We all love an SEO statistic
So, here’s my list of 65 of the most intriguing and mind-boggling SEO statistics around. Make sure to check back in on this list as it will be growing steadily with more data sources becoming available. I’ll also be adding my own stats too from my work as an SEO consultant. Let’s have a gander at the data!
SEO Stats & Data – 65 (and growing)
1. US SEO expenditure: In 2020, brands in the United States spent an estimated $79.27 billion on search engine optimisation services. This illustrates just how highly SEO services are valued. (Borrell Associates)
2. Voice search: A significant 27% of online searchers use voice search on their smartphones! This is something that writers creating content with SEO in mind should be aware of, as it will potentially affect the way searches prioritise keywords. (Google)
3. Searches for location: Around a third of all searches carried out on mobile devices are related to a location, further emphasising the importance of linking your business to Google Maps. (Think with Google)
4. Preference for location info: In addition to searching for locations, around two thirds of smartphone users state that they’re more inclined to buy from businesses with sites that recognise their location, and give custom information. (Think with Google)
5. Relevant search influence: Roughly 39% of internet shoppers stated that their decision was changed in some way by a relevant search result. This shows that people don’t always start their search already set on what to buy. (Google)
6. First time unlucky: Around 18% of searches on Google are changed before something is clicked on. This shows how much information people glean from meta descriptions and titles! (Moz)
7. Google searches per year: Google handles roughly 2 trillion searches per year, which equates to around 256 searches per person. (Search Engine Land)
8. Average search duration: The average time that it takes a Google search session to be completed is just under one minute. This is timed from the search itself, to the selection of a site and eventual departure from that site. (Moz)
9. Searches in the U.S. per month: Roughly 50 billion Google searches are made in the United States each month, which equates to around 1875 searches per person per year; this illustrates just how dominant the US is in the global tech market. (Moz)
10. New Google searches: Roughly 15% of searches on Google have never been searched for before. This doesn’t necessarily mean that each search is for original content, but rather that people might spell and phrase things in an incredibly diverse manner. (Google)
11. SEO vs PPC: SEO has around 20 times as much opportunity for growth than PPC, across desktop and mobile. This shows just how much more growth is attainable through SEO compared to adverts. (Moz)
12. Paid search: Around 15% of traffic which can be tracked comes from paid search ads, showing that while organic results are dominant, adverts are by no means redundant. (BrightEdge)
13. Google dominates: While it’s true that Google isn’t the only search engine, that it has accounted for more than 70% of all desktop searches so far in 2021 shows that it is by far the dominant one. It’s followed by Baidu’s 13%, Bing’s 12%, and Yahoo’s 2%. (NetMarketShare)
14. Mobile rules: In 2020, a whopping 55% of global traffic came from mobile devices, with 42% coming from desktops. This shows that mobile site optimisation is absolutely crucial in order to remain competitive! (StatCounter)
15. Long form ranks well: The content length that ranks in top position on Google searches is on average 2,416 words, showing that the 2000-word mark is potentially the most effective. This shows that Google doesn’t just rank keywords anymore, also focusing on the length and informative power of content! (serpIQ)
16. SEO is highly complex: The algorithm used by Google to rank websites compares more than 200 metrics. Google hasn’t shared exactly what they all are, but it shows just how complex a matter it is. (Blacklinko)
17. First page or nothing: The vast majority of Google search clicks occur on the first page, with a tiny 0.78% of clicks occurring on the second page. This shows just how important it is that you consistently rank in the first page. (Backlinko)
18. The future is visual: While keywords are still incredibly important, a massive 62% of Millennial and Gen Z internet users state that they want increased visual search options. (ViSense)
19. Title tags are vital: Currently, 36% of SEO professionals who were surveyed believe that the title tag is the most important part of achieving clicks. While the body is also obviously important, the title is what will bring people in to read that content! (Databox)
20. Mobile domination set to increase: While mobile currently dominates, that domination is only going to increase. It is estimated that by 2025, 73% of those on the internet will only use mobile devices. (CNBC)
21. Searches are detailed: Almost 70% of all searches are over four words, showing that people don’t just search for a keyword. People search for specific information, to find answers to questions, not just for the sake of it! (Ahrefs)
22. New can be old: While you obviously need to post fresh content, that’s not the only way of driving traffic. You can increase traffic by over 100% by changing and updating old content. (HubSpot)
23. Backlinks are rare: We all know how effective backlinks are, but over 55% of pages don’t have a single one. This shows that there’s a massive opportunity to achieve a significant advantage over the competition. (Ahrefs)
24. Top five or nothing: It might sound dramatic, but the fact that over 67% of all organic clicks occur on the first five results on the first result page show just how important it is to rank in those top few positions. (Zero Limit Web)
25. People are more cautious now: People took 9 days longer to make buying decisions in 2019 than 2015. This number has likely increased, and shows that people are more cautious with their finances! (Google)
26. Reviews matter: A massive majority of 91% said that they took positive views into account when choosing which business to use. (BrightLocal)
