SEO Statistics: Top 105 Search Engine Optimization Stats for 2024

Updated on: Sep 28th, 2024 11 min readWritten by: Approved by: bhagart singh

Last Updated on September 28, 2024 by Admin

Are you aiming to boost your organic search traffic? Wondering what the state of search engine optimization is in 2024?

In this article, we’ve gathered the latest search engine optimization (SEO) statistics. These will not only confirm the value of SEO and its potential effects on your revenue but also provide you with solid, data-driven insights to refine your SEO tactics.

So, without further delay, here are the essential SEO statistics you should be aware of.

Interesting SEO Statistics 2024

Here are some compelling SEO statistics that you might find intriguing:

  • Google is the source of 92.96% of all global traffic, which includes searches from Google Search, Google Images, and Google Maps. (Source)
  • A significant 68% of online experiences start with a search engine. (Source)
  • SEO is more effective than organic social media and drives over 1,000% more traffic. (Source)
  • In the U.S., 63.41% of web traffic referrals are generated through Google. (Source)
  • Marketers have identified inbound tactics like SEO and blog content as their most valuable lead source, accounting for 60% of the highest quality leads. (Source)
  • Leads from SEO have a close rate of 14.6%. (Source)

Search Engine Usage Statistics

As SEO, it’s also important to understand the usage of search engines among users:

  • Google dominates as the leading search engine globally, capturing a mobile market share of 95.32% and a desktop market share of 81.95%. (Source)
  • Each day, Google processes an estimated 3.5 billion searches. (Source)
  • About 15% of queries entered into Google are unique, having never been searched before. (Source)
  • Google’s web index contains approximately 400 billion documents. (Source)
  • As of 2024, the most common keyword searched both in the U.S. and worldwide is “YouTube”. (Source)
  • In terms of search results, 61.5% of desktop searches and 34.4% of mobile searches result in no clicks. (Source)
  • The top result on Google typically sees a click-through rate (CTR) of 9.28%, with the second and third positions garnering CTRs of 5.82% and 3.11% respectively. (Source)
  • A relevant search influences 39% of purchasers. (Source)
  • Organic web listings capture 73% of clicks. (Source)
  • Year over year, consumer usage of search engines has increased by 20%. (Source)
  • The ‘Computer and Video Games’ category grew web traffic by 183% in 2022 (Source)

Local SEO Statistics

If you’re catering to local customers, enhancing your local search presence is crucial for visibility. Here are some statistics highlighting the significance of robust local SEO:

  • An impressive 76% of smartphone users who search for something nearby visit a business within a day. (Source)
  • 91% of consumers believe that local reviews of chains and franchises influence their overall impression of the brand to some extent. (Source)
  • Businesses are seen as 2.7 times more trustworthy if they have a complete Business Profile on Google Search and Maps, according to customers. (Source)
  • Approximately 88% of consumers prefer to use businesses that respond to all their reviews. (Source)
  • Nearly 58% of businesses have not optimized for local search. (Source)
  • A complete Business Profile on Google significantly increases the likelihood of visits and potential purchases, with businesses being 70% more likely to attract visitors and 50% more likely to be considered for a purchase. (Source)
  • On-page factors are considered the most vital for local organic search results by 36% of SEO experts. (Source)
  • Around 32% of SEO professionals believe that Google Business Profile is the most crucial factor for ranking in the map pack. (Source)
  • Searches for something local lead to a purchase 28% of the time. (Source)

Ranking Statistics

The visibility and interaction with your content in Google Search results directly increase your organic traffic.

Here’s how various SEO statistics illustrate the relationship between search engine results page (SERP) rankings and click-through rates (CTR):

  • Organic search remains the primary traffic source for all websites. (Source)
  • Snippets boast the highest overall CTR at 42.9%. (Source)
  • The first organic search result garners an average of 19 times more clicks than the top paid search result. (Source)
  • Achieving the top position on Google’s first page results in a 39.8% organic click-through rate. (Source)
  • The top three organic search results capture 68.7% of all clicks. (Source)
  • Clicks from the third to tenth results combined don’t match those going to the top organic search result. (Source)
  • The first organic result in Google is ten times more likely to receive a click than a page ranked at the #10 spot. (Source)
  • There were about 28% more new domains ranked in the SERPs in 2022, which is a decrease compared to 2021 but an increase from 2020. (Source)
  • Websites that received a large number of valid removal notices typically saw their Google search traffic plummet by 89%. (Source)

