20 SEO Statistics Every Business Owner Needs to Know in 2022

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By 2022, it’s no secret that a strong search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is critical for your business to find success on the web and beyond. However, words are only worth so much – no matter how often we might say SEO is an essential element of the modern-day digital marketing campaign, the real proof is in the numbers. Let’s dive into 20 research-backed SEO statistics for 2022 that every business owner should know:

1) 93% of online sessions start on a search engine.

(Credo)

What This Means for Your Business: For every 10 new website visitors you receive, about 9 of them found you via search. That’s massive. The importance of SEO cannot be understated, especially when it comes to small businesses looking to generate new leads. Ranking high in search engine results pages (SERPs) is essential for driving traffic to your site and growing your business, and to do so, it’s essential that you have a comprehensive SEO strategy in place.

seo statistics for 20222) Google holds 92% of the search engine market share.

(Intergrowth)

What This Means for Your Business: Google is an undisputed powerhouse, and should be the main focus of your SEO strategy. Ranking well on Google can mean the difference between success and failure for your business, so it’s essential that you understand how the search engine works and how to optimize your site for maximum visibility. That’s not to say other search engines like Bing or Yahoo! shouldn’t be part of your strategy either – they should – but Google should be your main focus.

3) The average article on page one of a Google search contains 1,447 words.

(Backlinko)

What This Means for Your Business: The longer your blog, the higher your likelihood of ranking well. This is because Google values content that is thorough and provides value to the reader. If you notice your ranking starting to slip, aim to produce longer pieces of content that are packed with the valuable information your target audience is searching for. However, don’t sacrifice quality for quantity – make sure your content is well-written and engaging, or you’ll lose readership and rankings.

4) 68% of all clicks go to the first five organic search results.

(Marketing Land)

What This Means for Your Business: Being on the first page of a search result is great, but you should really be striving for the top of the first page for maximum benefits. Less than one-third of all clicks go to the second page of results, so if you’re not in the top five, you’re losing out on the vast majority of your potential traffic and business. Curious to learn how many clicks the website in the top spot receives on a given SERP? We’ll get to that later.

5) More than 50% of all product searches start on Amazon.

(WebFX)

What This Means for Your Business: Ecommerce marketers especially need to think beyond search engines in their SEO efforts. If you’re not optimizing your website and product pages for Amazon, you’re missing out on a major chunk of the market. In fact, optimizing your site for both search engines and Amazon will provide a powerful one-two punch that can really help boost your visibility, sales and brand recognition. If your product isn’t sold on Amazon, you can still rank your site high for product-related keywords and drive traffic that way.

6) 39% of users conduct searches by voice.

(Intergrowth)

What This Means for Your Business: You could be losing out on a large percentage of potential customers if your SEO strategy isn’t also optimized with voice search in mind. With the increasing popularity of voice-activated devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website and content are ready to be searched by voice. This means using long-tail keywords and phrases, formatting your content in a way that’s easy to read aloud, and making sure your site is mobile-friendly.

seo voice search7) 41% of all voice search assistant answers come from featured snippets.

(Backlinko)

What This Means for Your Business: Featured snippets may be relatively new, but they could be the secret to your SEO success. These short, answer-type snippets appear at the top of the search results for certain queries and are sourced from websites that have been deemed to have the best answer. If you’re not optimizing your content for featured snippets, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to rank higher and attract more traffic. In order to rank in a featured snippet, your content must be well-researched, authoritative, and formatted in a way that’s easy for humans and non-humans alike to read and comprehend.

8) Google users are 20x more likely to click on an organic search result instead of a paid ad.

(Credo)

What This Means for Your Business: Paid ads might appear at the top of a SERP, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they generate the most clicks. In fact, organic search results are far more likely to be clicked on than paid ads – a fact that’s especially relevant for small businesses on a tight budget. If you’re putting all your eggs in the paid ad basket, you’re doing yourself a major disservice. Focus on optimizing your website and content for organic search, and watch your traffic (and profits) soar.

9) Long-tail keywords yield a 3-5% higher click-through rate than shorter keywords.

(Smart Insights)

What This Means for Your Business: Much like with word count, SEO best practices are trending longer in 2022. Long-tail keywords are phrases that are more specific and targeted than shorter, more general keywords – think “digital marketing best practices” instead of just “digital marketing”. Because they’re more specific, they’re also less competitive, which makes it easier to rank for them. Additionally, long-tail keywords convert at a higher rate than shorter keywords because they’re more relevant to the searcher’s query. The secret to a successful long-tail SEO strategy is to find the right balance of specificity and competitiveness.

10) 70% of marketers say SEO generates sales better than PPC advertising.

(Databox)

What This Means for Your Business: Being able to attract customers through organic SEO is not only better for your budget, but also better for your bottom line. Paid search results can be expensive and difficult to maintain, especially for small businesses on a tight budget. In contrast, organic SEO is free aside from the initial investment in optimizing your site, and can be extremely effective in generating traffic and leads. That’s not to say PPC advertising is ineffective – on the contrary, it can be a great way to supplement your SEO strategy and reach more potential customers. But when it comes to generating sales, organic SEO is hard to beat.

11) The average article on page one of a Google search loads in 1.65 seconds.

