terms and conditions, reliable dispute solution system; attitude towards selected statements about search engines: position in search results has significant impact on sales, use of search engine optimization techniques, approval to allow changes in order of search results according to search engine’s commercial interests, existence of reliable dispute resolution system; attitude towards selected statements on review or rating systems: reviews have significant impact on sales, user reviews are genuine, possibility to report and remove false reviews. Demography: information about the company: number of employees, year of company establishment; total turnover in 2015; percentage of the company’s turnover in 2015 coming from sales in: own country, other EU countries, countries outside the EU; direct selling to: final consumers, other companies, public administration; frequency of selling products or services on the internet; frequency of selling products or services on the internet via: company’s commercial website, online marketplaces, search engines. Additionally coded was: respondent ID; country; NACE-Code; weighting factor. Nutzung von Online-Marktplätzen und Suchmaschinen durch kleine und mittlere Unternehmen. Themen: Einstellung zu ausgewählten Aussagen über Online-Marktplätze: bereitgestellte Informationen über Nutzerverhalten und –präferenzen sind nützlich für die Entwicklung und Verbesserung von Produkten und Dienstleistungen, bereitgestellte Nutzerdaten entsprechen den Anforderungen des Unternehmens, Kenntnis von Inhalt und Verwendung von über das Unternehmen erfasste Daten, einfache Übertragung wichtiger Geschäftskennzahlen bei Wechsel zu einem anderen Online-Marktplatz; Einstellung zu den folgenden Aussagen zu den Nutzungsbedingungen von Online-Marktplätzen: sind im Allgemeinen klar definiert, können den Bedürfnissen des Unternehmens entsprechend angepasst werden, Möglichkeit des Wechsels zu einem anderen Online-Marktplatz bei nachteiliger Veränderung bestehender Nutzungsbedingungen, Verfügbarkeit eines zuverlässigen Streitbeilegungsverfahrens; Zustimmung zu ausgewählten Aussagen über Suchmaschinen: bedeutender Einfluss der Position in der Reihenfolge der Suchergebnisse auf den Umsatz, Verwendung von Techniken zur Suchmaschinenoptimierung, Möglichkeit zur Änderung der Reihenfolge der Suchergebnisse entsprechend den kommerziellen Interessen der Suchmaschinen, Verfügbarkeit eines zuverlässigen Streitbeilegungsverfahrens; Einstellung zu ausgewählten Aussagen über Bewertungssysteme: bedeutender Einfluss der Bewertungen auf den Umsatz, Echtheit der Benutzerbewertungen, Möglichkeit des Meldens und Entfernens falscher Bewertungen. Demographie: Angaben zum Unternehmen: Anzahl der Mitarbeitenden, Gründungsjahr; Gesamtumsatz in 2015; prozentualer Anteil der Verkäufe in den folgenden Ländern am Gesamtumsatz in 2015: eigenes Land, andere EU-Länder, Länder außerhalb der EU; Direktverkauf an: Endverbraucher, andere Unternehmen, öffentliche Einrichtungen; Häufigkeit des Verkaufs von Produkten oder Dienstleitungen über das Internet; Häufigkeit des Verkaufs von Produkten oder Dienstleitungen über das Internet mit Hilfe von: kommerzieller Webseite des Unternehmens, Online-Marktplätzen, Suchmaschinen. Zusätzlich verkodet wurde: Befragten-ID; Land; NACE-Code; Gewichtungsfaktor.

