Explained: How Different Generations Search Online [700+ People Surveyed]

Understanding how different generations search online allows you to optimize marketing strategies to reach your target audience where they look for information. Learn more about how different generations search online here!
  • Headshot of smiling woman with black-framed glasses and brunette hair.
    Abby Fields SEO Specialist
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  • February 5, 2025
  • 11 min. read

Understanding your audience is key to implementing campaigns and messages that reach them in the right places and resonate with them enough to convert them into customers. 

By understanding how different people use the Internet to look for information, you can better adapt and optimize your marketing strategies to get your brand in front of your target audience.

And that’s why we surveyed over 700 people across multiple generations to better understand how they search for information online. Keep reading to discover what we found!

Key Takeaways

  • Baby Boomers prefer traditional methods of search, like using search engines like Google
  • Generation Z and Generation Alpha use short, succinct phrases when searching for information online
  • Baby Boomers use long, detailed phrases when searching for information online
  • Generation Z and Generation Alpha use social media to search for information more than other generations
  • Generation X values website/brand credibility and trustworthiness the most when choosing a search result, company, or product online
  • Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha will take brand trust and reviews into account when choosing a search result, company, or product online
  • Google is the most popular search engine among all generations

Defining the generations

Before we dive into the data, let’s go over how we define each generation in the table below.

Generation Born Age
Generation Alpha 2010 – Present 0 – 14
Generation Z 1997 – 2009 15 – 27
Millennials 1981 – 1996 28 – 44
Generation X 1965 – 1980 45 – 60
Baby Boomers 1946 – 1964 61 – 79

 

How different generations search online

We surveyed 750 people across multiple generations to uncover their Internet search habits, from what device they use to which platform they use to look up information for multiple scenarios. 

Here’s what each generation shared! 

Baby Boomers (Born 1946 – 1964)

  • Preferred platform for searching: Search engines (92% of respondents)
  • Preferred devices for searching: Mobile phone and laptop (38% and 30% of respondents)
  • Typical search phrase: Full-length questions or detailed phrases, like “What is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe?”
  • Preferred format of information: Text-based answers or articles (78% of respondents)
  • What they consider when choosing a search result/answer: Relevance to their search query or question (62% of respondents)
  • Platform/Channel they are least likely to use: An AI platform or chatbot (72% of respondents)

Our research found that Baby Boomers were the most likely to rely on traditional methods of online search, like using search engines to find the information they need. In fact, 92% of the Baby Boomers we surveyed said that when they need to find something online, their first choice is to go to a search engine.

Baby Boomers are also most likely to use long, detailed phrases to find the information they need. 

For example, when asked the question “You need to find a recipe to make chocolate chip cookies. What would you type (or speak) into the search bar to find your chocolate chip cookie recipe?”, Baby Boomers are likely to search phrases like “what is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe” or “what is the best and easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe?”. 

Graphic showing baby boomer search phrases

When choosing a search result or information online, Baby Boomers consider the relevance of the search result to their query/question the most. 

Generation X (Born 1965 – 1980)

  • Preferred platform for searching: Search engines (87% of respondents)
  • Preferred devices for searching: Mobile phone (69% of respondents)
  • Typical search phrase: A mix of full-length, detailed questions (“what is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe?”) and shorter responses (“best chocolate chip cookie recipes”)
  • What they consider when choosing a search result/answer: Website credibility and trustworthiness (71% of respondents)
  • Preferred format of information: Text-based answers or articles (67% of respondents)
  • Platform/Channel they are least likely to use: An AI platform or chatbot (50% of respondents)

Our survey found that Generation X is more likely to use traditional methods of search, like search engines, while sometimes using other channels like social media platforms and smart assistants or smart speakers like Alexa or Siri. 

For example, 87% of respondents said they usually go to a search engine first when they need to find something online, however, 34% of respondents said they will sometimes use social media platforms to find information. 

Generation X also uses a mix of full-length, detailed search phrases and short phrases. When asked what they would type (or speak) into the platform if they needed to find a plumber to fix a leak, respondents said they would search phrases like “plumbers near me” or “where could I find a reputable plumber near me?”

Graphic showing Gen X search phrases

When it comes to choosing a search result or information/service online, Generation X is most likely to take the website’s/business’ trustworthiness and credibility into account first (71% of respondents). 

Millennials (Born 1981 – 1996) 

  • Preferred platform for searching: Search engines (84% of respondents)
  • Preferred devices for searching: Mobile phone (79% of respondents)
  • Typical search phrase: Mix of short responses (“best coffee”) and full-length questions or detailed phrases, like “What is the best coffee?” (62% of respondents)
  • What they consider when choosing a search result/answer: Website credibility and trustworthiness (66% of respondents) along with reviews and ratings (50% of respondents)
  • Preferred format of information: Text-based answers or articles (61% of respondents)
  • Platform/Channel they are least likely to use: An AI platform or chatbot (35% of respondents)

Compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X, Millennials are more comfortable using a mixture of both traditional search methods like search engines and social media platforms, with 61% of respondents saying they always use search engines and 48% saying they use social media platforms and forums often. 

