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General SEO statistics
Typing the exact address of the website you are looking for into a browser bar seems to be a thing of the past. More and more people are using search engines on a daily basis to access their favorite websites and find online content. That's why many marketers see the value of SEO and equip themselves with best SEO software to succeed in their strategies.
Let's go through the statistics that illustrate the importance of SEO.
1. Search engines generate 300% more traffic to sites than social networks.
Search is the number one traffic engine for content sites, outpacing social networks by more than 300%. If you want to increase traffic to your website or your new blog, you should appear in Google search results so that users can easily find you.
(Source: Imforza)
2. SEO leads convert 9 times more than outbound leads.
SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outgoing leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% close rate.
(Source: Imforza)
3. SEO leads have the highest conversion rate, 14.6%.
Search engines are the main source of quality leads for many businesses. SEO leads have a conversion rate of 14.6%.
(Source: Marijuana (SEO)
4. Marketers prefer organic SEO to paid SEO because it's 5.66 times better.
A long-term SEO strategy will certainly deliver better results than any paid SEO effort. Organic SEO is 5.66 times more effective than paid SEO.
(Source: Hubspot)
5. Only 25% of users go beyond the first page of search engine results.
It is essential for many websites to appear on the first page of search engine results. 75% of users do not go beyond the first page of search results.
(Source: Marijuana (SEO)
6. For 64% of marketers, SEO is one of their top digital marketing efforts.
Marketers understand the value of a long-term SEO strategy. SEO has become a standard part of the marketing mix, along with content, emails, and social media marketing. Around 64% of marketers are actively investing time in search engine optimization (SEO).
(Source: Hubspot)
Factors affecting page rankings
Over the years, search engines have evolved and improved. As a result, crawling, indexing, and ranking algorithms have become very sophisticated. Search engines use a variety of factors when matching a website with a user request in order to provide the most relevant results. Let's look at the most important factors that affect page rankings on search engine results pages.
7. Google takes more than 200 factors into account to rank websites.
Google has a very comprehensive ranking algorithm. Over the years, it has been revised and updated a dozen times. Today, Google uses over 200 factors in its website ranking algorithm.
(Source: Backlinko)
8. The first factor in on-page SEO is content.
Each SEO ranking factor is important, such as page speed, quality of backlinks, social signals, etc. However, content is still the king. It is the first most important on-page SEO factor.
(Source: Moz.com)
9. Web Vitals Measurements are essential for a good user experience on the site.
Web Vitals Metrics tell SEOs whether or not a website is healthy in terms of SEO. Web Vitals Metrics include:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP);
- First entry delay (FID);
- cumulative layout lag (CLS); and
- Define Core Web Vitals metric thresholds
(Source: Web.dev)
10. Core Web Vitals will become important signals of the page experience.
Google is continuing its efforts to optimize and provide the best possible user experience. Starting in May 2021, vital Core Web will be included in page experience signals, along with existing search signals, including mobile usability, browsing safety, HTTPS security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines.
(Source: google)
11. Quality backlinks and RankBrain are the second most important ranking factor.
Content may be the king, but there are other factors that help it dominate the SEO field. They also have a say in which page will rank on the first page of search engine results. The most important factors for Google search results, after content, are links and RankBrain.
(Source: Search Engine Watch)
12. There are seven essential elements that make a page well-optimized for search engines.
According to MOZ, there are seven elements of a well-optimized page:
- Unique value;
- A phenomenal UX;
- Targeted by keyword;
- Designed to be shared on social networks;
- Ready for multiple devices;
- Accessible to exploration and search robots; and
- Authorship, Meta Data, Schema, and Rich Snippets.
(Source: MOZ)
13. Page load speed remains one of the main ranking factors.
In the age of mobile phones and short attention spans, page load speed plays a crucial role in the user experience. That is why it is a very important SEO factor. Pages on websites that load quickly rank significantly higher than those on sites that load slowly.
(Source: Backlinko)
14. 60% of the pages in the first SERP are at least 3 years old.
It seems that old pages rank better than new ones. Old pages perform better than new ones, at least in terms of ranking on the first page of search engine results. Nearly 60% of the pages in the top 10 Google results are 3 years old or older.
(Source: Ahrefs)
15. Longer content gets 68.1% more engagement on Twitter and 22.6% more on Facebook.
On average, longer content generated 68.1% more engagement on Twitter (Tweets) and 22.6% more on Facebook (Likes). We know that social signals are an important ranking factor, and because longer content gets more engagement, web pages with longer content rank higher.