The internet has become an essential part of everyday life, with consumers spending hours online and businesses using it to provide and promote services and products. Businesses therefore, spend heavily on digital advertising to reach and engage with consumers, replacing traditional channels like TV and print. Digital ad spending is surging demand for SEO and internet marketing consultants. These consultants advise businesses on enhancing their online presence, generating more online traffic and ultimately boosting sales. Industry revenue is expected to swell at a compound annual rate of 6.9% over the five years through 2024-25 to £22.3 billion, including an anticipated 7.6% hike in 2024-25. Businesses invest in Internet marketing because it's cost-effective, with social media marketing and engaging video content driving online traffic and creating a connection with consumers. The SEO and Internet Marketing industry is resilient despite recent economic challenges, like COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict that have hurt business confidence. However, marketing consultants serve businesses in all types of sectors, limiting revenue volatility and allowing for sustained demand even in poor economic climates. A consistently budding number of UK businesses provide consultants with a grander potential client pool. Strong demand and low barriers to setting up an SEO and internet marketing consulting business have drawn a lot of new companies to the market — many of these offer lower fees to attract clients from competitors, constraining industry profit. SEO and internet marketing consulting revenue is forecast to swell at a compound annual rate of 8.5% over the five years through 2029-30 to £33.6 billion. As economic conditions continue to improve in the coming years, businesses will expand their marketing budgets. Businesses will seek to develop their online presence and outcompete rivals in the progressively competitive online marketplace, seeking expert advice on boosting traffic, exposure and conversions. Using artificial intelligence and creating video content will also help prop up the industry's improved performance as smart device usage envelops the UK. However, mounting competition could weigh on revenue and profit, with a fair few businesses taking marketing operations in-house.

In a country with over *********** internet users, China's search engine industry was estimated to reach *** billion yuan in 2023. Baidu has been the largest online search provider in the country while Google has been officially banned since 2010.

The growth of the Internet since its inception has fueled strong demand and profitability for web design services, as both businesses and households increasingly conduct activities online. The pandemic accelerated this trend, forcing businesses to upgrade their digital presence amid lockdowns and remote work, which resulted in significant revenue gains for web designers in 2020. This trend continued in 2021 as the strong economic recovery boosted corporate profit and gave businesses greater funds to invest in the industry’s services. More recently, high inflation and rising interest rates have raised costs and curtailed demand, with some businesses opting for cheaper alternatives like templates rather than custom web design, contributing to a drop in revenue in 2022. Despite these challenges, rising stock prices linked to AI advancements pushed business income substantially upward, enabling further investment in web design through 2023 and 2024 and benefiting revenue. However, high inflation and rising interest rates have recently raised costs and curtailed demand, with some businesses opting for cheaper alternatives like templates rather than custom web design. In response to shifting client expectations, web designers now prioritize mobile-first design, rapid performance, personalization and interactive content. These adaptations, along with investments in new technologies, have allowed web designers—especially smaller ones—to differentiate themselves and sustain long-term growth. Overall, revenue for web design services companies has swelled at a CAGR of 2.3% over the past five years, reaching $47.4 billion in 2025. This includes a 1.5% rise in revenue in that year. Market saturation will limit revenue growth for website designers moving forward. With nearly all US adults now using the Internet, opportunities for finding new customers are dwindling as internet usage approaches universality. As a result, major providers may turn to mergers and acquisitions to maintain market share, while smaller companies will likely focus on niche markets or specific geographies to secure stable income. Additionally, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could further restrain demand by increasing consumer prices, reducing disposable income and pushing the economy toward recession. In response, web designers may expand geographically to find new clients. Amid these headwinds, AI and automation technologies are transforming design workflows, increasing efficiency while fostering a greater need for skilled workers and enabling more tailored services. Companies are also adapting by prioritizing inclusivity and sustainability, attracting broader demographics and eco-conscious clients. Overall, revenue for web design services providers is forecast to inch upward at a CAGR of 1.1% over the next five years, reaching $49.9 billion in 2030.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Market Outlook 2032

The global Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Market size was USD 73.9 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 304.2 Billion by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 17.7% during 2024–2032. The market is driven by the rising need for businesses to enhance online visibility and the increasing importance of voice and image search optimizations.



Increasing smartphone penetration globally propels the necessity for mobile optimization in SEO strategies. Businesses are recognizing the importance of optimizing for mobile to improve user experience and rank higher in search engine results.



Google’s mobile-first indexing underscores this trend, prioritizing mobile-optimized sites. This shift demands that websites ensure fast loading times, responsive design, and mobile-friendly content, driving significant adjustments in SEO practices.