Keyword Statistics

Keyword research is foundational for creating impactful content marketing. Here’s how it effectively influences rankings:

  • Long-tail keywords, which are typically 10-15 words long, receive 1.76 times more clicks than single-word terms. (Source)
  • Adding target keywords or similar terms to the URL can boost the click-through rate by 45% compared to URLs without them. (Source)
  • Titles that convey a positive sentiment enjoy a 4% higher click-through rate. (Source)
  • Our recent studies show that the average keyword length for the top 10% of ranking sites is between 3.2 to 3.5 words. (Source)
  • Long-tail keywords constitute the vast majority of all Google searches. (Source)
  • For simpler searches with high search volume, known as short-tail searches, the best-ranking results have evolved from transactional to informational content. (Source)
  • Search engine result page (SERP) volatility, or the fluctuation in rankings for certain keywords, was higher in 2022 compared to 2021. (Source)
  • Searches for ‘AI’ dramatically increased, rising to 101 million monthly searches in March 2023 from just 10 in November 2022. (Source)
  • Backlinko’s analysis reveals almost no correlation between including a keyword in your title tag and achieving higher rankings on the first search engine results page. (Source)

Link building remains an integral part of SEO strategies.

Here are some key findings from recent research on backlinks:

  • Nearly all (92.3%) of the top 100 ranking domains had at least one backlink. (Source)
  • More than half of the qualified sites without any backlinks failed to reach the first page of search results. (Source)
  • Pages that have the highest number of total backlinks tend to rank the best in Google. (Source)
  • The top result on Google typically has about 3.8 times more backlinks than those ranked second to tenth. (Source)
  • An earlier study showed that long-form content tends to attract significantly more backlinks, averaging 77.2% more links than shorter articles. (Source)
  • A surprising 94% of all blog posts do not have any external links. (Source)
  • Historically, pages ranking higher on Google have more backlinks than those in lower positions. (Source)
  • Approximately 67.5% of SEO experts agree that backlinks significantly impact search engine rankings. (Source)
  • Nearly half of SEO professionals report spending between $5,000 and $10,000 monthly on link building. (Source)
  • About 73.6% of domains engage in reciprocal linking, where some of the sites they link to also link back to them. (Source)

Mobile Search Statistics

Google emphasizes your site’s mobile version for indexing and ranking through ‘mobile-first indexing.’ This underscores the importance of robust mobile SEO strategies.

A subpar mobile user experience can lead to high bounce rates, both of which can detrimentally affect SEO.

Here’s why focusing on mobile search is essential:

  • An overwhelming 96% of internet users aged 16-64 own a smartphone. (Source)
  • Mobile devices and tablets account for 57% of all local search queries. (Source)
  • Over 70% of shoppers make purchases using their phones. (Source)
  • There are 5.44 billion unique mobile phone users globally. (Source)
  • The ‘Related Searches’ feature is the most common in SERPs for mobile searches. (Source)
  • In 2022, ‘Popular Products’ appeared 17% more frequently for mobile users in SERPs compared to the previous year. (Source)
  • Each month, smartphone users utilize Google Lens to address 8 billion queries. (Source)
  • In 2020, 77.22% of mobile searches concluded without users clicking on another webpage. (Source)
  • Web pages take an average of 87.84% longer to load on mobile than on desktop. (Source)

Video SEO Statistics

Video SEO involves optimizing your video content to achieve higher rankings and increased visibility across your website, social media platforms, and YouTube.

Here’s a look at how this area of SEO is evolving:

