47 SEO Statistics That Will Absolutely Shock You in 2020
Long gone are the days when keyword stuffing reigned supreme, but SEO remains a vital aspect of your marketing efforts. Search engines like Google and Bing are some of the biggest drivers of new customer acquisition, and if you want to take advantage of the benefits that these search engines have to offer, you’ll need to take your SEO skills to the next level. The only way to win a game is to learn the rules, and familiarizing yourself with some of the latest SEO trends is the best way to capitalize on your search engine status and boost your targeted traffic into the stratosphere. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to 47 of the most important SEO stats to be aware of in 2019.
Top SEO Stats
1. Improving SEO is the biggest priority for 61% of companies
More and more businesses are aware of the incredible growth that they can experience when they rank highly on Google. While SEO is the biggest priority for 61% of companies, every company in the remaining 39% will need to make SEO a high priority if they want to stay current and continue growing.
2. Effective SEO practices provide a conversion rate of 14.6%
For comparison, traditional methods of outbound marketing have conversion rates of about 1.7%, which proves that customers are more likely to make purchases when they feel like they are in charge.
3. Off-page SEO makes up 75% of a good SEO strategy
It’s a common misconception that it’s what’s on your page that counts. However, the majority of SEO work is actually done�off-page, and this type of search engine optimization comes in the form of backlinks, social media posts, directories, and a variety of other tactics.
4. Relevancy is the most important SEO-improving factor for 72% of marketers
5. Search engines are the source of 93% of your web traffic
6. At least 50% of searches will be based on voice or image by 2020
More and more, people are snapping photos and pressing that little microphone button to perform searches. After all, who has time to type any more?
7. More than 50% of search queries feature long-tail keywords
If you have a business in a particular niche industry, it can be tempting to pick simple keywords that will help you place with your main competitors. However, you’ll have to do an incredible amount of work to place highly for “dog walking;” instead, you might want to try long-tail keywords like “dog walking in Brisbane” or “dog walking professional walker.”
Long-tail keywords�are more specific to the details of the services or products that you offer, and according to recent research, at least half of search queries feature long-tail keywords. It turns out that consumers are just as specific about their needs as you are.
8. More than half of web traffic is driven by organic search results
When you’re trying to improve your marketing presence, relying on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be tempting. After all, what’s better than paying to have your website come up first when people search for terms that are relevant to your business?
However, more than half of web traffic is derived from�organic search�results. Instead of paying Google or another source to rank your site first, it’s best to do things the right way and boost your organic SEO instead.
9. Refurbishing your old blog posts can boost traffic by over 111%
Even if your old blog posts are so deficient in SEO that they’re embarrassing, if there’s reasonably good blog content there, you can clean it up to receive a huge traffic boost. Try adding more meta information to your posts, and throw in an image or two to boost your ranking even more.
10. Organic SEO is over five times more effective than PPC advertising
Do you like clicking on promoted content? Consumers don’t either; they trust organic SEO much more than paid ads. If your marketing budget is stretched thin as it is, back out of PPC advertising, and invest more in organic SEO if you want to be seen as an authority in your field.
12. After a search is performed, 70% of clicks are on organic results
Most consumers don’t waste their time on promoted links, which simply proves that improving your organic SEO is the best way to get more traffic and grow your business.
Mobile Search Stats
13. Mobile browsing makes up 69% of all digital media time
People around the world are spending more and more time on mobile devices. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’ll be missing out on 69% of the potential traffic you could be receiving.
14. Mobile traffic was the source of 52.2% of web traffic in 2018
15. eCommerce occurs predominantly on smartphones
While mobile web traffic is one thing, every eCommerce business owner should perk his or her ears at this stat. If you want to make money online (which you do), optimizing your site for mobile is absolutely essential.
16. Mobile-optimized sites are more trusted by 51% of consumers
If your site isn’t�optimized for mobile, the majority of consumers won’t feel comfortable doing business with your company. By making your site easy for mobile customers to use, you can catch up with the trends of the future and do more business.
Local SEO Stats
17. After searching for a local business on a mobile device, 88% of consumers will interact with that business within 24 hours
The research into local SEO statistics is clear: When a consumer searches for your business on his or her smartphone, they are almost ready to either give you a call or visit in person. Make your site mobile-friendly and�focus on local SEO optimization�to ensure that you can take advantage of these incredible opportunities that have the potential of falling in your lap.
18. Almost all consumers check the internet to learn more about a local business
A whopping 97% of consumers will learn more about your business by checking out your internet presence. Make sure that you’ve provided Google with the right information for your business, ask for reviews from satisfied customers, and focus heavily on local SEO optimization to make sure that you put the right face forward when consumers come looking for your web information.
19. Businesses that show up on the first page of results get 92% of consumer traffic
While it might seem unfair, if you don’t rank on the first page of Google or another search engine, consumers will totally overlook your business. Since only 10 results are displayed per Google page, you’ll need to work hard to vie for that top 10 spots. Instead of focusing on being in the top 10 for short-tail searches, optimize your SEO to grab as many local or targeted searches as possible.
