The SEO statistics below give a clear picture of the current state of the internet.
Understanding this data can help you improve your content marketing and SEO strategies so that you can rise to the top of the search engine results.
Highlights;
- SEO (search engine optimization) has the potential to generate a higher return on investment than any other form of marketing.
- Google dominates the global search market with a share of more than 85%.
- Video is only going to get bigger and better as a means of generating traffic and sales leads.
Stats from Google’s search engine
Search engines have a significant impact on our daily lives, from how we shop to what we watch to how we find new information.
In order to better understand the current state of search engines, the following SERP statistics are provided.
- 68 percent of all online experiences begin with a search engine. (BrightEdge)
- All global traffic is generated by Google search, Google Images, and the Google Maps service. (SparkToro)
- Google has a market share of 91.94 percent. (Statcounter)
- Google is expected to account for 70% of all desktop search traffic in 2021, followed by Baidu (13%), Bing (12%), and Yahoo (6%). (2 percent ). (NetMarketShare)
- A click through rate (CTR) of 34.2 percent is predicted for a Google organic position one. (Sistrix)
Statistics on the effects of SEO on businesses
- An SEO return on investment of 12.2x marketing spend is possible
- By using SEO, you can cut the cost of acquiring new customers by an incredible 87%!
- SEO can boost a blog’s business value by 429 percent.
The only thing that matters, as with any marketing channel, is the impact that it has. So, how do SEO and PPC compare? In terms of business outcomes, here are some numbers straight from our customer portfolio.
- An SEO return on investment (ROI) of 12.2x marketing spend is possible. (Terakeet)
- SEO can reduce the cost of customer acquisition by an average of 87.41% when compared to digital advertising, according to research. (Terakeet)
- The business value of a blog visit can be increased by 429 percent thanks to search engine optimization. (Terakeet)
According to Google’s traffic data,
For both traffic and revenue, the organic search channel is a massive force to be reckoned with. Strategic search engine optimization (SEO) is a key competitive advantage for forward-thinking brands.
Because search engines, unlike social media platforms, deliberately direct users away from their own platforms to other websites, SEO has such sway.
The more likely it is that Google will direct searchers to your website, the better optimized it is. Some SEO stats about the percentage of traffic that comes from search engines will surprise you.
- 53.3 percent of all website traffic comes from organic search. (BrightEdge)
- Organic search accounts for 23.6% of all e-commerce orders placed in the United States (Business Insider)
- SEO traffic is more than 1,000 times greater than social media traffic. (BrightEdge)
- More than 90% of all website pages do not receive any traffic from Google’s organic search results. (Ahrefs)
- Organic search generates two times as much revenue for B2B companies as any other channel. (BrightEdge)
A look at the numbers behind content marketing
SEO relies heavily on content strategy. A well-thought-out strategy takes into account the needs and wants of your target audience while also focusing on the keywords and topics they use to find you. An effective content marketing strategy provides a framework for promoting your brand across multiple channels and gaining new customers.
- Before speaking with a salesperson, 47% of customers look at three to five pieces of content. (HubSpot)
- By 2021, the percentage of businesses utilizing content marketing will have risen from 70% to 80%. (HubSpot)
- In Google’s top ten search results, the average word count per page is 1,447. (Backlinko)
- The average number of words in a top Google search result for an article is 2,416. (serpIQ)
- In large corporations, 61% of content marketing is outsourced. (Institute for Content Marketing)
Data on how people search the web
The first page of Google receives 32 percent of the clicks (Backlinko)
53 percent of US consumers conduct online research before making a purchase (Google)
Sixty-five percent of all searches go unanswered (Search Engine Land)
During the research phase of the purchasing process, search engines play a significant role. This is the time of year when people are looking for information on a broader range of topics and prefer long-form content to help them do so. In the subsequent stages of familiarity, users search more narrowly with long-tail keywords.
In the early stages of a customer’s journey, search queries can help build a brand’s recognition and trustworthiness.
Users’ behavior on the SERP is only one part of what we can learn about their search habits. It extends to the content of the web pages that users eventually choose to read.
For example, does your content match the search terms your page ranks for? A high bounce rate and low conversion rates will be the result if you don’t.
Getting on the first page of Google is the only way to have a significant impact on user behavior. You’ll also need to provide a fantastic user experience if you want to convert visitors into customers.
- 0.78 percent of all clicks go to results on the second page of Google. (Backlinko)
- Over a third of all clicks go to the first result on Google’s page of search results, so (SERP). (Backlinko)
- 53 percent of U.S. consumers conduct online research before purchasing a product. (Google)
- 39 percent of people make a purchase after conducting relevant online searches. (Think with Google)
- Searches with no clicks make up nearly two-thirds of the total. (Search Engine Land).
Search engine optimization statistics for off-page factors (backlinks)
Backlinks are one of the top three factors in Google’s ranking algorithm. Create in-depth content to earn backlinks, or use a link building campaign to get them for free.
Higher keyword rankings result from Google’s increased trust in a website due to authoritative backlinks. Those interested in off-page SEO should take a look at these figures.
