  We conduct a comparative analysis of desktop web search behaviour of users
from Germany (n=558) and Switzerland (n=563) based on a combination of web
tracking and survey data. We find that web search accounts for 13% of all
desktop browsing, with the share being higher in Switzerland than in Germany.
We find that in over 50% of cases users clicked on the first search result,
with over 97% of all clicks being made on the first page of search outputs.
Most users rely on Google when conducting searches, and users preferences for
other engines are related to their demographics. We also test relationships
between user demographics and daily number of searches, average share of search
activities among tracked events by user as well as the tendency to click on
higher- or lower-ranked results. We find differences in such relationships
between the two countries that highlights the importance of comparative
research in this domain. Further, we observe differences in the temporal
patterns of web search use between women and men, marking the necessity of
disaggregating data by gender in observational studies regarding online
information behaviour.
