For any business, big or small, SEO should be more than a low-priority item on your marketing to-do list.
In fact, as we move into 2021 and beyond, SEO is becoming more vital than ever for businesses wanting to boost traffic and revenue.
But don’t take our word for it. We are going to let numbers do the talking in this article.
If your SEO knowledge is a little rusty, these 21 facts about SEO will get you up to speed with the last tips and trends. Learn about SEO and how you can use it to get ahead with your marketing strategy this year.
Fact #1: Three-quarters of SEO Is Off-Page
It might shock you to realize that when you are creating a new piece of content for your website, all the effort you put into creating that content will only count for 25% of Google’s ranking factors.
The truth is, most of the effort you need to put in when it comes to SEO is off-page. Off-page means getting things like backlinks from reputable websites linking to that piece of content.
Fact #2: Top Ranked Pages On Google Have An Average Word Count Of 1447
Long, high-quality content is preferred when it comes to ranking on page 1 of Google. People spend more time on this type of content, it has more value, and it tends to get shared more frequently.
When it comes to SEO statistics if you want to make the top 10 for your preferred keyword on Google, write at length. Aim for between 1500-2000 words, and ensure the content is high quality and informative.
Fact #3: 40% Of Users Will Abandon A Slow Loading Website
Kissmetric discovered that 4 out of 10 visitors will abandon your website if it doesn’t load within 3 seconds, and a massive 47% of visitors expect your website to load in under 2 seconds.
Staggering as that sounds, think about this in the context of today’s world. Everything is fast, everything is at our fingertips, and people have a choice when it comes to their online behavior.
Rather than fear this impatience from visitors, embrace it.
Investing your money in developing a superfast home page will pay dividends when it comes to your SEO. You’ll reduce your bounce rate and have happy visitors.
Fact #4: 51% Of People Discover New Businesses On Their Phone
Is your website mobile-friendly? If not, this statistic from Think With Google should be a turning point for you.
You only need to sit on a train or walk down the street to realize how much people rely on their smartphones. And it’s not just social media and messaging that hooks people to their phones; shopping is increasingly popular.
If you want to get your business noticed, make it mobile-friendly. Google will expect your website to work on mobile, and you’ll improve your SEO by having a fast, mobile-friendly website (and you’ll attract new customers).
Fact #5: Just 20% Of The Top 10 Sites On The Web Are Content-Driven
Though SEO is mainly driven by content marketing, it may surprise you to discover that some of the most popular websites globally are not content-based. They are functional (in many cases, eCommerce).
Consider, for example, Amazon and eBay, two hugely popular shopping channels that consistently rank highly. The two notable exceptions to this are Wikipedia and YouTube.
Fact #6: Websites Convert 14.6% of Referrals From Google
Want genuine buyers to discover your website? Nothing beats Google.
When people search for a product or service, they are more likely to already be in a buyer’s mindset. They are researching options and close to making that all-important purchase.
That’s why you should always focus on SEO as part of your online marketing, even when you have a large advertising budget or a strong presence on social media.
Fact #7: 120 Million US Homes Had Smart Speakers In 2020
Voice SEO is a trend you can’t ignore. If you aren’t yet focused on optimizing your website for voice searches, now is the time to start.
Voice-activated technology has improved dramatically in the past 5 years. Millions of households have eagerly purchased gadgets such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri.
As this trend continues into 2021, expect new demands from voice searches in areas like local SEO.
Fact #8: 90% of Users Prefer Organic Search results Over PPC Ads
It’s hard to miss Google ad results at the top of searches. And there is no escaping the fact that Google PPC campaigns are big business.
However, despite the continued popularity of paid advertising, getting your website ranked on page 1 of Google still beats the ads by a large margin. In fact, for every 10 searches, 9 will click on an organic result.
The big takeaway? Don’t ignore SEO optimization, even if you are seeing success from your PPC campaigns.
Fact #9: The Average User Spends Less Than A Minute On Google Search Results
Google may have trillions of results, but most of us are just after one or two, and in a matter of seconds rather than minutes.
For businesses looking to use Google for referrals, there are two critical lessons to note here. First, of course, is your ranking. When people scan that results page, they are often clicking on the very first results they see.
The second point here is that your headline for text searches has to be clickable, and for image searches, your image has to be of the highest quality.
Fact #10: There Are 3.8 Million Searches Every Minute On Google
Google is the most popular website in the world. A staggering 3.8 million visitors conduct searches on Google every minute of the day.
Nothing comes close to Google in terms of the power it has to propel a website to success. Whatever online marketing trends come and go, Google seems like it is here to stay.
As a long-term business strategy, Google SEO has got to be one of the smartest moves your business can make.
Fact #11: Google Has Invested Over $3.9 Billion In Artificial Intelligence Acquisitions
Want to know where Google is headed as a business? Google’s head company, Alphabet, is fast becoming one of the most important companies in the world when it comes to artificial intelligence.
By 2018, Alphabet had acquired AI startups to the value of over $3.9 billion and are reputed to have recruited some of the world’s leading AI researchers and scientists.
