82 SEO Statistics Every Marketer Should Know in 2023

Want to find out the most important SEO statistics for 2023? If yes, this article is totally for you. We have carefully selected, reviewed, and organized an updated list of the latest statistics (not older than 2021) below.

Top SEO statistics for marketers

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is optimizing a web page or site to boost its ranking in search engine results. The ultimate SEO goal is to drive targeted traffic to a website, enhance its online presence, and ultimately increase conversions and business success.

Here are some interesting SEO statistics you should know:

1. 68% of people start their online experiences by using a search engine. (BrightEdge)
2. Only 0.63% of people click on search results from the second page of Google. (Backlinko)
3. More than half (53.3%) of website traffic comes from organic searches. (BrightEdge)
4. SEO drives over 53% more traffic compared to organic social media. (BrightEdge)
5. Google dominated the worldwide global desktop search traffic in 2022, securing a substantial share of 83.98%. (Statcounter)
6. Following Google, Bing held the second-largest desktop search engine market share, with 8.73% of the search engine market. (Statcounter)
7. Yahoo accounted for 2.6% of the market share, making it the third most popular search engine. (Statcounter)
8. Yandex, a search engine primarily used in Russia, captured a market share of 1.91% globally. (Statcounter)
9. Duck Duck Go, a privacy-focused search engine, held a smaller market share of 0.73% but has gained attention for its commitment to user privacy. (Statcounter)
10. Search engines index 434% more pages of the blog-publishing companies compared to those that do not blog. (HubSpot)
11. As of the beginning of Q2 2023, approximately 5.18 billion people worldwide were using the Internet, which represents around 64.6% of the global population. (Data Report)
12. The recent data indicates an increase of nearly 147 million internet users in the 12 months leading up to April 2023. (Data Reportal)
13. Current patterns indicate that by the end of 2023, around two-thirds of the global population may have Internet access. (Data Reportal) This means you have all the more reason to start optimizing your website.

You can use the Free SEO Analyzer by Scalenut to assess different technical SEO parameters.

Crucial ranking statistics

Search engine ranking refers to the position in which a website appears in the SERPs (search engine results pages) for targeted keywords or phrases. It is determined by complex algorithms used by search engines to evaluate and rank websites based on their relevance and quality. 

High-ranking websites are more likely to attract organic traffic and receive visibility from potential visitors. The goal of improving search engine ranking is to increase visibility, drive targeted traffic, and ultimately achieve online success.

Here are some SEO statistics for ranking that are quite surprising:

1. There are 200+ Google ranking factors in their algorithm to determine website rankings. (Backlinko)
2. The top result on Google receives roughly 32% of all clicks. (Backlinko)
3. .63% of searchers click on results that appear on the second page in Google's search results. (Backlinko)
4. If your website ranks high on Google SERPs, the chances of a user clicking on your page significantly increase. The first-ranked page receives 27.6% of all clicks from search engine users. (Backlinko)
5. The top 3 search results on Google get around 54.4% of the total clicks generated by searchers. (Backlinko)
6. It is found that 97% of web pages that are listed on the first page of search results contain at least one image. (SEO Tribunal)

Backlink statistics to consider

Backlinks (inbound links) are links from different websites that point to your website. Google has mentioned that backlinks are one of the three key ranking factors. They are crucial for search engine optimization as they are seen as endorsements or votes of confidence by search engines. Building a strong backlink profile is an essential part of an effective optimization strategy to enhance your website's online authority and increase organic traffic.

Here are some statistics that highlight the importance of link-building:

1. Sources such as direct traffic, referral links (backlinks), and other sources accounted for 27% of site visits, making it the second largest share. (BrightEdge)
2. Blog-publishing websites also acquire 97% more backlinks than websites that do not maintain a blog. (HubSpot)
3. Backlinks from high-authority sources can be quite expensive, with prices ranging over $1,000 per link. (Thrive My Way)
4. For low-authority backlinks, the cost typically falls between $150 and $300 per link.
5. An astonishing 94% of Internet content fails to acquire any backlinks. (Thrive My Way)
6. Among SEO practices, 41% of companies consider backlinking to be the most challenging aspect. (Thrive My Way)
7. Establishing reciprocal backlinks is also crucial, as 43.7% of top-ranking pages include links that refer back to their site. (Thrive My Way)
8. To obtain more backlinks, 53% of marketers employ the use of infographics. (Thrive My Way)

It is better to use backlink audit tools to monitor, optimize, and evaluate your backlinks.