(Backlinko)

What This Means for Your Business: Your website may be beautifully designed and your content may be eloquently written, but your audience isn’t going to wait to find out. In today’s fast-paced world, users expect websites to load quickly and smoothly. If your site doesn’t meet those expectations, they’re going to find a competitor’s website that does. In order to ensure a positive user experience, it’s important to optimize your website for speed. There are a number of ways to do this, including compressing images, reducing redirects and ensuring your plugins are up-to-date, to name a few.

12) An average 40% of business revenue is generated by organic search.

(Credo)

What This Means for Your Business: Neglecting to create a solid SEO strategy in 2022 can cost you big time. Organic search is responsible for a significant chunk of business revenue, so if you’re not ranking high in SERPs, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers – and a lot of potential sales. While paid ads can generate their own traffic, they pale in comparison to the amount of traffic that organic search can bring to your website. Needless to say, investing in SEO is an essential part of growing any business in 2022.

13) Leads generated through SEO have a 14.6% close rate.

(HubSpot)

What This Means for Your Business: Your SEO strategy could be a lean, mean conversion machine if you know how to use it to your advantage. Because SEO leads are more qualified than leads generated through other channels like PPC or social media, they have a higher close rate. In order to maximize your SEO ROI, focus on generating high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience and ranks well in SERPs. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to converting more leads and closing more sales.

14) Most search phrases contain 4 or more words.

(Startup Bonsai)

What This Means for Your Business: When choosing your keywords, you should be considering the way your customers ask questions – and as this statistic shows, those questions are usually pretty long. That’s why you should be focusing on long-tail keywords rather than short-tail keywords when possible. Not only are they more specific and therefore easier to rank for as we mentioned before, but they’re also more likely to result in a sale.

15) Companies that invest in SEO are 13x more likely to generate a positive ROI.

(Credo)

What This Means for Your Business: Don’t let sticker shock scare you – SEO is one of the most important investments you can make for your business. While the initial investment may be higher than other marketing channels, the ROI is more than worth it. Not only that, but companies that invest in SEO are also more likely to see other positive impacts like increased web traffic, higher conversion rates and brand awareness. The initial investment might be intimidating, but the benefits are invaluable.

16) YouTube generates 3 billion searches each month – more than Bing, Ask, Yahoo! and AOL combined.

(Mushroom Networks)

What This Means for Your Business: It’s time to start thinking about YouTube as a search engine. With 3 billion searches per month, it’s clear that users are turning to YouTube for answers to their questions – which means you need to be there with your content. If you’re not already creating video content, now is the time to start. Not only will you be able to reach a wider audience, but you’ll also be able to increase your brand awareness and build trust with potential customers. From an SEO standpoint, YouTube is also a great platform for generating backlinks to your website.

seo statistics for 202217) 61% of B2B marketers say SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other digital marketing medium.

(Intergrowth)

What This Means for Your Business: If attracting new customers is your goal, SEO should be your priority. Not only does it generate more leads than any other digital marketing channel, but those leads are also more likely to convert. That’s because people who find your website through organic search are typically further along in the buyer’s journey and therefore more ready to make a purchase. If you’re not already investing in SEO, now is the time to get started.

18) The first non-paid link on a search engine result page will receive 32.5% of all clicks.

(Credo)

What This Means for Your Business: Don’t settle for second – it’s worth the time and effort to seek out opportunities to earn that top spot. Not only will you get over a third of all clicks, but you’ll also see a significant boost in traffic and brand awareness. The best way to achieve this is to create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience and ranks well in SERPs. If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to converting more leads and closing more sales.

19) Only 6% of all pages rank in the top 10 search results within their first year.

(Ahrefs)

What This Means for Your Business: Good things come to those who wait. It takes time for Google to crawl and index your content, and even longer for it to start appearing in SERPs. But if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, it will pay off in the long run. Not only will your content get more exposure, but it will also be more likely to convert leads into customers. Be patient and persistent – you’ll eventually see the fruit of your labor.

20) Google changes its search algorithm 500-600 times each year.

(Credo)

What This Means for Your Business: If you don’t have time to monitor Google updates yourself, your SEO strategy might be best left in the hands of someone who can. With over 500 algorithm changes each year, it’s impossible to keep up with all of the changes – let alone make adjustments to your website accordingly. Unless you have a dedicated department or individual who can stay on top of the latest updates, it might be best to leave your SEO to a team of professionals who can handle it for you.

Climbing the Ranks with These SEO Statistics for 2022

SEO updates, algorithms and best practices may change hundreds of times each year, but something that will always remain constant is the need for a dynamic SEO strategy. The problem is, it can seem somewhat – or very – overwhelming to manage on your own. With so much to keep up with, your website’s SEO might be best left in the bands of a professional agency.

That’s where we come in.

Our team of SEO dynamos knows exactly what it takes to turn these stats into a winning search strategy. We’re constantly on the pulse of the latest SEO statistics for 2022 and beyond to ensure your website is ahead of the curve and your competition. Higher rankings, more leads and a stronger digital presence are only a click away – contact us to get started.

 

Looking for even more digital marketing stats to get you started? Check out our picks for the local SEO statistics, web design statistics and content marketing statistics every business owner needs to know in 2022.

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