Below are some statistics used by Google when they pitch their paid advertising services to the healthcare and fitness industries:

80% of Internet users go online to find health-related information,¹ and 81% of online healthcare consumers use a search engine to find the information they need.²
1 - Pew Internet and American Life Project, May 2005.
2 - Pew Internet and American Life Project, May 2002.

The Internet is considered the most trusted source for health information behind physicians.³

Over 65% of consumers said they use the Internet to research important health topics before and after they visit a doctor.³
3 - Nielsen//NetRatings, 2005, as reported by eMarketer

49% of U.S. consumers use the Internet to learn about pharmaceutical brands.⁴
4 - IMS Health Publications, 2002, as reported by eMarketer.

Increasingly, doctors are online: 95% of surveyed physicians said they use the Internet to find information about diseases, and 86% find information on drugs.⁵
5 - PSL Group Global Survey of Physicians.

81% of healthcare professionals discuss healthcare information with their patients, who have found it on the Internet.⁶

75% of healthcare professionals recommend websites to their patients.⁶
6 - JZM, Inc. National Drug Website Benchmark Study, 2002.