Google’s products help people and businesses in Europe get things done

And as new devices have been created—laptops, smartphones, tablets, watches, speakers and many more—we’ve had to develop new ways to organize and display information, like showing maps to people searching for directions; or showing how busy public transportation is as they are looking at ways to get to a place. That’s also why we continually improve our products and test and launch thousands of updates to Search every year.

The largest poll of European consumers' attitudes towards Google and online search shows that the products and services offered by Google have overall had a positive impact and are most importantly, helpful.

We commissioned the largest poll about choice in online search in Europe which found that consumers are aware of the wide range of digital services available to them and are choosing the most relevant apps and services for their day to day life.

People choose a search engine which delivers information easily, with quick results that are accurate and relevant. The survey also makes clear that people understand the different choices of search engines available to them and know how to navigate and switch the tools they’re using. The fact that a search engine is already loaded on the device when they first get it (ease of access) is only a reason for using it for 11 percent of people surveyed.

Seventy-six percent of Europeans would switch to another search engine if they didn’t like it and the average member of the public can identify almost three reasons why they would switch.

Research shows that there are many different ways people go to find information. On average, 28 percent of consumers first turn to general search engines like Google to find information about shopping, flights or hotels. A majority (72 percent) first turn to specialized search engines, other websites, apps or offline sources.

People can easily understand and control how their data is used, and have access to their data. Google offers a wide range of tools that allow people to be in control of their online experience, such as Google “My Account,” which helps users choose the privacy settings that are right for them, and the Data Transfer Project, which allows users to export their data.

Similarly, we support open data and open source to give businesses free access to data to help them discover new insights. We believe that providing businesses with access to aggregated datasets benefits R&D in a range of industries, while safeguarding user privacy. Our sharing of data already benefits European companies, like helping Lufthansa better predict changes in travel changes in the pandemic with Google's Flight Demand Explorer tool.

European startups and entrepreneurs need online tools to help grow their businesses more easily and at a lower cost. That’s why we provide a range of tools ranging from online ads which help businesses of all sizes find new customers around the world, to cloud computing technology which reduces operating costs and increases productivity.

When Google enters new product areas, it creates opportunities—enabling entrepreneurs to start new businesses and create new jobs. Google’s tools help businesses grow faster, export to other markets and be more productive, creating an estimated €177 billion in economic activity in 2019 for businesses, developers, creators and publishers right across Europe. Seventy-two percent of European exporters agreed that online search and online advertising have made it significantly easier to find international customers, helping reach markets they might otherwise have missed out on.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, businesses have been working hard to transform themselves and continue to operate. For some, the internet has been a lifeline, enabling them to keep the lights on and continue to connect with customers. Many of these businesses are turning to Google and demanding new products, features and tools to enable them to sell their products and services online. Whether it’s displaying takeaway options for a local restaurant, or reserving a slot at the gym, traditional businesses are demanding more helpful, easy ways to connect with customers.

Connecting travelers with travel companies

Over the years we have developed new ways of displaying information to provide more relevant and helpful results for people looking to travel. This also benefits businesses, and traffic to hotel search sites has continued to increase over time.

Many travel businesses continue to face enormous challenges as a result of the pandemic and that’s why we’ve been working in close collaboration with companies to help them protect their businesses and look towards recovery. We launched new tools for airlines, which are being used by many European airlines including Lufthansa, Air France and Iberia, so they can better predict consumer demand and plan their routes. For hotels, we expanded our “pay per stay” program globally to shift the risk of cancellation from our partners to us. Investments like these have made a real difference to the likes of TUI, a travel and tourism company, who said our pay per stay program made them more resilient and gave them more freedom in a time of uncertainty to interact with potential customers.

Connecting retailers, advertisers and comparison shopping services with shoppers

When you shop online, you want to find the products you’re looking for quickly and easily. And advertisers want to promote those same products. That's why Google shows shopping ads, connecting our users with thousands of advertisers, large and small, in ways that are useful for both. As well as helping merchants, our shopping ads in Europe power a whole industry of comparison shopping services: More than 700 Comparison Shopping Services use Google shopping ads in Europe, winning billions of clicks.

To help Comparison Shopping Services and retailers recover from the pandemic, we expanded free product listings on the Shopping tab—in time for the busiest shopping season of the year. Merchants will be able to reach more consumers at scale, regardless of whether they advertise on Google. Tools like these, along with improvements to Google’s Grow my Store, help businesses reach customers online. This includes people like Janine who revamped her e-commerce offering for her business HeimatHund, a dog training school in Germany, and pivoted to online sales, leading to a 440 percent increase in overall revenue.

Connecting with job seekers

Helping people find jobs, and helping companies find the right candidate, has never been more important—but finding the right information online is often hard. That’s why Google is expanding its Job Search functionality in Europe, in partnership with local jobs boards, aggregators and employment agencies like Pôle Emploi in France and Monster.de in Germany.