15 SEO Statistics for 2024

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is one of the most vital factors that drive traffic to any website, page, or blog post. Knowing how to optimize your web content is definitely something every marketer should focus on to convert potential customers. 

Hiring SEO experts to optimize your content is an excellent way to take advantage of search engines, but it’s helpful to have an understanding of the concept. That’s why we curated some of the most helpful and most interesting statistics about SEO for marketers, entrepreneurs, and content creators.

So, if you are looking to grow your following by creating optimized content, you are definitely in the right place. Get ready to learn a lot of new information about SEO through these SEO stats.

General SEO statistics

1. 53.3% of website traffic comes from organic searches. 

Over half of website traffic comes from organic searches, like a Google search or a Bing search. That means over half of all internet users go on their computers or mobile devices to search for something. Businesses can take advantage of this by creating content that helps these curious consumers.  

For example, if someone is looking for new shoes, they go online to search for them. Optimized pages would be on the top of the list, and users will most likely click on the top results.

2. 68% of all online experiences and browsing begins with a search engine.

In correlation with the first statistical fact that we showed you, most people who go online start their experience with a search engine. Not all internet users start by scrolling their news feed on social media. Instead, some people just go online to learn more about something they heard about or need information about something they are interested in. 

With that being said, online marketers should be ready to optimize their content for search engines to make sure these people will end up on their pages. 

3. 69.7% of search queries contain four (4) or more words or keywords.

Most search queries contain four or more keywords. When people search for something, they want to get the results fast, meaning they don’t need to enter a complete sentence. As long as the thought is there, the search rankings will provide the most relevant results.

SEO strategists try to include these keywords on landing pages and create relevant content that matches the most popular search queries. 

4. 60% of marketers state that they get their highest quality source of leads from SEO blog content.

There are many ways to get more traffic to a web page, such as content marketing on social media or sending emails to subscribers. However, based on this data, businesses can get inbound leads by blogging. 

Because people read blogs based on their interests and what they search for. They will most likely buy products suggested by the blogs they read. Therefore, making them high-quality leads.

5. Only 0.78% of Google searchers click on results on the second page.

If you plan on optimizing your pages for search engines, do not settle for the second page. Being on the first page of results on search engines will guarantee clicks and site visits, especially if your page is in the top 5 of the search results.

The data shows us that less than 1% of the people who are browsing and searching for answers on the internet make it to the second page. They will usually find what they are looking for on the first page, which is why many marketers and local businesses try to crack Google’s algorithm for website ranking through SEO strategy.  

SEO statistics about video

6. 68.2% of YouTube videos on the first page of your search are HD videos. 

The quality of the videos you upload on the internet plays a significant role in getting to the top of the search results. So if you are a blogger or owns a business that ventures into making video content, make sure you focus on the content itself first, but also consider the quality of your videos.

Many people like to watch HD videos rather than settling for a 360p resolution video. However, it is not the case if you can create helpful and interesting content that is not affected by quality. 

7. Video is the number one form of media used in content marketing strategy. 

Do you prefer to read a blog post or watch a video instead? Well, the data shows us that many people prefer watching a video instead of reading an article. So it is understandable that many people prefer watching videos, especially in this digital age. 

If you plan to use videos for your content marketing, make sure that the quality is excellent and optimized for search engines to gain more reach. 

8. The number of shares, likes, and views play a significant role in higher YouTube rankings.

The interaction on the videos you post on YouTube plays a major role in ranking higher on YouTube search. So if you are thinking about content for a video, make sure it is something interesting that people can discuss in the comment section. 

Even if you have haters, they will still leave a comment, which can still make the content rank to further your video’s reach and gain more views. 

SEO statistics about rankings

9. Only 5.7% of web pages will rank in the top 10 search results within a year of publishing.

It takes a while to rank on search engines, and based on this data, only 5.7% of all web pages make it to the top 10 within the first year. The average time for a very well-written blog or landing page to rank is 6 to 18 months. 

If you are lucky enough to stumble on a niche with low competition, you can definitely make your pages rank higher quicker. However, it will still depend on the popularity of the topic and search history. 

10. 49% of the time, the top-ranking page gets the most search traffic.

Many facts show evidence that pages on the top of search results get the most search traffic, so when developing a blog, you need to consider search terms and sprinkle them into your long-form content. 

There is no place for pages on the second page, especially if you want to maximize the traffic to your website or business page. Although there are many ways to promote a business, having a blog or video channel is still the best way to get organic traffic.

11. 25.02% of pages on the top of the rankings do not have a meta description.

A meta description is the line of text that comes after the page title on the search results page. It is a SERP feature that provides a brief description of the page without clicking on it. It is supposed to be interesting for a higher chance of people clicking and visiting your page.

It is evident that pages have a better chance of ranking if you include a meta description since only a quarter of all pages that make it to the first page don’t have meta descriptions. 

Mobile SEO statistics

12. There are more searches on mobile devices compared to desktops.

Mobile searches are most common. Many internet users use their mobile devices more than using a desktop or laptop. For example, you can’t deny how convenient it is to do a quick search on a smartphone compared to whipping out a laptop or conducting a desktop search. 

With that being said, website designers should also focus on designing pages and optimize them for mobile users. 

13. 52.2% of worldwide website traffic comes from mobile phones.

Over half of all internet traffic comes from smartphones. So when developing a digital marketing strategy or campaign, do not forget to optimize your content to look good for smartphone users. 

SEO statistics about keywords

14. 8% of search queries are phrased as questions.

When optimizing content, it should answer the most searched questions people on the internet ask. And 8% of all search queries are questions. So if that is the case, you should also include the question on your page for SEO purposes.

Because only a few people type complete sentences on search bars, only a few keywords have a question mark or conjunctions to form a question.

15. 0.16% of the most popular keywords are responsible for 60.67% of all search queries.

Clearly, the data shows that keywords (and long-tail keywords) play a significant role in driving traffic to a website. So when a keyword is trending, it is responsible for over half of all the search queries. 

The competition in finding the right niche for a blog is fierce, which is why people need to create content about something with less competition but is still popular enough to get more traffic.