(Source: Sweor)
16. Experts set high criteria for a web page to be ideal for search engines.
An ideal web page should do all of the following:
- Be highly relevant to a specific subject (generally a unique product or object);
- Provide unique content on a given topic;
- Create a link to its category page;
- Link to its sub-category page (if applicable); and
- Create a link to their home page.
(Source: MOZ)
17. The top-ranked web pages have a click rate of 18.2%.
The click rate correlates with the position of a site on the search engine results page. Web pages at the bottom of the search engine results page have a click-through rate of 1.52%, while those that rank first have a CTR of 18.2%.
(Source: Slingshot SEO)
Keyword statistics
Keywords are very important ranking factors. In simple terms, they describe the content of the pages on your site. Keywords are the queries that your target visitors type into search engines when they search for information, products, and services online.
However, after each major search engine update, the rules of the keyword game change. Let's see what the current rules are and look at the most important keyword statistics.
18. The keyword in the title tag remains one of the best SEO practices.
Is the title tag still the best way to place your target keyword? It's not as essential as it used to be. However, the presence of a keyword in the title tag remains an important signal for on-page SEO, and experts continue to advise content creators to stick to it as one of the basic SEO rules.
(Source: Backlinko)
19. The results of the first Google SERP contain up to 85% of the keyword that is an exact or partial match to the request.
It's easy to check if the keyword in the title tag is still a mainstream SEO practice. Most of the title tags in Google's first SERP contain 65% to 85% keywords that partially or exactly match the specific user request.
(Source: Backlinko)
However, in a recent interview, John Mueller, from Google, said that Google uses BERT, a machine learning tool that was put in place to help ranking algorithms better understand content. He also said that Google is moving towards a decrease in the importance of exact keywords.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
20. 79% and 47% of the top-ranking keywords rank differently on mobile and desktop, respectively.
A keyword does not have to rank the same in mobile and desktop searches. In fact, the vast majority of them are not. 79% of keywords and 47% of keywords in positions 1 to 20 are ranked differently on mobile and desktop.
(Source: BrightEdge)
21. The content length of web pages ranked in the top 10 results for a keyword is at least 2,000 words.
Targeting the right keywords and using them to guide content strategy is one piece of the puzzle. The length of the content is another piece.
SerpIQ analyzed the top 10 search results for over 20,000 keywords and noticed a pattern. The average length of web page content that ranks in the top 10 results for any keyword on Google is at least 2,000 words.
(Source: Sweor)
22. It is important to insert keywords into seven elements of the web page.
Using keywords in the title tag is just one of the on-page SEO practices. For a page to rank higher, you should use keywords in the following items:
- Page title;
- Title;
- body text;
- URL;
- Images and image alt attributes;
- internal and external links;
- the meta description; and
- Meta keywords.
(Source: Backlinko)
23. Placing a keyword in the title tag does not guarantee a high ranking on the first SERP.
While keywords play an essential role in an SEO strategy of any size, it seems that placing keywords in the title tag does not promise the top position. A keyword-optimized title tag doesn't seem to correlate with better rankings on the first page.
(Source: Backlinko)
24. There is no correlation between keyword optimization and better SERP rankings.
Placing keywords in the first few words (H1) has been a rule of thumb for years, but the latest findings show that H1's with keywords have almost nothing to do with better Google rankings.
(Source: Backlinko)
Link statistics
Backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking signals for all major search engines, including google. That's why every SEO expert dreams of getting a do-follow link on a website with a domain authority of 90 or higher. Review these statistics to confirm the importance of backlinks.
25. The first results of the first Google SERP have 3.8 times more backlinks than those that are inferior to them.
Plus there are Backlinks, better, but is it a fact or just an empty promise? Pages that have a lot of backlinks rank better than those that don't have as many. In fact, the first result on Google has an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than positions 2 to 10.
(Source: Backlinko)
26. High-quality backlinks account for 30% of your overall page score in Google.
Google uses its page score to assess the importance and credibility of a web page. Backlinks are an important factor in calculating a page's score. In fact, they represent 30% of the overall score of a page in Google.
(Source: QuickSprout)
27. The more backlinks a page has, the better it will rank in the SERPs.
Backlink quality is important, but so is quantity. A high number of backlinks sends a strong signal to Google that the page is important. Pages with the most total backlinks tend to rank highest on Google.
(Source: Backlinko)
28. Pages that rank first in the SERPs have over 35,000 backlinks.
How many backlinks are enough? The latest backlink analysis reports tell us that top-ranking pages often have 35,000 backlinks. In some cases, they even have more.
(Source: Backlinko)
29. 95% of all online pages have no backlinks.
While some web pages have tens of thousands of backlinks, others have none. Around 95% of all pages have no backlinks.
