26 SEO statistics of effective SEO investments

SEO specialists know that optimization in terms of positioning and UX is crucial for online business development. Why to invest in SEO? Positioning and advertising campaigns can be very effective and generate more income. There are many benefits of investing in SEO, but if you still need hard data and statistics, we have collected them for you in this article.

SEO 2020 vs. SEO 2021. Increasing rate

The Hubspot report (Not Another State of Marketing Report, 2021) shows a significant increase in SEO investment over 2020 and 2021. In 2020, 64% of marketers trusted positioning specialists, and the next year (2021) has already brought a 5% increase – as many as 69% of marketers included work on positioning in their budgets (HubSpot). The investment trend in SEO is definitely increasing. As a result of the pandemic, the ecommerce industry has grown significantly, and online shopping has become the new normal. Even less active groups on the Internet, such as seniors, show a growing interest in shopping without visiting the brick-and-mortar shop. Often the first step in e-shopping process is product research. E-customers tend to type the product name or product-based questions in a search engine before transactions. Since the number of users involved in product research and online shopping is growing (8 out of 10 Internet users are e-customers), it is even more worth to “step out” towards them through SEO activities and become visible as one of the top search results.

2022 SEO Statistics. Why should you start investing in SEO?

1. 68% of online activity starts with the search engine (BrightEdge), i.e. almost 7 out of 10 users use the browser first when logging in to the network. Source: [BrightEdge Channel Report], [2019]
2. 92.96% of global web traffic comes from Google, Google Images and Google Maps (Sparktoro). Of course, there are other search engines on the market, such as Firefox, Opera, Safari, but Google is definitely leading. Source: [https://sparktoro.com/blog/2018-search-market-share-myths-vs-realities-of -google-bing-amazon-facebook-duckduckgo-more /], [2018]
3. 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic searches. (BrightEdge). This data shows that in addition to advertising activities, it’s worth taking positioning into account to improve Google search results. Good SEO for online shop can generate a significant part of the traffic on the website. Source: [BrightEdge Channel Report], [2019]
4. 0.78% of internet users who operate with search engines click on the results on the second page. (Backlinko). This means that over 99% of them remain only on the first page of search results by clicking on items from the top 10 list. Source: [Backlinko, Google CTR Stats], [2019]
5. 60% of marketers admit that activities in the area of ​​inbound marketing (SEO, content blogs) are the most qualitative and most common source of leads (HubSpot) [Hubspot, State of Inbounds 2018, Global Report], [2018]
6. SEO brings 1000% + more traffic than organic posts on social media (BrightEdge). Both areas should be included in your marketing strategy because they reach different target groups. The results of paid ads on social media are satisfactory, but in organic customer acquisition and in generating organic leads, SEO optimization prevails. Source: [BrightEdge Channel Report], [2019]
7. Websites in the top 10 search results are usually over 2 years old (Ahrefs). This means that we can rarely count on quick results and growing statistics, but the systematic implementation of SEO optimization brings long-term results. Source: [https://ahrefs.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-rank/], [2018].
8. The daily number of searches within Google search engine is approximately 3.5 billion (Internet Live Stats). Source: [https://www.internetlivestats.com/google-search-statistics/], [2022]
9. The conversion rate drops by 4.42% with each second of loading a page (Inter Growth). UX in combination with SEO (SXO) is a recipe for the best sales results. When designing the website and content, one should remember about User Experience and provide users with intuitive navigation on the website, legible content, as well as correct display and efficient loading of the website on all devices. These factors influence the purchasing behavior of potential e-customers. Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
10. 30% of all searches on mobile devices relate to location (Think With Google). Increasingly, Internet users include the location in the key phrase when searching for a given product or service. (names of places, area). Source: [https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/mobile-search-trends-consumers-to-stores/], [2016]
11. Searching for “Where to Buy” and “Find Nearby” by browsers on mobile devices increased by more than 200% between 2017-2019 (Think With Google). This is the most effective way to search for a service or product in the current location at a given moment. Source: [Google 2019 Research Review], [2019]
12. 76% of Internet users who use nearby searches via mobile phones visit a given business within 1 day (Think With Google). According to the data, almost 8 out of 10 people, after searching the location, decide to buy online or visit the store in less than 24 hours from the moment of searching. Source: [https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/mobile-search-trends-consumers-to-stores/], [2016]