- Backlinks that are “do follow” are added to high-ranking pages at a rate of 5%-14.5 percent per month. (Ahrefs)
- More backlinks mean better search rankings and more organic traffic, assuming all other factors are equal. (Ahrefs)
- There is a 77 percent increase in the number of backlinks to longer articles compared to shorter ones. (Backlinko)
- 66.31 percent of the web’s pages have no backlinks at all. (Ahrefs)
- 97% more backlinks go to brands with a regular blog on their website than to brands without a regular blog. (HubSpot)
- There are 3.8 times as many backlinks to the top Google search results as there are to the bottom. (Backlinko)
SEO statistics for B2B
The importance of B2B SEO is even greater than that of B2C. B2B sales cycles tend to be longer because there are more people involved and more money at stake. When creating content, it’s critical to make sure it’s high-quality and relevant to all parties involved in the sales process.
While B2B SEO is more time-consuming and rigorous, the benefits are well worth it. B2B content and SEO have a higher return on investment because of the higher dollar amounts at stake.
- Ninety percent of B2B buyers use search engines to investigate potential purchases. (Google)
- 42 percent of B2B buyers use search on their mobile devices as part of the purchasing process. (Think with Google)
- B2B buyers typically conduct 12 online searches before interacting with a specific website on the average. (Google)
- B2B marketers are concerned about changes in search engine algorithms, with 62% saying this is a major concern. (Institute for Content Marketing)
Statistics on local search engine optimization
- About 45% of people who shop online do so with the intention of picking up their purchases at a physical location (Google)
- Nearly two-thirds of people who search for products in their immediate area end up making a purchase (Google)
- Within a day, 76% of mobile searches for something nearby result in a visit to a nearby shop (Google)
Businesses that cater to local clients need to focus on local search engine optimization (SEO). Enhancing local search optimization can help customers discover your company. Businesses that aren’t taking advantage of some of the search traffic they could be missing out on are wasting money.
In light of the following local SEO stats, it is imperative to implement a comprehensive strategy.
- One-third of all mobile searches are location-specific. – (Think with Google)
- Shoppers make a purchase 28 percent of the time when they search for a product or store in their immediate area. (Think with Google)
- A quarter of small business websites don’t have an H1 tag. (Fresh Chalk)
- Within a day of conducting a mobile search for a nearby business, 76% of people made a trip to the establishment. (Google)
- Globally, about 45 percent of consumers will buy something online and pick it up at a store. (Think with Google)
Video search engine rankings
An explosion in video production and consumption has been caused by the widespread availability of high-speed internet and smartphones with high-quality video cameras.
Video is now more popular than ever before as a tool for everything from product research to education to entertainment.
A staggering amount of video content is watched every day across a wide range of platforms such as Facebook’s Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Using video allows brands to connect with their audience, demonstrate their knowledge, and attract new customers.
Now is the time to incorporate video production and video SEO into your content strategy, given its popularity and high ROI.
- Increasingly, video is being used as the primary form of content strategy. (HubSpot)
- Higher YouTube search rankings are directly related to a video’s number of views, comments, shares, and likes (Backlinko)
- Using video in digital marketing results in faster revenue growth for 49% of marketers. (WordStream)
- More than half of marketers believe that videos are the most effective form of content when it comes to ROI. (WordStream)
- More than half of B2B buyers have watched at least 30 minutes of B2B-related videos. (Think with Google)
- Every day, YouTube users watch more than one billion hours of video. (YouTube)
- Watching a testimonial video, according to 77% of consumers, influenced their purchase decision. (Wyzowl)
The results of voice searches
Voice search has exploded since the introduction of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Home. Instead of typing in their search terms, people can simply speak to each other. ” In contrast to typed searches, voice searches have a number of distinct characteristics.
When they’re spoken, they have a more conversational tone because of the way they’re phrased as questions. Brands must optimize their data to reflect these differences if they hope to capture voice search traffic.
- In comparison to text searches, voice searches on smartphones are three times more likely to lead to a local result. (Search Engine Land)
- Voice searches for local business information account for 58% of all searches (Search Engine Land)
- As many as 40.7% of all voice search answers are provided by featured snippets, according to a recent study. (Backlinko)
- A website’s position in voice search results tends to improve when it has a strong backlink profile. (Backlinko)
- By 2022, it is predicted that more than half of all U.S. households will have a smart speaker with voice search functionality. (Google)
- As many as 1.1 billion smartphone users will use voice search at least once a week in the near future (Google)
SEO statistics for mobile
Is it any surprise that we now live in an era of mobile-first indexing? For brands, it is imperative that they provide a superior browsing experience, regardless of the type of device the user is using.
It’s more than just having a mobile-friendly website. Page loading speed, layout, text formatting and navigation menus are just a few examples. All else being equal, search engines will give preference to websites that offer a better user experience on all devices.
- As of 2025, 75% of internet users will access the web using only a mobile device. (CNBC)
- The majority of Google searches (58 percent) are conducted on mobile devices. (hitwise)
- The organic click-through rate for mobile search results is nearly half that of desktop results. (SparkToro)
- Organic search results on mobile devices receive 27.7 percent of clicks, compared to 19.3 percent of clicks on the top desktop result. (SEOClarity)
- A new brand or product was discovered by more than half of all smartphone users. (Google)
Budget and spending data for the SEO industry
It’s no surprise that businesses spend a lot of money on SEO when there’s so much money on the line.
SEO, as previously mentioned, has a much higher return on investment than most other forms of marketing. As a result, companies have an incentive to spend marketing budgets on optimizing search results.
Here are a few stats about SEO priorities around the world.
- Sixty-one percent of marketers say their top inbound marketing priority is to improve their websites’ SEO and organic presence (HubSpot)
- SEO services were estimated to cost $79 billion in 2020. The (Borrell Associates)
- Most businesses spend more than $20,000 a month on B2B SEO. (Markletic)