Keyword statistics you should know. 

Keyword research is typically the starting point for most SEO campaigns. Following keyword research best practices allows marketers and website owners to identify the terms and phrases that their target audience is using to search for information, products, or services. By optimizing content around these keywords, businesses can attract more organic traffic and connect with their intended audience. 

Let's take a look at some keyword SEO statistics that shed light on how people search on Google:

1. Around 15% of all Google search results are for queries that have never been searched before. (Google)
2. Keywords that are 10 to 15 words long receive 1.76 times more clicks than single-word terms. (Backlinko)
3. URLs that include terms related to a keyword have a 45% higher CTR compared to URLs that don't contain the keyword. (Backlinko)
4. More than half (50%) of marketers consider keyword rankings and organic traffic as the primary metrics to measure the success of their strategies. (HubSpot)
5. For 71% of marketers, utilizing strategic keywords is their top strategy for SEO. (HubSpot)

Scalenut offers several free tools that can help you with keyword research: 

• Keyword Finder helps you find relevant keywords.
• Keyword Density Checker allows you to check the density of keywords in your content. 
• Keyword Clustering Tool to help create clusters.

SEO industry statistics for marketers

The SEO industry is constantly evolving as search engines update their algorithms, requiring SEO professionals to stay abreast with the latest trends and strategies. Let's examine the SEO statistics prevalent in the industry. 

1. An overwhelming 92% of marketers anticipate that their budget will either remain the same or increase in 2023. (HubSpot)
2. Paid SEO contributed to 15% of the average business's website traffic. (BrightEdge)
3. A click-through rate (CTR) above 3% is generally considered favorable for SEO purposes, indicating a good level of engagement and interest from users clicking on your website's search results. (Backlinko)
4. The top-ranked organic search result is ten times more likely to receive a click compared to a page in the tenth position. (Backlinko)
5. On average, moving up one spot in the search results increases the click-through rate (CTR) by 2.8%. (Backlinko)
6. Title tags with a length of 40 to 60 characters tend to have the highest CTR. (Backlinko)
7. Titles with a positive sentiment improve the CTR by approximately 4%. (Backlinko)
8. In 2021, 69% of marketers invested in SEO to enhance their digital presence. (HubSpot)
9. Almost 80% of users choose to disregard paid advertisements displayed in search results. (SEO Tribunal)
10. SEO leads have a significantly higher close rate of 14.6%, whereas outbound leads like direct mail or print advertising have a much lower close rate of 1.7%. (Optin Monster)
11. Content creation is considered the most effective SEO tactic by 72% of online marketers. (Optin Monster)
12. The majority, 75% of marketers, believe that their SEO strategies are extremely or very effective in helping them achieve their marketing goals. (HubSpot)

You can use the Free AI Tools offered by Scalenut to better analyze and optimize for various SEO factors.

Search engine and CTR statistics

Search engines use complex algorithms to analyze and rank web pages based on factors like relevance, authority, and user experience. As SEO professionals, it's crucial to stay informed about the current and future landscape of search engines. 

Here are some important stats to understand:

1. Google's search engine market share expands to an impressive 92.66% when considering all platforms, including mobile and tablet users. (Statcounter) So, keeping up with Google becomes necessary.
2. Bing holds the second position with a mere 2.76% share of the global search volume. (Statcounter)
3. The top search engine result pages (SERPS) in Google's organic search get clicked about 27.6% of the time. (Backlinko)
4. The top three results on Google capture approximately 54.4% of all clicks. (Backlinko)
5. Google dominates the global search market, accounting for approximately 83% of all searches. (Statista)
6. Companies that regularly publish blogs experience a significant boost in their website's performance and enjoy 55% more traffic. (HubSpot)

Local SEO statistics for localized businesses

Local SEO is a digital marketing strategy aimed at improving the online visibility and presence of a local business in geographically relevant search results. If your business caters to local customers, it's crucial to prioritize improving your local search presence to increase your visibility. For example, a doctor might need to work on its local SEO for doctors to attract more patients. 

