Over the last few years, the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) has grown exponentially. As businesses increasingly realize the importance of getting their websites to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), they are willing to invest more money and resources into SEO.
On the one hand, voice search is making it harder to predict the exact keywords to target . On the other hand, RankBrain is making it easier to rank for long-tail keywords. These days, SEO is more complex and ever-changing than ever before.
But despite all the changes, one thing remains constant: the importance of ranking high in SERPs. In fact, according to a recent study by Chitika, the top result in Google’s organic search receives 33% of traffic.
To further emphasizes this point, according to a recent study by Borrell Associates, businesses in the United States will spend a total of $80 billion on SEO by 2020, up from $65 billion in 2016.
If you’re not already convinced of the importance of SEO, then consider these 34 statistics:
34 Must-Know SEO Statistics
Google SEO statistics
1. Google commands the lion’s share of search results among search engines (69.3%)
Source: netmarketshare
Google is the world’s foremost search engine by a mile. According to StatCounter, it holds a 69.3% share of the global search engine market. This is almost 4 times that of that Bing, which came in second at 13.85%, followed by Chinese search engine Baidu at 12.78%.
2. There are over 99,000 Google searches per second
Source: internetlivestats
To be specific, there are 102,249 searches queries per second (8.5 billion searches per day). This number is based on data from Internet Live Stats, which also reports that there are currently 3.5 billion active internet users and 1.3 billion active websites.
3. Google’s search algorithm uses over 200 factors to rank its websites
Source: backlinko
No one really knows exactly how many factors Google’s algorithm uses to rank websites, but we do know that it’s more than 200. Now, Backlinko has compiled a comprehensive list.
4. Up to 20% of Google searches are queried for the first time
Source: wordstream
Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day, which means that up to 700 million of those searches are completely unique.
5. Half of Google searches get no clicks at all
Source: sparktoro
Recent research showed that 49.7% of Google searches resulted in no clicks.
6. Over 63% of buyers in the United States start their product research on Amazon
Source: statista
If you’re not trying to rank on Amazon, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
7. 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results
Source: hubspot
This means that if you’re not on the first page, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic.
Local statistics
8. ‘Best’ + ‘right now’ and ‘where to buy’ + ‘near me’ mobile queries have grown by 125% and 200%, respectively, in the last two years
Source: google
9. Around 46% of all Google searches have local intent
Source: go-globe
Almost half of Google searches have local intent
10. SEO stats verify and confirm that 50% of “near me” Google searches that are performed on mobiles result in a store visit.
Source: thinkwithgoogle
50% of “near me” searches on mobile result in a store visit
11. 61% of consumers would contact a local business if it has a mobile-friendly site
Source: Intergrowth
Having a mobile-friendly site will make a huge difference to your sales today.
12. 56% of local retailers haven’t claimed their business listings on Google
Source: seoexpertbrad
If you haven’t claimed your business listing on Google, do it now!
13. Almost all consumers check the internet to learn more about a local business
Source: insiderintelligence
Search engines are a top resource for users to look up information on their local businesses. Therefore, it’s essential to make sure your business is visible on search engines like Google.
14. 80-90% of users read online reviews before buying a product
Source: forbes
Make sure you’re actively managing your online reviews. Respond to both positive and negative reviews in a timely manner.
Voice and Image searches
15. 27% of all online users worldwide utilize voice search on their mobile devices
Source: globalindex
Make sure your content is optimized for voice search!
16. 55% of teens and 41% of adults use image search on a daily basis
Source: Jumpshot Data
Image search is becoming increasingly popular, so make sure your images are optimised!
17. Roughly 75% of voice search results are from one of the top 3 desktop ranking pages for a given query
Source: backlinko
Make sure your website is optimised for desktop and mobile if you want to rank in voice search!
18. 31.7% of all voice search answers came from a featured snippet
Source: backlinko
Featured snippets are becoming increasingly important for voice search ranking, so make sure your content is optimised for them!
