10 statistics that demonstrate the value of SEO

These statistics source from a compilation of SERPS behaviour studies for which I’ve listed source information at the end of the article. If you disagree with a figure, or have additional figures or sources, please do post them to the discussion.

1. 42% of search users click the top-ranking link. 8% click the second-ranking link, and the click-through rate (CTR) continues to drop thereof.
2. When these two top-ranking links are artificially switched, the click-through ratio of 42-8% drops to 34-12%, demonstrating the importance of engaging copy in addition to rank position.
3. 62% of search users click a link on the first page of search results
4. 23% of searches progress to the second page. Presumably the difference between 62% ans 23% stems from searchers trying either another keyword or another engine, or giving up.
5. 80% f unsuccessful searches are followed with keyword refinement.
6. 41% of searches unsuccessful after the first page choose to refine thir keyword search phrase or their chosen search engine.
7. 77% of search users choose organic over paid listing when searching, 67% choose organic search when purchasing.
8. When the searcher is purchasing, organic click-through generates 25% higher conversion rates than equivalent Pay-Per-Click (PP) click-through.
9. 40% of SEO campaigns aware of their ROI achieve returns in excess of 500%, while only 22% of PPC campaigns were able to achieve this value.
10. Daily use of search engines rose from 33% in 2002 to 59% in 2005. The average day in 2005 reported 60 million people using a search engine. As of March 2007, Google accounts for 64% of US searches and 77% of UK searches

The validity of these statistics depend on various experimental factors (i.e. large, representative samples of searchers/searches), and on accurate statistical analysis.

For more in depth analysis, the sources for this article were:

• comScore / Pew Internet
• Nielson
• Webxico
• iProspect
• SEOResearcher

Please post addition figures or sources, or your view, in the comments.

16 Responses to 10 statistics that demonstrate the value of SEO

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2. seo says:

   gr8 efforts ‘Iain’…hw cld we get the stats for 2008?

   Reply
3. Timothy says:

   Great article. #2 is especially intriguing. Do you know have any statistics about differences in visitor behavior based on their geography? I recently did a study on conversion rates by U.S. state (http://blog.timothyponce.com/2009/05/comparing-conversion-rates-using-two.html) and found no difference. But as a I have a geography background, it’s hard for me to believe that all search behavior is the same regardless of spatial location.

   Reply
4. Iain says:

   Hi Timothy, I’m not aware of any studies of search behaviour between different geographic locations I’m afraid. Intuition would suggest little difference between US states, little more between say the US and UK, but perhaps there would be differences between geographic locations with substantially different cultures.

   Reply

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6. sandrar says:

   Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. Cheers! Sandra. R.

   Reply

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8. brianlburns says:

   I dont have a bone to pick with you on the stats. But I would like to say that you compiling these here, was a real help for a project I’m working on.

   So… thanks!

   Brian

   Reply
9. S.E.O. says:

   Hey, I loved this article. I’ve been looking for stats like this for a while but most I’ve found are outdated or just plain confusing. I actually run an SEO/Social Networking company and linked to your article on my blog(www.snageveryone.com). Hope you don’t mind!

   Reply
10. Peter Littell says:

    I am curious what your source was for #9 – the ROI stat. It’s a great stat, but where did it come from. I would love to quote it to a client. Thanks,

    Reply
11. San Fran Webdesign says:

    As a webmaster , I’m extremely glad to see that another individual brought up this topic.

    All too many people out there don’t understand what all is needed in our industry, and I think also we’re many times underrated
    or taken for granted. Never the less I’m glad to see that you feel the same way I do , thanks so much for your blog!

    Reply
12. Nageldesign says:

    Great stuff guys! I really don’t know how much time it takes for your guys to compile such a list of excellent resources but it takes a lot of time for me to digest it all! Keep up the good work! Thank you!

    Reply
13. Matt Kettlewell says:

    Your article had some interesting stats, the 77% percent organic compared to 23 paid advertising when searching was surprising and the fact that 67% use organic to purchase makes sense than.

    Reply
14. James says:

    Thanks for the stats, these will be great to show some of my clients the power of SEO. DO you have any other stats on internet marketing? Feel free to email me.

    Reply

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