• In October 2023, Google announced the completion of its transition to mobile-first indexing, prioritizing mobile versions for page crawling and content indexing. This shift underscores the tech giant's emphasis on mobile devices initiated in 2015 with an algorithm update favoring "mobile-friendly" sites.

Voice search optimization is emerging as a critical trend, driven by the proliferation of smart speakers and virtual assistants. Users increasingly rely on voice commands for internet searches, necessitating adjustments in SEO strategies to accommodate conversational queries. This trend encourages the incorporation of natural language processing and long-tail keywords, aiming to improve visibility in voice search results.

Local SEO is gaining prominence in the market, fueled by the rise in "near me" searches and the importance of local business visibility online. Businesses are investing in optimizing their online presence for local searches to attract nearby customers, emphasizing accurate listings, local keywords, and Google My Business optimization.

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The Web Portal Operation industry is highly concentrated, with three companies controlling almost the entire industry; the largest company in the industry, Alphabet Inc, has a market share greater than 90% in 2025. This market concentration has fostered significant advertising revenue but made it exceedingly difficult for smaller web portals to survive. Yet, the presence of local champions like Yandex in Russia and Seznam in the Czech Republic demonstrates that regional portals can find niches, particularly where differentiated content or national digital policies shape market dynamics. Search engines generate most, if not all, of their revenue from advertising. Technological growth has led to more households being connected to the internet and a boom in e-commerce has made the industry increasingly innovative. Over the past decade, a boost in the percentage of households with internet access across Europe has supported revenue expansion, while strengthening technological integration with daily life has boosted demand for web portals. Industry revenue is expected to swell at a compound annual rate of 17.4% over the five years through 2025, including growth of 15% in 2025, to reach €74.9 billion. While profit is high, it is projected to dip amid hiking operational pressures, changing advertising dynamics and heightened regulatory compliance costs. A greater proportion of transactions being carried out online has driven innovation in targeted digital advertising, with declines in rival advertising formats like print media and television expanding the focus on digital marketing as a core strategy. Market leaders have maintained dominance via exclusive agreements, like Google’s multi-billion-euro deals to remain the default search engine on Apple and Android devices, embedding themselves deeper into users’ daily digital interactions. At the same time, the rise of privacy-first search engines like DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Qwant reflects shifting consumer attitudes toward data privacy and environmental impact. However, Google's status as the default search provider on most mainstream platforms, coupled with robust integration through Chrome and Google's broader ecosystem, has significantly constrained market entry for competitors, perpetuating the industry’s concentration. The rise of the mobile advertising market and the proliferation of mobile devices mean there are plenty of opportunities for search engines, which are expected to capitalise on these trends further moving forward. Smartphones could disrupt the industry's status quo, as the rising popularity of devices that don’t use Google as the default engine benefits other web portals. Technological advancements that incorporate user data are likely to make it easier to tailor advertisements and develop new ways of using consumer data. Initiatives like the European Search Perspective (EUSP) joint venture between Ecosia and Qwant signal the beginnings of intensified competition, especially around privacy and regional digital sovereignty. Nonetheless, industry growth is set to continue, fuelled by surging demand for localised, targeted digital advertising and heightened investment in mobile marketing. Industry revenue is forecast to jump at a compound annual rate of 20.4% over the five years through 2030 to reach €189.7 billion.

