Searches from people researching or ready to make a purchase make up 27.3% of AI search demand for 6,999 US industry keywords, against 51.2% of Google search demand for the exact same keywords. People go to AI to learn and to Google to buy.
Analysis of 6,999 US industry keywords · monthly AI search volume, Google search volume and search intent labels, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.Buying searches make up 27.3% of AI search demand for US industry keywords, against 51.2% of Google search demand for the same keywords.
- 2.72% of AI search demand for US industry keywords is informational, more than twice the 30.6% share on Google.
- 3.Informational keywords draw 373 AI searches for every 1,000 Google searches, more than five times the 68 of keywords from people ready to buy.
- 4.Searches for a specific brand or website make up 0.7% of AI search demand for US industry keywords, against 18.2% on Google.
- 5.Software is the most commercial industry in AI search, with 74% of its AI search demand on buying keywords, against 5.6% for dentistry.
Summary
A homeowner whose furnace is making a new noise asks ChatGPT what the sound means and whether it is dangerous. Two days later, the same homeowner types "HVAC repair near me" into Google and calls the second company on the map. The AI tool did the explaining; Google did the selling.
Many marketers assume AI search is dominated by "best" and "buy" questions and that it is taking buying traffic away from Google. If that were true, service businesses would need to shift budget from search ads to AI visibility. The split between learning and buying tells them where each channel actually fits.
The data points the other way. Buying searches make up 27.3% of AI search demand for 6,999 US industry keywords, against 51.2% of Google search demand for the same keywords. 72% of AI search demand is informational, more than twice Google's 30.6%, and searches for a specific brand or website barely exist in AI at 0.7%.
What we measured
We took 6,999 US industry keywords, the searches people use to find plumbers, car dealers, insurers, IT firms, dentists and similar businesses, each with a monthly AI search volume, a Google search volume and a search intent label, using August 2026 volumes collected on September 23, 2026. We added up AI and Google volume by intent and by industry, and compared the two.
AI search demand is the estimated number of times a month people ask AI tools such as ChatGPT about a keyword. Search intent is the reason behind a search. Informational searches look for knowledge ("how does solar power work"); commercial searches research a purchase ("insurance companies"); transactional searches are ready to act ("buy a car"); navigational searches look for a specific brand or website. In this study, buying searches means commercial plus transactional.
AI search demand is mostly about learning
On Google, informational keywords take 30.6% of demand for the same keywords, so the informational share in AI is more than twice as large. Buying searches shrink to match: commercial keywords are 18.8% of AI demand against 31.5% on Google, and transactional keywords 8.5% against 19.7%. Together they make up 27.3% of AI demand and 51.2% of Google demand.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 6,999 US industry keywords · monthly AI search volume, Google search volume and search intent labels, September 2026
| Search intent | Keywords | Share of AI search demand | Share of Google search demand | AI searches per 1,000 Google searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | 1,989 | 72% | 30.6% | 373 |
| Commercial | 2,475 | 18.8% | 31.5% | 95 |
| Transactional | 1,738 | 8.5% | 19.7% | 68 |
| Navigational | 797 | 0.7% | 18.2% | 6 |
That reverses a common assumption about AI and shopping. "Best" searches are a small part of the picture: across a wider set of 34,571 US keywords, searches that start with "best" make up 2% of AI search demand. AI tools are where customers work out what their problem is and what the options are, long before they choose a provider.
Ready-to-buy searches stay on Google
For every 1,000 Google searches, informational keywords draw 373 AI searches, commercial keywords 95 and transactional keywords 68. A keyword about learning is more than five times as likely to be asked in AI, relative to Google, as a keyword about buying.
Navigational searches barely exist in AI. Searches for a specific brand, login page or website make up 0.7% of AI search demand against 18.2% on Google, and draw 6 AI searches for every 1,000 Google searches. People who know which company they want still type its name into Google.
Software and home remodeling are the most commercial topics in AI search
The buying share of AI demand varies widely by industry. Software (74%), home remodeling (67.1%), electrical contractors (64.7%) and mortgages (60%) have the most buying intent in AI, with IT services next at 53.4%, driven by broad searches like "it companies" and "it services". At the other end, accounting (7%) and dentistry (5.6%) are almost entirely informational in AI.
| Industry | Buying share of AI search demand |
|---|---|
| Software | 74% |
| Home remodeling | 67.1% |
| Electrical contractors | 64.7% |
| Mortgages | 60% |
| IT services | 53.4% |
| Home security | 39% |
| HVAC | 38.9% |
| Insurance | 30.8% |
| Personal injury law | 26.1% |
| Banking and loans | 25% |
| Plumbing | 23% |
| Auto dealers | 22.5% |
| Senior care | 13.7% |
| Solar | 12.2% |
| Weddings | 8.5% |
| Accounting | 7% |
| Dental | 5.6% |
Big-ticket purchases with many options, such as software, a remodel or a mortgage, are where people ask AI to compare providers. Services people rarely shop around for, such as a dentist or an accountant, draw AI questions about symptoms, rules and costs instead. The buying keywords with the most AI demand are "it companies", "it services", "heater", "buy a car", "mortgage" and "used cars".
What this means for local and service businesses
Treat AI as the place your customers learn. If you run an HVAC company, a law firm, an insurance agency or a dental practice, the questions people ask AI are about their problem: what it costs, what the options are, what to expect. Publish clear pages that answer those questions directly, with real prices and plain steps. Those are the pages AI engines summarize and cite, and they put your name in front of a customer before the buying search.
Keep your budget on Google for the buying terms. Transactional keywords draw 68 AI searches for every 1,000 Google searches, and brand searches are almost entirely a Google behavior, so search ads, local rankings and your Google Business Profile still win the call. If you sell software, remodeling or mortgages, AI is already part of the buying decision too, and comparison pages that state your prices and strengths belong in your plan. As an ai seo company, Suff Digital builds both kinds of content for service businesses.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-search-commercial-intent">Buying Searches Make Up 27.3% of AI Search Demand vs 51.2% on Google - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). Buying Searches Make Up 27.3% of AI Search Demand vs 51.2% on Google. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-search-commercial-intent
Buying Searches Make Up 27.3% of AI Search Demand vs 51.2% on Google - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-search-commercial-intent
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