March 30, 2025
At Search Central Live NYC, Google’s John Mueller revisited a long-standing fact: 15% of the search queries Google sees daily are brand new—never searched before.
In a world where AI-driven tools, language models (LLMs), and voice search are rapidly transforming how people access information, it’s surprising that this number hasn’t increased—or decreased.
So, what does this mean for real estate investors, agents, and professionals trying to optimize their SEO strategy in 2025?
Let’s break it down.
Even with the rise of AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, and evolving search behaviors, Google still receives 15% entirely new search queries daily.
That means out of billions of searches, a significant portion are unpredictable, natural-language questions—things users may have never typed before.
These aren’t your “buy a home in [city]” keyword queries. They are hyper-specific, emotionally driven, and reflect how real people talk and think.
Google uses models like BERT and MUM to better understand the meaning behind each query, especially when users ask in long, nuanced ways. With AI-generated suggestions and Search Generative Experience (SGE), people now think aloud in their search bars.
As a real estate investor or marketer, here’s how this impacts your SEO approach:
Instead of only aiming for high-volume head terms like “homes for sale in Denver,” start optimizing for long-tail keywords that reflect evolving user intent. Tools like Google Search Console, People Also Ask, and Gemini’s question generator can help you identify trends.
Write like you are answering someone’s question—because you probably are. Use blog titles like:
These help capture those 15% queries Google sees for the first time—and position your site to appear in zero-click featured snippets.
Since user queries evolve with current trends (economic shifts, lifestyle preferences, local events), updating content can help match fresh, unseen search patterns.
Don’t fear the unknown—optimize for it.
If 15% of search queries are new daily, 15% of untapped SEO real estate is waiting for you to claim. Use this insight to publish content that answers accurate, current, and specific questions your competitors are not thinking about.
John Mueller called the 15% stat “fantastic” because people are still curious. They are still searching, looking for help, and asking questions no one has answered.
For real estate investors, this is your chance to be the first answer they find.
So the next time you plan your content strategy, remember:
It’s not just about volume. It’s about relevance, timing, and knowing what your audience doesn’t know how to ask yet.
Need help crafting content that ranks for tomorrow’s searches? Let SEO To Real Estate Investors help you build future-proof real estate SEO strategies.
