Website Search Engine Optimization, also known as website SEO is not an exact science, however, there are many statistics out there that could help guide you in the right direction with your business online. Here is a list of the top 25 SEO Facts and Statistics which you can use to improve your SEO skills and knowledge to help grow your business online…
Website SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Facts
#1: The top 5 URLs on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) get 75% of user clicks.
That’s not too surprising, right? After all, most of us find what we are looking for in those first few quicks on the top search results, then progress down the list until we find what we are looking for. Though, many people would expect this number to be much higher than it actually is. So I would not be surprised if you are getting a lot of clicks while not being listed in the top 5 in the SERP.
#2: 70% of the links clicked on by search users are actually organic, Not Paid Ads.
There are a lot of backlinks on the Internet yes? Between all of the users and other link building software out there, millions, if not billions of links are being created every day. However, most of them barely ever get clicked. That is why everyone is fighting for those top positions in the organic search results – everybody clicks those links.
#3: Google owns 65 – 70% of the search engine market share.
Is that very surprising? Though this is less than what it was in the past, that is still a large piece of the pie and the big reason why everyone wants to rank on Google searches more so than other search engines.
#4: 81% of businesses consider their blogs as an important asset to their business.
Is that surprising? A blog can really add life to a website, not to mention create new opportunities for fresh content, links, backlinks, and boost website SEO.
#5: Search and email are the top two Internet activities.
We all know about searching…finding that perfect pair of shoes, new sports coat, vacation destination, etc., but many ignore the email part of this fact. Email is by far the most effective channel to reach out and engage your audience. Social media, PPC, and any other kind of outreach do not even come close in terms of effectiveness and conversions when compared to email. This is why we always recommend implementing a great email marketing strategy to engage your clientele.
#6: Page titles are the most important on-page element after content.
#6: Page titles are the most important on-page element after content.Even though the content on the page or blog post of your article is what may matter the most, when a person visits your website, it is the title that is found on the search engines that gets people to land on your website. According to statistics, people will spend roughly 1 second on a title before moving along to the next one down the search engine results, until they find a title that is engaging. Yep, you have only 1 second. So, be sure to use your time responsibly and make it count.
#7: 75% of SEO is off-page and 25% is on-page.
I want to make sure that I am clear that you understand that this does not mean that 75% of your website rankings depend on off-page SEO and only 25% depends on on-page SEO. No. If you were to ask me, I would say that it is probably closer to 50/50. However, it is true that most of the SEO forces are focused on off-page SEO. After all, it is a lot more complicated and dynamic than just on-page SEO.
#8: 70 – 80% of users ignore the paid ads, focusing on the organic results.
That number may come as a shock for some, though when was the last time you actually clicked on an ad when you were searching for something on the internet? While that sounds number sounds like a lot, it’s actually not that much. If you think about it, there is still 20% – 30% of people that will look at the paid ads which are not that little when you think about the billions of searches that are performed every month. However, if you are using your advertising budget for Paid Ads alone, you could be losing the game online if you are not also working on your Organic website SEO for your website to reach the top 3 on the SERP. As you can see, organic search results are where you want your business to appear.
#9: 50% of search users begin their search with a mobile device and this percentage will only increase.
Mobile search has been growing ever since the first release of the iPhone and phones have ever become more Internet-friendly. Then the development of tablets and other mobile devices have enabled more use of mobile devices to search and work on the web. So, be sure to never forget to adapt your website for mobile searches. This includes updating your outdated website that does not function on these devices. If you are not sure how your site performs or don’t have a smartphone or tablet, go to a big box store and test out some of their mobile devices to see how your site performs.
#10: Google estimates that the Internet now contains roughly five million terabytes of data – but the search giant has indexed only 0.04% of it all.
Yes, that is just 0.04% of the entire world wide web. Just imagine how much of the unknown there is out there just waiting to be discovered on the Internet. Don’t let your website be one of those resources that are not yet indexed or viewed on the web. Make sure that your website is discovered simply by submitting your Sitemap to the Google Console and posting regularly on your website blog.
#11: Google accounted for nearly 40% of all U.S. digital ad spending last year. Facebook’s share was about 8%.
Even though that number seems small, Google is still the giant in digital advertising. There is a lot of competition outside of Google and prices can be quite high for businesses on a thin budget. If you are that business, check out Facebook ads, or other social media advertisements or even other search engines such as Bing.
#12: Having a video on the landing page of your site makes it 53% more likely to show up on page 1 of Google.
Who does not like a good video? It sure beats a very simple and boring page of only text and images. And as it shows, Google loves videos as well…they do own the largest video sharing platform in the world, I am sure you have heard of it…It is something called YouTube.