19. Video content is 50 times more likely to secure an organic ranking than plain text results
Source: seoinc
If you want to improve your organic ranking, consider adding videos to your website!
20. 62% of all Millennial and GenZ consumers want visual searches much more than any other new technology
Source: visenze
21. 12.29% of search query result pages now include featured snippets
Source: ahrefs
Featured snippets are a great way to improve your organic ranking, so make sure your content is optimised for them!
Marketing statistics
22. 61% of marketers consider SEO efforts and boosting organic presence their top inbound marketing priority
Source: hubspot
SEO is still the best when it comes to inbound marketing. SEO leads, furthermore, have a 14.6% closure rate, meanwhile outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate. This stat just goes to show that SEO should be a key part of your marketing strategy!
23. 86.5% of SEOs use PPC data to inform their SEO campaigns
This stat just goes to show how important PPC data is when it comes to SEO. If you’re not using PPC data to inform your SEO campaigns, you’re missing out on a valuable resource!
24. The majority of professional SEOs charge less than $150/hr
Source: ahrefs
This stat shows that SEO is an affordable marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes. If you’re looking for a way to improve your online visibility, SEO is a great option!
Mobile search results
25. 61% of Google searches are done via a mobile device
Source: statista
8 out of 10 consumers say they would stop using a brand if they had a bad mobile experience (Think with Google) 7 in 10 people use voice search on their mobile devices at least once daily (Global Web Index). This has come a long way from when it was just 34% nearly 6 years ago.
26. Mobile will dominate online sales
Source: pixelunion
Mobile will drive 54%of sales, accounting for over $659 billion
27. The ideal load time on mobile is between 1 and 2 seconds
Source: hobo
3 in 5 shoppers will abandon their carts if the page takes too long to load.
28. 69% of smartphone users are more likely to buy from companies whose sites answer their questions easily
Source: thinkwithgoogle
Consumers want brands that are easily accessible and they want their questions answered with as little ease as possible.
29. 61% of consumers say they are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead
Source: thinkwithgoogle
Today’s generation has a very small attention span and they are not going to come back for a return visit if they have trouble accessing information on the first try.
30. 78% of people would rather do business with a company that offers personalized experiences
Source: infosys
This is a key requirement going forward with all applications.
31. SEO statistics startlingly reveal that the very first-ranking organic result on mobile gets alarmingly 27.7% of clicks. This is compared to 19.3% of clicks on desktop
Source: thewebmaster
If you are still wondering why you need to invest time and effort in mobile SEO, then this stat should convince you to change your mind
Trends
32. 75% of searchers never go past the first page of search results
Source: hubspot
This stat is critical in understanding users’ behaviour and how they interact with search engines. It further solidifies the importance of ranking high on SERPs.
33. Globally, 1.1 billion smartphone users will use voice technology weekly
Source: google
This is a staggering number that indicates the rapidly changing landscape of SEO. As voice search becomes more popular, it’s important to optimize your site for this technology.
34. Pages ranking 1 through 3 on search engine results pages (SERPs) generate a clickthrough rate of 36%
Source: searchmetrics
This stat is a great indication of how important it is to rank high on SERPs. If you’re not in the top 3, you’re missing out on a significant amount of traffic.
Conclusion
As you can see, SEO is a complex and ever-changing field. By staying up-to-date on the latest statistics, you can ensure that your SEO strategy is effective and up-to-date. In this Article, we have covered some of the most important SEO statistics that you should know in 2022. Keep these in mind as you develop and implement your SEO strategy.
Do you have any other SEO statistics that you think are important? Do comment in the section below and share them with us!
Our team at Pixel Street has done its best to make sure that this article was accurate and up-to-date as of the time of publication. However, things change quickly in the world of SEO, and we cannot guarantee that we will remain updated, even if this Article might not. So, contact us directly for your SEO needs.