  • An impressive 91% of companies now incorporate video into their marketing strategies, marking an all-time high. (Source)
  • Approximately 70% of marketers who haven’t yet adopted video plan to start in 2023. (Source)
  • YouTube remains the top platform for video marketing, with 90% of video marketers using it. Facebook follows at 86%, with Instagram and LinkedIn at 79% each. (Source)
  • In the US, the top YouTube search term in 2022 was ‘TikTok mashup 2022, while ‘Ukraine’ led globally. (Source)
  • Music-related content made up 40% of the top 20 trending searches on YouTube in the US. (Source)
  • Historically, ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Minecraft’ have dominated as the top YouTube searches in the US and globally, respectively. (Source)
  • The most subscribed YouTube channels in 2022 predominantly fell into the Music, Children’s, Sports, and Entertainment categories. (Source)
  • On average, people watched 17 hours of online video content each week in 2022. (Source)
  • Over 80% of marketers now consider video content more essential than ever before. (Source)
  • YouTube significantly influences 75% of shoppers, enhancing the traditional shopping experience. (Source)
  • While shopping on YouTube, 87% of consumers report that they can make purchasing decisions more quickly. (Source)
  • Almost 90% of viewers trust recommendations from YouTube creators. (Source)
  • About 89% of YouTube viewers believe that creators offer the best information on brands and products. (Source)

Voice Search Statistics

Voice SEO is a strategic approach that optimizes your content and listings for voice search. It enhances your chances of appearing as a top result when users ask questions through devices like Alexa or Google Nest.

Here’s an overview of how this area is expanding:

  • Nearly half of all U.S. consumers engage with voice search daily. (Source)
  • This usage is even higher among U.S. consumers aged 25-34, with about 58% using voice search every day. (Source)
  • Around 36% of Americans have a smart speaker at home. (Source)
  • Amazon leads the smart speaker market in the United States. (Source)
  • The most common voice search queries are weather updates and local “near me” searches. (Source)
  • Health and beauty products, electronics, and household supplies are the top categories purchased through smart speakers. (Source)
  • From August 2019 to August 2021, consumers bought 8.9 million health and beauty items via smart speakers. (Source)
  • Approximately 90% of voice search queries are made in English. (Source)

SEO Industry Statistics

The below statistics provide insight into the current SEO industry:

  • A substantial 88% of marketers investing in SEO plan to either increase or maintain their budget in 2023. (Source)
  • SEO continues to be a leading trend that marketers are capitalizing on this year. (Source)
  • Over 70% of marketers have in-house SEO teams, while approximately 39% use external consultants. (Source)
  • Nearly 40% of marketers stated that they dedicate more than 40% of their total marketing budget to organic search strategies. (Source)
  • More than half of businesses intended to raise their SEO budgets last year, and almost two-thirds expected to increase their PPC spending. (Source)
  • Only 29% of marketers successfully attract and convert leads through SEO-optimized websites and blogs. (Source)
  • Organic search and referral traffic rank as the top and most effective sources for marketing ROI according to brands. (Source)
  • Close to half of the marketers and business owners find that SEO is key to successful content marketing; a similar percentage also highlighted the importance of audience research. (Source)
  • Organic traffic is the primary metric used by marketing experts to measure content performance. (Source)
  • AI and automation are influencing the SEO strategies of 84% of bloggers in 2023. (Source)
  • Opinions on AI’s future in SEO are mixed: 44% of marketers anticipate a positive impact, 51% see no impact, and 5% expect a negative impact. (Source)

AI and SEO statistics

Since ChatGPT’s introduction, SEO and marketing professionals have increasingly turned to AI to enhance, streamline, and automate their strategies. Here are some statistics illustrating this trend:

  • Approximately 76% of marketers now employ AI tools in their professional tasks. (Source)
  • Around 69% of marketers utilize ChatGPT specifically. (Source)
  • Over two-thirds of individuals believe that AI-generated content is on par with or surpasses human writing in quality. (Source)
  • A significant 85% of marketers use AI for writing articles. (Source)
  • Nearly one-third of businesses have replaced some human roles with AI solutions. (Source)
  • Just 30% of marketers anticipate that AI will negatively affect search traffic over the next five years. (Source)
  • About 63% of those who have adopted AI point out inaccuracies in AI-generated content as a significant issue. (Source)
  • Many marketers are leveraging AI in creative processes: 71% use it for content ideation, 70% for brainstorming content development, and 40% for devising overall strategies. (Source)
  • More than half of the marketers considered substituting their internal or external resources with AI. (Source)
  • Following ChatGPT’s release, the number of writing jobs has decreased by 33%. (Source)

Conclusion

Well, here were a few interesting statistic related to SEO. However, these stats keep changing with time depending on consumer interests and changing landscape. Keep following this page for latest statistics and in case, you need SEO services, you can contact the experts of AlgoSaga. They will provide the best services at affordable price.