20. Local information is the goal of 46% of all Google searches
While 46% is less than half, it’s incredible that almost half of all Google searches are related to local content. This stat just drives the point home further that the future of SEO optimization is localized content.
21. Search result information will send 70% of consumers to a physical store that’s relevant to their search results
22. Local searches result in purchases 28% of the time
23. 56% of local retailers haven’t claimed their businesses on Google
Claiming your business on Google�is incredibly easy, and there’s no reason why this percentage should be high. When you claim your business on Google, you gain control over the information that Google displays when consumers search for you on desktop or mobile and taking this step also allows you to add photos and videos of your business that will help improve your SEO ranking.
24. 82% of businesses haven’t claimed their Bing listings
While it might seem like there’s no point in messing around with anything other than Google, it remains the case that Bing is Google’s main competitor, and if you fail to�claim your business on Bing, you’ll be missing out on potential local traffic.
25. Positive reviews result in trust for 73% of consumers
It’s not enough to get your information out there; you need to�generate positive Google reviews�if you want customers to trust you. Express to your customers how important positive reviews are for your business, and if you operate an online business, ask for reviews via email.
SEO Link Stats
26. Link building is the hardest SEO task for 65% of marketers
It’s an undeniable fact that getting authoritative sources to link to your website is hard. It used to be easy to get tons and tons of SEO-boosting backlinks from random websites, but these days, everyone is clamouring for that single golden backlink from a website that everyone trusts.
27. Backlinking reached a second peak in 2017
Backlinking became a big part of Google’s algorithms in 2011, and this practice reached another peak in 2017. However, the focus now is quality over quantity; having tons of backlinks to irrelevant pages won’t get you far, but if you’re linked by an authoritative source, your page views will skyrocket.
28. Backlinking costs approximately $1,000 per month for 35% of clients
While $1,000 might seem like a lot of money to spend on link building, a single link from an authoritative site can recoup your losses by many times over the course of a month. Guest Outreach link building services are on the rise also to help facilitate these
29. 53% of SEO clients spend 25% or less of their SEO budget on link building
Google SEO Statistics
30. Google makes up 71.8% of search traffic worldwide
31. The top position on page one of a Google search result has a CTR of 34.36
CTR, or�click-through rate, is one of the most important SEO terms for you to be familiar with. It refers to the chance that a consumer will click a link to your website, and by far, your best chance to get a click-through on Google is to rank first in the search results.
32. Sites that make the first page on Google have an average of 1,890 meta words
While thinking up keywords, writing meta descriptions, and populating alt text can seem like a chore, doing your due diligence in creating the content behind a page can accelerate your site into the big leagues in short order. Plugins such as Yoast or Rank Math help with this.
33. You’re 53% more likely to show up on the first page of Google if you have a video on your home page
Home page videos look great, and they also help you rank better. With�HTML5, it’s easy to embed videos on your home page that load fast and don’t get in the way.
34. Google ads are ignored by about 80% of users
Given discouraging statistics like these, it’s no wonder that many businesses decide to ditch PPC altogether and focus solely on organic SEO.
35. 44% of website referral traffic goes through Google
Social Media Stats
36. 58% of businesses that have been using social media for over a year have noted increased SEO rankings
While a novice to the SEO world might not think that social media and SEO are related, Google has updated its algorithms to make interlinks between your website and social media accounts important to SEO ranking. If you haven’t gotten your feet wet with social media for your business,�it’s time to get started.
37. Social media is a somewhat or highly integrated aspect of the SEO strategy of 74% of businesses
38. Before making a purchase, 86% of women will check out a product on social media
Consumers used to be influenced by the gossip around town, but today, they’re influenced by data on social media. Keep a close eye on your social media presence, and do your best to prune it to make your business look more attractive to consumers.
39. If you engage on social media, 40% of consumers will feel more comfortable doing business with you
Content Marketing Statistics
40. According to 72% of marketers, content creation is the most effective SEO tactic
These days, Google’s algorithms reward the most helpful, interesting content, and they no longer give keyword stuffers front page status. Not only is this a great incentive to create excellent content that makes the world a better place, but it reinforces the fact that�having an excellent content writer on your side�is the best way to succeed in SEO.
41. Improved posts can increase blog traffic by up to 2,000%
Take your time, and focus on making content that you know consumers will love to read.
42. Companies with active blogs have 434% more indexed pages than competitors
Google’s algorithms will trawl every single page on your website in search of SEO-friendly data, so the more blog articles you have, the more likely it is that you will rank high in Google’s results. Make sure that these articles are full of links to other pages on your website and social media profiles to get the best SEO score possible.
43. Blogs are important business tools to 81% of businesses
Video Marketing Stats
44. By the end of 2019, 85% of USA web traffic will be video-related
A video is becoming an increasingly integral aspect of web content every year, and in 2019, video-related content will dominate. Whether you have a page that solely includes a video with proper meta information or you embed a video into a number of your pages, you’ll have the upper hand as this trend continues to gain steam.
45. If you have a video thumbnail in your search results, your search traffic will double
Even if they can’t see it until they click, consumers are attracted to the potential of viewing video content. If your�results on Google are accompanied by video thumbnails, consumers will be twice as likely to visit your site.