32 SEO STATISTICS YOU SHOULD KNOW IN 2021

SEO Stats for Local Businesses

Search engines utilize powerful algorithms to deliver content that meets the needs of the searcher. With these powerful algorithms comes a lot of uncertainty from digital marketers and business owners alike. SEO, or search engine optimization, is all about adjusting content and code on your website and optimizing local and off-site elements like Google My Business to try to perform better in search.

According to Hubspot, about 64% of digital marketers invest time in SEO. The following stats will give you insight into the influence of SEO and how your digital marketing efforts can impact your business:

Organic Search Statistics

Investing in organic search performance is vital to make the most of digital marketing. When competing for a spot in the 10 blue links, understanding what performs on search and how it influences consumer behavior can make the difference between making and breaking your SEO strategy.

1. Globally, Bing accounts for 6.7% of the desktop search market, while Google took 86.6%. (Statista, 2021)
2. Google dominates mobile in the United States with over 94% of mobile search engine market share. (StatCounter, 2021) – Even more than desktop, Google is the preferred search engine of mobile users in the U.S.
3. 85% of Google users find an answer to their query with their initial search term. (Backlinko, 2020)
4. Title tags that contain a question have a 14.1% higher CTR vs. pages that don’t have a question in their title. (Backlinko, 2019) – Searchers are looking for answers to their questions, so keep this in mind when writing content!
5. Mobile searches containing “not working” have grown by over 65% in the past two years (Google, 2018) – These searches can include valuable keywords like “ac not working” that have a high indication someone needs repair.
6. The average top-ranking page also ranks in the top 10 search results for nearly 1,000 other relevant keywords. (Ahrefs)
7. The #1 organic result is 10x more likely to receive a click compared to a page in the #10 spot. (Backlinko, 2019) – Where you rank on search matters! The closer you are to the number one organic position, the more likely you are to gather clicks.
8. Only 0.78% of Google searchers will click on the second page. (Backlinko, 2019) – It’s no surprise many users don’t navigate to the second page, but this number tends to surprise people. Those top 10 spots tend to be very competitive, but they can make a huge difference when it comes to your traffic.
9. On the first page alone, the first five organic results account for 67.6% of all the clicks. (Impact, 2020)
10. 50% of people are more likely to click on a particular brand name if that brand name shows up more than once on the search results. (Omnicore, 2020) – SEO is not just to strengthen your appearance for non-branded keywords. Your branded keywords depend on high-quality SEO too!
11. 29% of search queries have featured snippets in their search results. (Ahrefs) – These helpful blocks of information pull from pages within Google’s index automatically. Featured snippets are often found for queries that contain questions.
12. In the majority of home services verticals, over 55% of consumers run a search before scheduling an appointment (Source: LSA) – Consumers researching services like moving, locksmiths, lawn care, and pest control are the most likely to use search engines.
13. Callers convert 30% faster than web leads. (Source: Forrester) – When a user needs emergency service or wants an immediate response, they tend to call. This is increasingly important to remember for home service brands where emergency and same-day service are a significant part of their business.
14. On average, ranking in position #1 on mobile gets you 27.7% of the clicks. Ranking in position #1 on desktop gets you an average of 19.3% of the clicks. (SEOClarity) – Where you rank matters, and it matters even more on mobile!

Page Speed Statistics

Google is often elusive about directly saying metrics are ranking factors, but Page Speed is an exception. Page speed’s direct contribution to your site’s performance has an impact beyond your rankings, as it can often be indicative of much more.

1. As page load time goes from one second to 10 seconds, the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases by 123%. (Google, 2017)
2. Nearly 70% of consumers admit that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer. (Unbounce, 2019) – If you want to keep customers, fast page speed is a major factor.
3. Sites that load in five seconds (compared to those that load in 19) see 70% longer average sessions. (Think with Google. 2016) – With Google’s Core Web Vitals, your site experience is not just a tool to keep users on your site; now it’s a ranking factor.
4. The first five seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates. (Portent, 2019) – When sites load quickly and users stay on the site longer, conversion rates tend to rise.

Content Statistics

There’s a saying in SEO that “content is king.” High-quality content is a major pillar of SEO performance and should be seen as an investment in your business’s success. Creating quality content isn’t rocket science, it can even begin with insights found right on Google.

1. Companies that blog have 55% more visitors on average (HubSpot) – Looking to drive traffic to your site? Start a blog with high-quality content that solves problems and answers questions.
2. The average Google first page result contains 1,447 words. (Backlinko, 2020) – Word count does not have a direct influence over where on page one you rank, but what we can tell from this average is that Google and users alike love comprehensive content that matches user intent.
3. 61% of pages have meta descriptions that truncate. (Ahrefs) – Don’t bury your lead in your meta description! Highlight competitive differentiators and value propositions early in your meta to prevent the valuable info from being cut off by Google.
4. Google rewrites meta descriptions 62.78% of the time. (Ahrefs, 2020) – As Google gets better at understanding search intent, it changes meta descriptions to try to emulate what a user is looking for. So no, you aren’t crazy, you didn’t write that meta description, Google did.
5. 23% of searchers use autocomplete suggestions to complete their Google Searches. (Backlinko, 2020) – Need new content ideas? Check out autocomplete for frequently asked questions and related topics.
6. 7% of all voice search answers came from a featured snippet. (Backlinko, 2018). – Content creation like blog posts can help capture voice search users as they often rank for featured snippets.

Local SEO Statistics

Local SEO efforts help capture traffic from people looking for services in their immediate area. Customer intent is everything, and when your business serves a local customer base, understanding that intent can drive results at a greater rate than you might guess.

1. 40% of mobile searches have local intent. (Think with Google) – User intent is everything, so when performing SEO for local businesses, be sure to keep your mobile site in mind.
2. 57% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars on local reviews. (BrightLocal) – Home services marketers need to have a strong review management strategy in place to secure and maintain a good star rating.
3. Google saw 350 times more searches for the keywords “local” and “near me” in 2019 than in 2009. (Google) – If you have a local business, these types of keywords are going to drive essential leads for you, as they reflect a desire to convert.
4. Local and “near me” searches are especially common on mobile. Among the fastest-growing search terms are “HVAC repair,” “landscaping near me,” “plumbers near me,” and “roofing companies” (Google).
5. 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours. (Nectafy, 2019) – Want your rankings to convert to leads? Invest in Local SEO efforts including a Google My Business profile, which encourages users to call from search.
6. For local queries, 42% of searchers click on results inside of the Google Maps Pack. (Backlinko, 2020)
7. Whether it’s by visiting the business or contacting them by phone, a combined 47% of consumers get in touch with a business after making a local voice search. (BrightLocal) – Voice search often provides users with local pack results. Is your business likely to appear in voice search for local searches?
8. 28% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase. (BrightLocal) – When users are looking for local businesses, they tend to be closer to the purchase stage in the sales funnel. Gaining visibility in your area means gaining traffic from those customers that are likely to convert.