27. Hybrid shopping: Not everyone gets things delivered; a very significant 45% of online shoppers buy on the internet and then pick up in person. (Google/IPSOS)
28. SEO isn’t cheap: SEO is incredibly effective, but also highly complex, which means that it doesn’t come cheap. Most businesses spend around £3750 per month on SEO, making outperforming the competition harder than ever before. (Moz)
29. Organic rules: While ads can achieve high results, Google still prefers organic results. On the first page, an average of 8.5 of the results are organic. (SearchMetrics)
30. Being online isn’t enough: An absolutely massive 91% of pages on Google never get any organic clicks. This shows that without an SEO strategy, content can fall on deaf ears. (Ahrefs)
31. Backlinks matter: The pages which rank top on Google have almost 4 times as many backlinks as those ranked second through tenth. (Backlinko)
32. People like a reason: Adding “because” in an outreach email increases response rates by 45%. (Backlinko)
33. Search engines are starters: Of all online experiences, 68% start with a search engine, with each search an opportunity for a new business to achieve new traffic. (Brightedge)
34. Big purchases start online: 80% of all significant searches start online, even if they finish in store. This shows how dominant search engines are in the research stage. (Fierceretail)
35. More time on a site is better: For every additional 3 seconds spent on a site, it ranks around one position higher in results. (Backlinko)
36. SEO vs social media: While social media is important, SEO drives around 1000% more traffic than organic social posts, showing where your efforts should be focused. (Brightedge)
37. Results fade: After a year of being published, only 5.7% of pages will still be in the top 10 search results. This shows how important regular content is! (Ahrefs)
38. The majority of keywords are niche: Slightly more than 92% of keywords receive fewer than ten searches per month! (Ahrefs)
39. Retainers are common: In the SEO industry, over 74% of operators charge their clients a monthly retainer fee, making it by far the norm. (Ahrefs)
40. People follow up location searches: A very significant 76% of those who search for businesses nearby go on to visit one of those businesses within 24 hours. (Think With Google)
41. Yelp is important: For Google searches which include a category of business and a city, Yelp appeared in the top five results in a massive 92% of cases. This shows that being reviewed well on Yelp is highly desirable. (FreshChalk)
42. Location specificity is increasing: From 2017 to 2019, mobile searches which included “near me” increased by around 250%. (Think With Google)
43. Top ranking is a winner: While it’s great to be in the top five, achieving top place on Google search ranking gets you 27.7% of mobile clicks, and 19.3% of desktop clicks. (SEOClarity)
44. Organic is cost effective: A very significant 49% of marketers stated that organic searches provide the best ROI of all marketing methods. (Search Engine Journal)
45. Voice search prioritises featured snippets: From a sample of 10,000 results, a significant 40.7% of favoured answers from voice searches are found in featured snippets. (Backlinko)
46. Local searches convert: Around 28% of local searches go on to result in the searcher buying something. (Google)
47. Mobile search use is a daily occurence: A large majority of 87% of mobile users utilise a search engine every day. (Go-Globe)
48. Longform gets more backlinks: Longer pieces of content receive around 77.2% more backlinks than articles which are shorter. (Backlinko)
49. Blogs are crucial for backlinks: Companies with a blog receive an absolutely massive 97% more backlinks, showing another key benefit to using a blog! (HubSpot)
50. Questions are rare: Around 8% of searches are put as a question; while a minority, it is still statistically significant. (Moz)
51. People keep looking: Around 21% of internet searchers end up clicking on more than one result. (Moz)
52. Organic is the way: An incredible 92% of clicks are achieved organically, showing once again the dominance of SEO over PPC. (Search Engine Watch)
53. People explore: Analysis by SEMrush shows that a searcher will visit around three different pages once they’ve found a website through their search. (SEMrush)
54. Voice search is increasing: Estimates suggest that around 55% of households in America will have one or more smart speakers by 2022. (TechCrunch)
55. Amazon rules the product world: More than half of all searches for products start on Amazon, showing how dominant they are in the online shopping market. (WebFX)
56. SEO leads can close: SEO leads generate the highest close rate, at 14.6%, compared to 7% with paid searches, 4% with social media, and 9% with referrals. (Hubspot)
57. Backlinks aren’t cheap: While backlinks are incredibly important, they don’t come cheap; on average, they cost £270. (Ahrefs)
58. Guest posts are cheaper: Guest posts are another opportunity for link building, and cost on average £57. (Ahrefs)
59. Google likes low bounce rates: For top ranking pages, the average bounce rate is a very impressive 50%. (Backlinko)
60. Loading speed is important: The average loading speed of a website that ranks on the first page is 1.65 seconds, giving a good mark to aim for. (Backlinko)
61. Google and YouTube are closely linked: Around 88% of videos which rank on YouTube also rank on Google! (Perficient)
62. Blogs create indexed pages: Companies with a blog have around 434% more indexed pages than companies without a blog. (Demand Metric)
63. Content is inspiring: Of those who were surveyed, a massive 61% of consumers stated that they were inspired by a piece of content when making a purchase decision! (Demand Metric)
64. Slow loading speeds increase bounce rates: If your site takes an extra two seconds to load, your bounce rate will increase by 38%. (SolarWinds Pingdom)
65. People like to research: A massive four in five consumers will research a product before buying it. (Transaction)