The following local SEO statistics emphasize its importance:

1. When consumers conduct a local search on their smartphones, 88% of them visit or contact a store within one day. (SEO Tribunal)
2. A significant majority, around 72% of consumers who conduct a local search, end up visiting a store located within a five-mile of their present location. (SEO Tribunal)
3. An overwhelming 97% of people rely on the Internet to gather more information about local businesses. (SEO Tribunal)
4. Out of location-based mobile searches, approximately 78% result in offline purchases. (SEO Tribunal)
5. Surprisingly, 56% of local retailers have not yet taken the step to claim their listing on Google My Business (or Google Maps). (SEO Tribunal)
6. Strikingly, a substantial 82% of businesses have yet to claim a listing on Bing, another popular search engine. (SEO Tribunal)

Video SEO statistics to consider

Video SEO refers to the process of optimizing videos to improve their visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves optimizing various elements such as titles, descriptions, tags, and thumbnails to make videos more discoverable by search engines. 

Video SEO strategies help increase the chances of videos appearing in organic search results and attract more views, engagement, and traffic to the video content. By optimizing videos for SEO, businesses and content creators can enhance their online presence and reach a wider audience through the power of video marketing. These video statistics might surprise you:

1. 56% of marketers have plans to boost their investment in TikTok this year. (HubSpot)
2. Short-form video content platforms like TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts demonstrate the highest return on investment (ROI) at 10%. (HubSpot)
3. In comparison to 2021, more businesses dedicated a minimum of 10% of their overall marketing budget to video content in 2022. (HubSpot)
4. As many as 80% of marketers organized live events throughout 2022. (HubSpot)
5. 60% of companies reported hosting webinars, and among them, 30% conducted webinars at least once every month. (HubSpot)
6. B2B brands plan to prioritize video as their top investment in 2022, and video will be the most commonly used format by marketers in their content strategies in 2021. (HubSpot)
7. Among marketers who leverage short-form videos, 46% find it to be an effective approach. (HubSpot)
8. Around 31% of global marketers allocate resources to short-form video content. (HubSpot)
9. On average, short-form video content exhibits an engagement rate of 53.9%. (HubSpot)
10. Videos with a duration of up to 30 minutes demonstrate consistently high engagement rates, ranging between 40% and 53%. (HubSpot)
11. Videos spanning between 30 and 60 minutes, on the other hand, witness a decline in engagement to 26%. (HubSpot)
12. Videos exceeding an hour in length experience a further drop in engagement, reaching a rate of 13%. (HubSpot)
13. YouTube ranks as the second most visited website globally, highlighting its popularity among Internet users. (HubSpot)

If you don't know where to begin your video generation process, you can start by checking out video script templates by Scalenut.

Mobile SEO statistics 

Google now considers mobile versions of websites when ranking them in search results. If you want your website to be seen by as many people as possible, you need to make sure it is optimized for mobile devices. This means that mobile search engine optimization is more important than ever before.

1. Mobile devices account for 58.99% of all website traffic. (Statista)
2. Mobile devices, excluding tablets, accounted for 58.33% of global website traffic in the first quarter of 2023. (Statista)
3. If you are ranking on top on mobile devices, you will get 6.74% of the clicks. Whereas a top rank on the desktop gets 8.17% of the clicks. (SEOClarity)
4. With over 5 billion Internet users worldwide and 5.48 billion mobile phone users, the reach of the Internet and mobile devices is extensive. (Statista)
5. The top mobile Internet activities worldwide are watching movies or videos online, using email, and accessing social media. (Statista)
6. The mobile share of total eCommerce sales has increased to 72.9% of all online sales, indicating the significant impact of mobile devices on the digital commerce landscape. (Statista)
7. A significant majority, 95% of Internet users, utilize a mobile phone to access the Internet at least some of the time. (Data Reportal)
8. Mobile devices account for over 57% of our online activities. (Data Reportal)

Voice search query statistics

Voice search has become quite common. It is a feature on devices like smartphones, smart speakers (like Amazon Echo), and virtual assistants that allows users to search the Internet or perform tasks by speaking out loud instead of typing. 