When it comes to choosing a source or search result online, website credibility and trustworthiness is considered first by 66% of respondents, but 50% of respondents will also check reviews and ratings of the brand or company. 

Graphic showing factors Millennials consider when choosing search results

When searching online, Millennials favor a mix of short and long-length search queries. For example, when asked what they would type into the search bar if their refrigerator isn’t cooling, respondents answered with phrases like “refrigerator isn’t cooling” or “what causes a refrigerator to stop cooling?”

Millennials are also the least likely generation to trust the first source of information they find, with 41% of respondents saying they will often verify information from multiple sources. 

Generation Z (Born 1997 – 2009) 

  • Preferred platform for searching: Mix of search engines, social media platforms, forums, and AI
  • Preferred devices for searching: Mobile phone (79% of respondents)
  • Typical search phrase: Short phrases like “cookie recipe” or “chocolate chip cookie recipe”
  • What they consider when choosing a search result/answer: Website credibility and trustworthiness (71% of respondents) followed by relevance to query (63% of Gen Zs) and ratings and reviews (45% of Gen Zs)
  • Preferred format of information: Text and video (96% of respondents)
  • Platform/Channel they are least likely to use: AI platform or chatbot (40% of respondents)

Generation Z dabbles in using multiple platforms and channels to search online. While search engines are most often the first choice, 34% of Gen Zers said they will sometimes use a smart speaker or assistant like Siri or Alexa. In addition, 34% of respondents said they will often use social media platforms, while 24% will also use forums like Reddit to find information. 

Graphic showing the platform Gen Z uses when searching online

This generation also uses artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots more than any other generation, with 23% of respondents saying they will sometimes use it to find information online. 

When it comes to their typical search phrases, Gen Z prefers to search for short, succinct phrases. For example, when asked what they would type into the search bar if they wanted to find a chocolate chip cookie recipe, most respondents said they would search for phrases like “cookie recipe” or “chocolate chip cookie recipe”. 

Similar to Millennials, Gen Z also considers website credibility and trustworthiness to be the first thing they consider when choosing a source of information online (71% of respondents). Followed by 63% of respondents saying they consider the source’s relevance to their search query and 45% of Gen Zs saying they take ratings and reviews into account. 

Generation Alpha (Born 2010 – Present) 

  • Preferred platform for searching: Mix of search engines and social media platforms
  • Preferred devices for searching: Mobile phone (73% of respondents)
  • Typical search phrase: Short phrases like “empire state building height”
  • What they consider when choosing a search result/answer: Mix of website trustworthiness, brand reputation, reviews, and views or likes
  • Preferred format of information: Text and video (95% of respondents)
  • Platform/Channel they are least likely to use: Forums, like Reddit

We surveyed people in Gen Alpha who are currently 13 years old or older.

Similar to Generation Z, Gen Alpha also uses multiple online platforms, including search engines and social media, to find information online and uses social media platforms to search more often than any other generation. 

For example, if a Gen Alpha wants to learn how to make something online, like cookies, 65% of respondents would use a search engine while 25% of respondents said they would watch a video on a social media platform. When asked what social media platform and search engine they would use, YouTube and TikTok were the most popular, while Google was the most popular search engine. 

When it comes to choosing a search result online, Gen Alpha takes multiple factors into account, more than any other generation. For example, website trustworthiness and reviews were the most popular factors, followed closely by relevance, the brand itself, and views or likes.

Graphic showing factors Gen Alpha considers when choosing search results

Similar to Gen Z, Gen Alpha also prefers to search for short phrases. For example, we asked what they would type into the search bar to find out how tall the Empire State Building is. Respondents answered that they would search for phrases like “empire state building height” or “height empire state”. 

When it comes to reaching Gen Alpha online, it’s essential to ensure that your business is present on multiple platforms, especially search engines like Google and popular social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. 

Marketing strategies for each generation

Now that you know a little bit more about each generation and their search habits, let’s further break down the marketing strategies you can implement to reach your desired generation and target audience. 

We summarized it all in the table below! 

