When it comes to getting found online, there is no better medium than search.
Since the creation of search engines, SEO has been a powerful strategy to ensure that your brand gets noticed by the right user, at the right time. While the search industry has shifted over the years, one thing remains solid; SEO is essential for online marketing success.
Good SEO takes time and dedication. It’s more than just link building or content creation. Depending on the industry and the type of search you are trying to increase your visibility in, you’re going to need to use different strategies and tactics. Today’s search engines give users more options, making them more lucrative for site owners than ever before. Below are 70 SEO statistics that prove the power of search.
Organic Search
- The top 2 online activities are search and email.
- Ranking highly for organic search results is crucial; between 70% and 80% of users completely ignore paid advertisements.
- 66% of distinct search queries result in 1 or more clicks.
- 21% of searchers click more than one result.
- Over 63% of all searches are performed using Google.
- 94% of all mobile and tablet search traffic comes from Google.
- Search engines drive 300% more traffic to sites than social media.
- 87% of smartphone owners use a search engine at least once per day.
- 60% of clicks go to the top three websites in search engine results.
- 50% of search queries are four words or longer.
- The average time spent on a search session is less than 1 minute long.
- 50% of visitors are more likely to click a result if the brand appears multiple times in search engine results.
- SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate compared to only 1.7% for outbound leads such as print advertisements.
- 75% of users never click past the first page of search results.
- Inbound leads, such as SEO, cost 61% less than outbound leads, such as direct mail or cold calling.
- Marketers using both organic SEO techniques and pay-per-click ads see an average of 25% more clicks and 27% more profits compared to using a single technique.
- Companies are predicted to spend $79 billion on SEO by 2020.
- 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
- 57% of B2B marketers stated that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative.
- 81% of people perform some type of online research before making a large purchase.
- 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search engines.
- 61% of internet users do research on a product online before making a purchase.
- Leads from search engines have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (ex. cold-calling, direct mail, etc.) have a 1.7% close rate.
- 70-80% of people ignore paid search results, choosing to only click on organic listings.
- 55% of searchers don’t know which links in the Search Engine Results pages are PPC ads, according to a new survey. And up to 50% of users shown a Search engine Results page screenshot could not identify paid ads.
- Bounce rates increase by 50% if your website takes 2 seconds extra to load.
- Conversions fall by 12% for every extra second that it takes your website to load.
- Marketers see SEO as becoming more effective, with 82% reporting effectiveness is on the rise, and 42% of this group stating effectiveness is increasing significantly.
- Total Organic search visits fell 7% Y/Y in Q2, down from 11% Y/Y growth a year earlier, as organic listings face increased competition from paid search ads, particularly on mobile.