#13: The top challenges in SEO are link building (cited by 41% of corporate marketers) and keyword research (39%).
That seems about right. I mean, there are many people that think that they are good at link building when in fact they really are not good at all. Link building has changed and is ever-changing as opposed to on-page website SEO which does not change that much. So, when people stop adapting, it’s normal that they have trouble getting good links to their websites. On the other hand, keyword research is also challenging in the fact that the amount of competition that is out there competing for the exact same words is incredible.
#14: 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.
Do you scroll past the first page when searching? If you wouldn’t, who else would if you can find what you are looking for right there…Usually, we always find what we are looking for on the first page right. Be sure to make it your priority to get to that first page on the SERP because the difference between the clicks you will get from page 1 (any position) and the clicks you will get from page 2 (any position) is drastically different.
#15: Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages. And companies with more indexed pages get far more leads.
Yes. The trick is to blog, blog and oh…maybe blog again. I don’t care what your business is just starting blogging. Start a blog on your website and never stop.There are so many benefits of blogging that it is unbelievable.
#16: A study by Outbrain shows that search is the #1 driver of traffic to content sites, beating social media by more than 300%.
Again, you want to be on top of those SERPs organically because even if you have thousands or even millions of social media followers, it still will never be as effective as ranking high on the SERPs for your target keywords, allow you to grow beyond what you currently have.
#17: For Google, a study from Slingshot SEO shows 18% of organic clicks go to the #1 position, 10% of organic clicks go to the #2 position, and 7% of organic clicks go to the #3 position.
That is quite a few clicks just for these first 3 positions according to the study. And as you can see, the difference between 1st and 2nd position is absolutely huge. 8% out of a billion searches is, well, a lot.
#18: In that same Slingshot study, tests for Bing show the following: 9.7% of organic clicks go to #1, 5.5% of organic clicks go to #2, and 2.7% of organic clicks go to #3.
Bing’s search engine share is growing, however, it still has a lot of catching up to do when compared to Google.
#19: Search directly drove 25% of all online U.S. device purchases in 2010.
Is that too hard to believe? With change comes a growth potential.
#20: 53% of marketers rank content creation as the single most effective SEO tactic.
Only 53%? That is really surprising as from what I have learned is that content creation is 100% the single most effective website SEO Strategy.
#21: On average, conversion rates are 10 times higher from search than from social on desktops.
Again, to note here is that your primary focus should be on getting traffic from search engines and ranking high on SERPs and not so much on driving traffic from social media, paid ads or other similar sources.
#22: On smartphones, conversion rates are 15 times higher from search than social.
Please refer back to #21…Climb higher on those SERPs and they shall come.
#23: Over 58% of marketers who have been using social media for one year or longer have improved search engine rankings.
It is something that just happens. Social media should be a part of every website SEO strategy and it should not be ignored.
#24: Every month there are more than 10.3 billion Google searches, with 78% of U.S. Internet users researching products and services online.
This is why Google Reviews, Facebook Reviews, and other reviews of products and services are an extremely effective way to drive traffic to your website. Most people will always search for reviews from friends and family, then from searches on the internet before purchasing a product so if you find a good selling product that does not yet have a review article written for it, you better hurry up and write that review article or someone else will.
#25: Google+ is the highest correlated social factor for SEO ranking.
If you have ever wondered which social media system to focus on first that will actually help your rankings then don’t wonder anymore. Google+. Shocking right? It’s only owned by the company that you are trying to rank higher for on their Search Engine…
In Conclusion…
As you can probably tell, the best area to focus on for website SEO and Search Engines is to rank high on those SERPs, primarily Google. If you build it up and rank high on SERPs, the traffic will come and will be good. Rank low and you will be getting that much out of your $10,000+ website. It is no wonder that the SEO industry has grown so much and is still growing like crazy despite the numerous claims that SEO is dead.
To clear it up for your…SEO is not dead, it has just become much more sophisticated. To sum this all up, your primary focus should be on content generation, link building, and direct email marketing. That is it, plain and simple. I know that may sound very abstract and the strategies that will work for every business niche are different from one to another, however, as in my opinion, these are most important parts of any successful SEO campaign to grow a business.
If you found this article interesting and would love to learn more about website SEO, Digital Marketing, and Email Marketing Campaigns, contact us to learn more and get your business growth on the SERPs going.
Sources:
http://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/seo-facts
https://www.assertive-media.co.uk/blog/10-fun-facts-about-seo
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/24-eye-popping-seo-statistics/42665/