13. 52.2% of global internet traffic comes from mobile devices (Statista). Therefore, when setting up a website, you must also bear in mind UX and ensure the proper display of the website on phones and tablets. Source: [https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/], [2022]
14. The first result in organic search by Google has a CTR of 31.7% (Backlinko). A click-through rate of over 30% is a very good result. This is definitely a great argument that speaks in favor of SEO investment and activities aimed at positioning the page in TOP results. Source: [Backlinko, Google CTR Stats], [2019]
15. 86% of users ignore paid advertising campaigns and click only on organic search results (Inter Growth). The first positions in search engines are paid and labelled as “advertisement”, but nearly 9 out of 10 Internet users trust more non-advertising results, which are also on the first page. This means that it is better to invest in SEO than rely mostly on ads. Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
16. 39.4% of Internet users in the US use voice search (Inter Growth). Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
17. 79% of e-customers claim that they trust the reviews of other users on the website as much as they trust personal recommendations (Inter Growth). Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
18. More than half of smartphone users encounter new companies, brands, and products when using the phone search engine (Inter Growth). A properly conducted positioning process is a great way to reach new customers who have not even heard of your company before. Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
19. 53% of smartphone users will leave your website if its mobile version will load for more than 3 seconds (Inter Growth). Statistics show that Internet users buy online through mobile devices even more often than through laptops. It is best to use SXO services that combine SEO and UX, eliminating content mistakes or too slow page loading. Thanks to this, people interested in your product or service will not give up the purchase due to technical difficulties. Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
20. 86% of Internet users search for the location of companies via Google Maps (Inter Growth). We suggest adding a Google business card to the recommended SEO activities and ensuring that the company displays correctly on Google Maps. Providing potential e-customers with easy access to information about the location, opening hours and current contact details. It is the basis of commercial relations. Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
21. 66% of potential e-customers conduct online research before purchasing a product or service (Inter Growth). This is an argument for taking care of the appropriate content and sections on the website – product descriptions, blog, reviews. They will not only help you position the company, but also provide answers to customers’ questions and doubts. Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
22. 70% of marketers declare that SEO activities are more effective than PPC campaigns (Inter Growth). Source: [https://inter-growth.co/seo-stats/], [2022]
23. Videos are currently number one when it comes to media used in content marketing strategy, ahead of blogs and infographics in terms of effectiveness (HubSpot). Content marketing is part of the SEO strategy, therefore, when developing activities related to positioning, it is also worth following content marketing trends. Source: [Hubspot, Not Another State of Marketing Report], [2020]
24. The increase in the popularity of local queries via mobile devices increased by almost 250% between 2017 and 2019 (Think With Google). Source: [Google 2019 Research Review], [2019]
25. Nearly 45% of e-customers make an online purchase with the option of stationary pickup (Think With Google). Source: [Google 2019 Research Review], [2019]
26. Searches for the phrases “for sale” and “for sale nearby” via mobile devices increased by 250% from 2017 to 2019. Such data is a sure argument for investing in local positioning. Source: [Google 2019 Research Review], [2019]

Why invest in SEO? Summary

Better visibility in the search engine generates more traffic to the website, and thus affects increasing conversions. Good SEO actually benefits both sides: eCommerce business owners get greater recognition and profit, and e-customers easily find information about products that help them in making purchasing decisions.

Optimization activities in the field of SEO and UX are also beneficial for building long-term relationships with clients based on trust. It is why you will ensure long-term effects, not one-offs, such as good results of a single campaign. Effective SEO is also a properly planned strategy that takes into account local positioning, UX, content marketing and current trends. Investing in SEO is contributing in your business the development. If you still have doubts whether website positioning pays off and how to invest in SEO, then on our website you will find additional arguments in the form of case studies from our work. We shared the insights there from cooperation with our clients, including the effects of SEO activities in numbers.