(Source: Backlinko)
30. Longer content is 10x better for the backlink building strategy than short blog posts.
The debate about whether it is better to base a backlink strategy on longer content or on short articles is ongoing. However, it seems that we now have conclusive evidence to end the debate. Long content generates an average of 10 times more backlinks than short blog posts.
(Source: Backlinko)
31. The URLs on the first page of Google are between 40 and 100 characters long.
It's also important to consider the length of URLs. After thorough analysis, the researchers identified some patterns in URL length and ranking position. All URLs found on the first page of Google are 40 to 100 characters long.
(Source: Backlinko)
32. #Les top results in Google SERPS have around 279 referring domains.
The number of quality backlinks is as important a factor as the number of reference domains the backlinks are placed on. An industry study of one million Google search results shows that the number of referring domains is one of the most important ranking factors in the Google algorithm.
(Source: Backlinko)
33. Domain authority is a critical ranking factor.
Domain authority remains one of the main ranking factors. If you apply the same two SEO strategies to a page hosted on a site with an authoritative domain and to a page hosted on a domain with lower authority, the results will be different. The page on an authoritative domain will always rank higher.
(Source: Backlinko)
34. The global link authority determines the site's position in the SERPs.
Extensive research has revealed the link between domain authority and a website's position in the SERPs. Domain authority data shows that a site's overall link authority (as measured by the Ahrefs domain evaluation) is highly correlated with better rankings.
(Source: Backlinko)
Mobile SEO statistics
Optimizing website design and content for mobile visitors is essential for anyone who wants to gain online visibility and expand their reach. Mobile SEO is a subcategory of SEO that focuses on optimizing web page content exclusively for mobile users. Scroll down for mobile SEO facts and the latest industry SEO statistics.
35. Google news: Page experience signals for ranking only come into play in mobile search.
Google Webmaster Support indicates that page experience signals for ranking only apply to mobile search. Mobile and desktop scores are different. When it comes to mobile SEO, it's best to use mobile scores as a guide for the future.
(Source: google)
36. Optimizing mobile performance is the best SEO method to improve site performance.
There are a number of things that can be done to improve the performance of a site. However, the best way is to do what the best marketers do — use technical SEO to optimize mobile performance.
(Source: HubSpot)
37. 3,400 marketers agree that mobile SEO is the most used SEO tactic.
There are dozens of SEO tactics out there, but which is the most relevant in our time?
According to data from more than 3,400 marketers worldwide, mobile optimization is one of the most used SEO tactics, along with load speed optimization and location optimization.
(Source: Hubspot)
38. 60% of mobile users contact businesses directly through search results.
More and more people are looking for actionable information online. Mobile SEO can help you meet the needs of the modern consumer. 60% of smartphone users contacted a business directly using search results (for example, the “click to call” option).
(Source: Think with Google 2019)
39. 87% of Internet users in the United States use more than one device when they go online.
Mobile SEO is more critical than ever. According to the latest studies, 87% of people who use regularly Internet in the United States do this on more than one device.
(Source: Think with Google 2019)
40. Nearly 25% of businesses invest in mobile optimization as a primary SEO tactic.
Businesses in a variety of industries are getting started with mobile SEO. Currently, nearly 25% of businesses of all sizes consider mobile optimization to be a top SEO priority and are constantly investing in it.
(Source: HubSpot)
41. Dedicated mobile applications are gaining in importance, with 39% of mobile users preferring them.
Dedicated mobile applications are becoming increasingly popular among people who use the Internet to make online purchases. 39% of smartphone users are more likely to browse or shop on a business or brand's mobile app because it's easier or faster to make a purchase.
(Source: Think with Google)
Video SEO statistics
Video is an important element in the SEO world. It offers the greatest potential for engagement and can be integrated everywhere. We can see videos on social networks, blogs, and even integrated into forum posts. How does video perform in terms of return on investment? What are the ranking factors for video SEO? The answers to these questions can be found below.
42. 52% of marketers say video is the type of content that offers the best return on investment.
Marketers use all types of content in their marketing mix. However, not all content performs well across demographics. It seems that video content offers the best return on investment, as 52% of marketers will confirm.
(Source: HubSpot)
43. 85% of American Internet users interact with video content on a regular basis.
Video content is what consumers want to have access to. In the United States, 85% of Internet users interact with video content every month. Over 50% also want to see more content from brands they love.
(Source: HubSpot)
44. Blog posts that contain a video are 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google.
We all know that strong content can help you rank higher. However, targeting keywords via text and using high-quality images is no longer enough. If you include a video in your blog post, it will be 53 times more likely to appear in Google's first SERP.
