Search results in 2021: trends and user habits

Publication date: 7 July 2021

Search engines are an important, but not the only way to find the necessary information or get a service. Often people use several alternative search methods along with search engines. In April 2021, Online Market Intelligence (OMI) company conducted a study at Yandex’s request that should reveal trends in search results.

• Two-thirds of respondents go online from mobile devices. Among young people, the number of mobile users is even higher – about 80%.
• A third of Russians go online from a computer (17% from the desktop and 15% from a laptop).
• The situation is changing only for the older generation: category 55 + is still less likely to use smartphones (31%) and more often – computers.

How are the searching habits of users changing in 2021?

The research shows that there is a change in the searching habits of Russians. First of all, it concerns young people. According to the survey, more than 70% of participants aged 18-24 use multiple search channels on a par with search engines. They also search through social networks, mobile apps, and go directly to websites. And one in five between the ages of 18 and 34 stated three or more ways to solve a request. Also, some of the research questions focused on the benefit and relevance of search wizards. “Search wizards” are special blocks in the search results. According to the request, they contain different information, combining text and graphics. Often these are specific answers that use different search engine services: map, calendar, pictures. According to the research, the majority of respondents believe that search wizards are useful for the search task. People place the responsibility for the quality of such answers on the search engine and its technology. 63% of Russians reported that search wizards can be useful as a way to solve a search problem. By the same criterion, the evaluation of the block of such search results for young people (18-24 years old) reaches 80%. If the results are incorrectly displayed in the search wizard block, more than half (52%) of respondents will decide that the problem is in search technologies. One in four respondents (26%) stated that they would change the search engine if incorrect information was displayed in search wizards. Classical search engines still hold an important place as a way to search the Internet, but it is noticeable that the solution of search tasks already goes beyond one channel. According to experts, in the future, this trend will increase.