Generation Online Search Preferences Marketing Strategy Marketing Tactics to Implement
Baby Boomers
  • Traditional methods of search, like search engines
  • Google is their preferred search engine
  • Full-length questions and long, detailed search phrases
  • Values relevance to their search query the most when choosing a search result, company or product
Focus on targeting long-tail keywords in your content marketing strategy, implementing search engine optimization (SEO) best practices for Google to increase your website’s rankings in search results, and ensuring your content provides value and answers the search intent of the keyword you’re targeting. SEO 

Local SEO

PPC

Content marketing

Web design

Generation X
  • Traditional search methods like search engines
  • Will sometimes use social media platforms or smart speaks/assistants to search
  • Their preferred search engine is Google
  • Their preferred social media platform is Facebook
  • Uses a mix of long, detailed phrases and short phrases
  • Values website/brand trustworthiness when choosing a search result, company, or product online
Focus on building your brand awareness and online visibility and implementing trust signals throughout your website, like testimonials and reviews. It’s also beneficial to target a mix of long-tail and short-tail keywords in your content. SEO

Local SEO

PPC

Social media marketing

Content marketing

Web design

Millennials
  • Uses a mixture of search methods like search engines, forums, and social media platforms
  • Their preferred search engine is Google
  • Their preferred social media platform is Facebook
  • Uses a mixture of long, detailed search phrases and short search phrases
  • Values website/brand trustworthiness and reviews when choosing a search result, company, or product
  • Will often verify information from multiple sources
Build your positive reviews and testimonials on multiple sources like Google and social media. It’s also beneficial to invest in SEO and PPC strategies and target both long-tail and short-tail keywords. Because Millennials are also likely to search on social media platforms, implementing a social media marketing and advertising strategy will also help you improve visibility and conversions with this generation.  Local SEO

SEO

PPC

Content marketing

Social media marketing

Web design

Generation Z
  • Uses multiple platforms to search online, including search engines, smart speakers or assistants, social media platforms, and forums
  • Will sometimes use AI platforms and chatbots to search for information
  • Their preferred search engine is Google
  • Their preferred social media platforms are TikTok and YouTube
  • Uses short, succinct phrases to search online
  • Values a mix of website/brand trustworthiness, relevance, and reviews when choosing a search result, company, or product online
It’s essential to implement an omnichannel marketing strategy that helps your brand improve visibility and reach Gen Zs across multiple platforms and channels. Because Gen Z is likely to search for information on multiple platforms like search engines, social media, forums, and AI, it’s crucial that your brand has a presence on these platforms to reach your audience.  SEO

Local SEO

Search generative experience (SGE) optimization

PPC

Content marketing

Social media marketing

Web design

Generation Alpha
  • Uses multiple platforms to search online, including search engines and social media platforms
  • Their preferred search engine is Google
  • Their preferred social media platforms are YouTube and TikTok
  • Uses short, succinct phrases to search online
  • Takes multiple factors into account when choosing a search result online, including website/brand trustworthiness, reviews, relevance, and views or likes
When it comes to targeting and reaching Generation Alpha online, it’s essential to ensure that your business is present on multiple platforms, especially search engines like Google and popular social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Targeting short-tail keywords in your SEO and PPC strategy will also help you ensure your website and content appear at the top of the results for the terms Generation Alpha is searching for. SEO

PPC

Content marketing

Social media marketing

Web design

 

Future trends of online search

Online search changes with each generation, and it’s essential to ensure that your brand keeps up with new trends in search to stay ahead of your competitors and continue to drive leads and revenue for your company. 

From our research, it’s clear that younger generations are more likely to use more modern platforms, like social media platforms, AI, and forums, to search for information online. 

While traditional search methods like search engines are still very popular, a focus on searching for information in multiple places is prevalent, making it essential for businesses to improve their visibility across multiple channels to continue to reach their target audience with multiple digital marketing strategies.

In the future, it’s likely that this trend will continue, with more and more people using more modern methods of search with forums, social media, and AI platforms.

Although it’s clear that for the time being, search engines aren’t going anywhere any time soon and still reign as the most popular method of online search. This means it’s still crucial to have an effective SEO strategy in place to reach your target audience on search engines.

Get help reaching different generations online with SEO.com

Reaching different generations where they search online doesn’t have to be difficult. Make it easy with SEO.com. Help improve your rankings in the search results on Google and other search engines with our free, easy-to-use SEO platform! 

SEO.com helps you identify growth opportunities in your SEO strategy to help you get the number one rankings you want! Plus, our tool helps you monitor your performance, spy on competitors, conduct keyword research, and much more!

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Headshot of smiling woman with black-framed glasses and brunette hair.
Abby is a data-driven content marketer with certifications in inbound marketing and content marketing. She’s written hundreds of articles covering digital marketing topics — a few of her specialties include first-party data, marketing and data analytics, marketing strategy optimization, and SEO. When she isn’t writing or optimizing content, Abby loves to spend time reading the latest mystery novel, having movie marathons with lots of snacks, and jamming out to Shania Twain.

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