The Web Portal Operation industry is highly concentrated, with three companies controlling almost the entire industry; the largest company in the industry, Alphabet Inc, has a market share greater than 90% in 2025. This market concentration has fostered significant advertising revenue but made it exceedingly difficult for smaller web portals to survive. Yet, the presence of local champions like Yandex in Russia and Seznam in the Czech Republic demonstrates that regional portals can find niches, particularly where differentiated content or national digital policies shape market dynamics. Search engines generate most, if not all, of their revenue from advertising. Technological growth has led to more households being connected to the internet and a boom in e-commerce has made the industry increasingly innovative. Over the past decade, a boost in the percentage of households with internet access across Europe has supported revenue expansion, while strengthening technological integration with daily life has boosted demand for web portals. Industry revenue is expected to swell at a compound annual rate of 17.4% over the five years through 2025, including growth of 15% in 2025, to reach €74.9 billion. While profit is high, it is projected to dip amid hiking operational pressures, changing advertising dynamics and heightened regulatory compliance costs. A greater proportion of transactions being carried out online has driven innovation in targeted digital advertising, with declines in rival advertising formats like print media and television expanding the focus on digital marketing as a core strategy. Market leaders have maintained dominance via exclusive agreements, like Google’s multi-billion-euro deals to remain the default search engine on Apple and Android devices, embedding themselves deeper into users’ daily digital interactions. At the same time, the rise of privacy-first search engines like DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Qwant reflects shifting consumer attitudes toward data privacy and environmental impact. However, Google's status as the default search provider on most mainstream platforms, coupled with robust integration through Chrome and Google's broader ecosystem, has significantly constrained market entry for competitors, perpetuating the industry’s concentration. The rise of the mobile advertising market and the proliferation of mobile devices mean there are plenty of opportunities for search engines, which are expected to capitalise on these trends further moving forward. Smartphones could disrupt the industry's status quo, as the rising popularity of devices that don’t use Google as the default engine benefits other web portals. Technological advancements that incorporate user data are likely to make it easier to tailor advertisements and develop new ways of using consumer data. Initiatives like the European Search Perspective (EUSP) joint venture between Ecosia and Qwant signal the beginnings of intensified competition, especially around privacy and regional digital sovereignty. Nonetheless, industry growth is set to continue, fuelled by surging demand for localised, targeted digital advertising and heightened investment in mobile marketing. Industry revenue is forecast to jump at a compound annual rate of 20.4% over the five years through 2030 to reach €189.7 billion.

The Web Portal Operation industry is highly concentrated, with three companies controlling almost the entire industry; the largest company in the industry, Alphabet Inc, has a market share greater than 90% in 2025. This market concentration has fostered significant advertising revenue but made it exceedingly difficult for smaller web portals to survive. Yet, the presence of local champions like Yandex in Russia and Seznam in the Czech Republic demonstrates that regional portals can find niches, particularly where differentiated content or national digital policies shape market dynamics. Search engines generate most, if not all, of their revenue from advertising. Technological growth has led to more households being connected to the internet and a boom in e-commerce has made the industry increasingly innovative. Over the past decade, a boost in the percentage of households with internet access across Europe has supported revenue expansion, while strengthening technological integration with daily life has boosted demand for web portals. Industry revenue is expected to swell at a compound annual rate of 17.4% over the five years through 2025, including growth of 15% in 2025, to reach €74.9 billion. While profit is high, it is projected to dip amid hiking operational pressures, changing advertising dynamics and heightened regulatory compliance costs. A greater proportion of transactions being carried out online has driven innovation in targeted digital advertising, with declines in rival advertising formats like print media and television expanding the focus on digital marketing as a core strategy. Market leaders have maintained dominance via exclusive agreements, like Google’s multi-billion-euro deals to remain the default search engine on Apple and Android devices, embedding themselves deeper into users’ daily digital interactions. At the same time, the rise of privacy-first search engines like DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Qwant reflects shifting consumer attitudes toward data privacy and environmental impact. However, Google's status as the default search provider on most mainstream platforms, coupled with robust integration through Chrome and Google's broader ecosystem, has significantly constrained market entry for competitors, perpetuating the industry’s concentration. The rise of the mobile advertising market and the proliferation of mobile devices mean there are plenty of opportunities for search engines, which are expected to capitalise on these trends further moving forward. Smartphones could disrupt the industry's status quo, as the rising popularity of devices that don’t use Google as the default engine benefits other web portals. Technological advancements that incorporate user data are likely to make it easier to tailor advertisements and develop new ways of using consumer data. Initiatives like the European Search Perspective (EUSP) joint venture between Ecosia and Qwant signal the beginnings of intensified competition, especially around privacy and regional digital sovereignty. Nonetheless, industry growth is set to continue, fuelled by surging demand for localised, targeted digital advertising and heightened investment in mobile marketing. Industry revenue is forecast to jump at a compound annual rate of 20.4% over the five years through 2030 to reach €189.7 billion.