I am sick and tired of paying the Google search time tax. You type in "ebay" in your browser url bar. Instead of going to the obvious ebay.com you are directed to Google search results. Now you need to navigate past the AI auto generated content, the suggested ads (that might take you to an ebay competitor or a specific ebay listing), and click the first link that redirects you to ebay.com.
Every time you use Google to reach a known site, you lose about 2 extra seconds; 1 second for the results page to load and another for you to click the top result. While 2 seconds may seem trivial, for a typical user doing 5 navigational searches a day, that adds up to:
10 seconds per day x 70 seconds per week (about 1.2 minutes) x Nearly 3,650 seconds, or roughly 1 hour per yearFor heavy users, the loss can easily exceed 2 hours per year.
Google’s top search queries are overwhelmingly just the names of well known websites. According to February 2025 data, the top Google searches globally include:
• YouTube (1.1 billion searches/month)
• Facebook (681.9 million)
• WhatsApp Web (520.5 million)
• Instagram (406.7 million)
• Google (392.3 million)
• Amazon (384.1 million)
• Gmail (383.8 million). (Top 100 Google Searches (Feb 2025))
Additional research from SparkToro indicates roughly one third of all Google searches are navigational.
On a global scale, if we assume 600+ billion navigational searches per year, each costing 2 extra seconds, that’s:
1.2 trillion seconds lost annually (≈20 billion minutes) or 38,000 man-years in one year!
Economically, using an average U.S. hourly wage of $35.70/hour, this inefficiency translates to an annual loss of around ~$12 billion in productivity.
Goto is an evolutionary productivity tool that transforms the way you navigate the web. Type gpt, goto => chatgpt.com. Make remembering websites easier by assigning shortcut names like "fb" for facebook.com, or "bank" for your primary bank. Add your own shortcuts, and use our DSL to create advanced cmds such as passing a query directly to chatgpt.
This means no more extra clicks, no more unnecessary detours. Whether you’re an individual seeking faster access to information or an organization looking to streamline workflows and save valuable time, Goto offers a seamless, efficient browsing experience.
Embrace a smarter, faster era of digital navigation. With Goto, your browser becomes your personal concierge, delivering instant access and unmatched efficiency every single time.
• Top 100 Google Searches (February 2025)
• SparkToro Navigational Query Research