Artificial intelligence will definitely play a significant role in the search algorithms of the future.
Fact #12: Nearly Half (46%) Of Google Searches Are Local
Local SEO is increasing in popularity. If your business serves customers in a particular locality, it is arguably essential to prioritize local SEO.
Local searches are fantastic when it comes to converting a click into a new purchase.
People searching in a particular area are more likely to be searching to buy a product or a service. They are also more likely to be searching for a business that they intend to use shortly.
Local searches are an easier way for a small business to get a good SEO ranking. There is less competition for local keywords than for global keyword rankings.
Fact #13: In 1999, It Took Google One Month To Crawl 50 Million Websites
Interested to know what that number is now? Well, you can probably guess that Google has come a long way since the ’90s.
In 2012, Google crawled the same number of websites in under a minute. In fact, they crawled trillions of websites, billions of times each month.
These numbers are almost impossible to comprehend. But they perfectly demonstrate the sheer power of this technology.
Fact #14: Revenue From Google Shopping Ads Rose By 38% In 2020
eCommerce saw massive growth in 2020, in part due to the pandemic and record numbers of people stuck at home, but it also followed a long-term trend for online shopping and home delivery.
Google has expanded their shopping searches in the past 2 years, and eCommerce websites of all sizes are experiencing significant success from Google shopping ads.
If you have an eCommerce store, try testing out your products with some Google shopping ads in 2021, and see what this does for your revenue growth.
Fact #15: The Average Person Conducts Over 1000 Searches Each Year
It’s a reality of 2021 that Google, smartphones, and the internet are a central aspect of our daily lives. We rely on these modern innovations as much as we rely on pens, paper, or clean water to wash our hands.
One of the most eye-opening SEO facts is that the average person will visit Google 3 to 4 times every day, and that means that most of us are conducting over 1000 searches on Google every year.
When seen through this lens, it’s a wonder how the generations before us sailed through life without instant answers to some of the most complicated questions in the universe!
Fact #16: Half Of All Visitors Favor Brands With Multiple Search Results
What’s better than getting the number one organic ranking on Google? Getting the number 1 and the number 2 spot, of course.
The more ubiquitous and well-known a brand is, the better it performs on Google.
If you can get your business to appear twice (or more) for the same keyword, over 50% of people carrying out that search will be more likely to click on your brand rather than your competitor’s.
This is advantageous to know. Most of us do our best to rank for as many relevant keywords as we can. But not many businesses take the time to compete against themselves for target keywords.
Fact #17: YouTube Is The Most Searched For Term On Google
Are you using video on your website? If the answer is no, then this useful fact may change your mind.
YouTube is the most popular result on Google. And with over two billion monthly active users worldwide, YouTube continues to grow in popularity year on year.
If you have video content for your business, it is easier to get a good ranking on Google. Video SEO is a great strategy to test in 2021 if you haven’t tried it before.
Fact #18: The Google Algorithm Gets 500-600 Updates Every Year
If you’ve spent enough years in the field of SEO, you’ll recall war stories from websites hit hard by Google Algorithm changes.
But outside these major updates, Google actually makes hundreds of algorithm changes every year.
What does this mean for your ability to rank on Google? The best tip is to never play the system; just produce great content consistently.
Google is always on top of websites trying to ‘game’ the rankings, and while short term gains may happen for a website, this trillion-dollar company will always be many steps ahead.
Fact #19: Only 10% of Websites Worldwide Get Traffic Referrals From Google
Crazy as it sounds, the vast majority of websites aren’t getting any traffic from Google at all.
When you think about this in the context of what people are clicking on (most visitors never leave the first page of Google results), this figure starts to make sense.
This statistic demonstrates that a small number of companies are taking the lion’s share of the traffic. By putting your time, effort, and budget into mastering SEO, you can out-compete other businesses in most industries.
Fact #20: Titles With 6-13 Words Perform Best In Google Searches
When it comes to creating clickable content, pay attention to your headline. Be the Goldilocks of the SEO world and craft headlines that are not too short and not too long.
Clickable headlines will rank well on Google. They also perform better on social media and achieve more social shares. This also helps when it comes to getting ranked high in the search results.
Of course, don’t forget to make your headline meaningful and follow it up with high-quality content.
Fact #21: 40% Of Revenue For Some Industries Originates From Organic Search Traffic
If you want to understand the importance of SEO concerning what it means for your profit, just look at these industries for clues. Media, retail, technology, and B2B services all gained 40% of their revenue from search.
Appearing in search rankings directly correlates to profitability. SEO is something you should always invest in for the long term prosperity of your business.
These Facts About SEO Are Just The Start
If you weren’t convinced of the merits of SEO before this article, you should be now. Users are becoming ever-more demanding about what information they want, how quickly they want it, and how they want to get that information.
Technology advances, coupled with Google’s market dominance, means you can’t ignore the facts about SEO if you want to push your business forward.
Riserr’s SEO team is here to support your business and get the presence on Google you need for your organization. Contact us today for a free consultation about how we can help your business with your SEO needs.