(Source: Convince & Convert)
45. Articles containing videos generate more backlinks and see their search traffic increase by 157%.
Marketing professionals often work hard to promote blog posts on social media, forums, and via the email marketing. Videos are going to be a game changer. In fact, embedding videos in blog posts leads to more backlinks and increased search traffic by 157%.
(Source: Search Engine People)
46. Two billion YouTube users watch over 1 billion hours of video every day.
YouTube is by far the most popular video platform for Internet users. More than two billion connected users visit YouTube every month, and every day, people watch over 1 billion hours of video and generate billions of views.
(Source: Hubspot)
47. Video recommendations are affected by clicks, watch time, comments, and more.
YouTube has its own algorithm for recommending videos. It takes into account various factors to recommend relevant videos to users. Right now, we know that video recommendations are influenced by factors like clicks, watch time, likes and dislikes, comments, freshness, and download frequency.
(Source: Search Engine Journal)
48. YouTube's ranking algorithm uses video comments as a major ranking factor.
YouTube ranks videos the same way Google ranks web pages. Video comments seem to be among the most important ranking factors. Backlinko conducted a study of 1.3 million videos to find out more about the SEO YouTube in order to understand theYoutube algorithm.
They found that video comments play a big role in getting a higher ranking on YouTube.
(Source: Backlinko)
49. First page videos on YouTube have an average length of 14 minutes and 50 seconds.
Video length is also an important factor for YouTube's ranking algorithm. Videos on the first page of YouTube search results have an average length of 14 minutes and 50 seconds.
(Source: Backlinko)
Local SEO statistics
As you may already know, local SEO encompasses various actions aimed at optimizing websites to rank higher in local searches. It is one of the main SEO strategies for businesses that want to provide an exceptional shopping experience for local consumers. Let's take a look at the most important facts and statistics about local SEO.
50. 30% of all online searches are location-related.
More and more Internet users add the neighborhood, the urban area or the name of the city to their searches on search engines. Currently, 30% of all online searches are location-related.
(Source: google)
51. Approximately 86% of people use online map lists to find the location of a business.
People are always inclined to use cards. In fact, 86% of people use map lists to find the location of a business. With the right local SEO strategy, you can be at the top of local searches related to your business.
(Source: BlueCorona)
52. 78% of people look for a nearby object on their smartphone and then visit a store during the day.
Local SEO is more important than you think. 78% of people who search locally on their smartphones visit a store the same day. Nearly 30% of local searches result in a purchase.
(Source: Think with Google)
53. 88% of consumers trust online reviews.
Online reviews play a critical role in buying decisions, especially when it comes to local businesses. 88% of consumers trust online reviews. More importantly, they turn to Google for recommendations and referrals to local businesses.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
54. 93% of consumers used the Internet to find a local business in the past year.
Consumers who want to buy a product or service from a local business use the Internet to find relevant local businesses. 93% of consumers have used the Internet for this purpose in the past year. Surprisingly, 34% of them use the internet to find local businesses every day.
(Source: Brightlocal)
55. Mobile searches for “___ near me today/tonight” have increased by 900% over the past two years.
As more and more people use smartphones every day, it makes sense to see a growth in local mobile searches. Over a two-year period, there has been a growth of more than 900% in mobile searches for “___ near me today/tonight.”
(Source: Hubspot)
56. 46% of shoppers surveyed confirm online inventory before visiting a store.
People don't want to go to a store to find out that the product they want is sold out. They use the internet to prevent this from happening. 46% of shoppers surveyed confirm stocks online before going to a store.
(Source: Hubspot)
57. Over 60% of consumers have used local information in ads.
Consumers trust the information shown in ads. Google found that over 60% of consumers used local information in ads. You can take advantage of this in your advertising strategy. The only thing you need to do is target your ads by location and use location extensions.
(Source: Think with Google)
58. Consumers trust the Better Business Bureau the most for local business reviews.
Consumers have plenty of options when it comes to looking for local businesses online. They will most likely check Google My Business for reviews of local businesses. However, most of all, they trust the Better Business Bureau.
(Source: BrightLocal)
Conclusion
The field of search engine optimization (SEO) is huge, and there's a lot going on when it comes to best practices.
The SEO statistics and facts we've shared with you paint a picture of a whole new world. It's a world shaped by the needs, wants, and expectations of Internet users on the one hand, and by major search engines and businesses seeking to rank higher in searches on the other.
These 58 statistics will help you better understand SEO, the latest trends, and recent activities of SEO professionals. We hope we have satisfied your thirst for statistical SEO knowledge.