Instead of typing a query into a search engine, users can simply ask a question or give a command using their voice. The device then uses voice recognition technology to understand the spoken words and provide relevant information or perform the requested action. Here are some SEO statistics that can highlight the need to optimize for voice search queries.

1. It is projected that over 50% of Internet users in the US will utilize a voice assistant by the year 2026. (Insider Intelligence) 
2. Among millennials, specifically those aged 25 to 34, the adoption of voice assistants reached approximately 65.8% in 2022. (Insider Intelligence)
3. Around 88.1% of voice assistant users prefer to engage with voice assistants through their smartphones. (Insider Intelligence)
4. In 2022, approximately 125.2 million individuals in the US utilized a voice assistant on their smartphones. (Insider Intelligence)

Conclusion

These 82 SEO statistics provide valuable insights into the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization. We hope these statistics will help you make informed decisions and implement effective strategies to improve your SEO efforts and drive digital success in 2023 and beyond.

Scalenut is an AI-powered SEO and content marketing platform that combines AI technology with SEO and content marketing tools, giving you full control over your content lifecycle. From brainstorming ideas and creating detailed briefs to generating and optimizing high-quality content for SEO, Scalenut simplifies the entire process. Sign up for free and discover the numerous features and benefits this tool has to offer with a 7-day free trial.

FAQS

Why are SEO statistics important?

SEO statistics are important because they provide valuable insights and data about the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. By analyzing these statistics, you can measure the impact of your strategies, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your website's performance. These statistics help you understand user behavior, track keyword rankings, monitor organic traffic, and evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of your campaigns.

Can SEO statistics influence the ROI of a blog?

Yes, SEO statistics can influence the ROI of blog posts. By analyzing the statistics, such as keyword rankings, organic traffic, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you can gain insights into the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. This data can help you identify areas for improvement, optimize your content and strategies, and ultimately increase the return on investment for your blog.

Are there different types of SEO to target smartphone and desktop searchers on the Internet?

The search engine optimization process is the same for smartphone and desktop users. However, there is a slight difference in the website optimization process. Targeting smartphone users requires mobile SEO techniques like optimizing for mobile page speed, using mobile-friendly formats, and implementing structured data to enhance visibility in mobile search results. 

Whereas targeting desktop users requires a focus on optimizing for larger screens, leveraging more complex designs, and catering to specific user behaviors associated with desktop browsing.

What is the difference between YouTube and Google SEO?

The main difference between YouTube and Google SEO lies in the search algorithms and ranking factors used by each platform. YouTube SEO involves optimizing videos for visibility and ranking on YouTube's platform, considering factors like video titles, descriptions, tags, engagement metrics, and video thumbnails. 

Google SEO, on the other hand, focuses on optimizing web pages to rank higher in Google's search engine results pages (SERPs), taking into account various factors like website structure, content relevance, backlinks, and user experience.

What is the benefit of snippets?

The benefit of featured snippets is that they provide concise and informative summaries of web page content directly in search engine results. Snippets can include page titles, brief descriptions, and other relevant information. By having your content featured in snippets, you can increase visibility, attract more clicks, and provide users with quick answers to their queries.

Snippets can improve the click-through rate of your website, enhance brand visibility, and position your content as a valuable source of information. Additionally, snippets can help you stand out from competitors and establish authority in search results.

How can Facebook help with SEO?

While Facebook itself may not have a direct impact on SEO, it can contribute indirectly. By utilizing Facebook as a social media platform, you can tap its potential to enhance your online presence, reach a wider audience, and generate social signals (likes, shares, comments) that can indirectly influence search engine rankings. 

Additionally, sharing and promoting your content on Facebook can drive traffic to your website, potentially increasing its visibility and engagement, which can have a positive impact on search engine optimization.