What is SEO: 20 Statistics and Facts in 2021

What is SEO: 20 Statistics and Facts in 2021

What is SEO: statistics for 2020

  1. In 2020 (as of 15/10/2020), Google has had over 75% of all the world’s search traffic on the internet via desktop, followed by Bing with 9.97%, Baidu with 9.34% and Yahoo with 2.77%.
  2. 2.3 trillion searches have been made so far this year.
  3. Every day there are trillions of searches on Google. 15% of daily searches are new searches and search phrases for Google.
  4. The first five positions on the first page of the organic search on Google get 67.6% of all clicks.
  5. Google uses over 200 different variables to rank websites. Google’s search algorithm changes several times a day so that it can never be revealed.
  6. The two most important signals that Google uses to rank websites are highly relevant quality content and link building.
  7. 57% of those who work with search engine optimization claim that on-page SEO via content production is the most effective tactic for ranking high in the search engines.
  8. The normal length of the best placed articles in Google consists of 2416 words.
  9. 91% of all websites never get any organic search traffic from Google because they don’t have backlinks.
  10. 55.24% of all websites do not have a single backlink.
  11. More backlinks to a website means more traffic from Google.
  12. The four top ranking factors are number of visits, time on website, number of pages visited per session and ultimately bounce rate.
  13. In 2019, 52% of all global internet traffic came from a mobile device, 45% from a desktop.
  14. 36% of the search engine optimization experts believe that the heading/title tag is the most important criterion for the search engines.
  15. 70% of tradesmen consider search engine optimization (SEO) more important than paid search (PPC).
  16. Search terms via the long tail (long-tail keyword) have a click-through rate (CTR) that is 3-5% higher than generic searches.
  17. “Where to buy” + “near me” search requests have increased by over 200% on mobile over the last two years.
  18. 72% of all customers who performed a local search visited a store within a radius of 8 km.
  19. By updating and republishing old blog articles, the organic traffic on that post can increase by 106%. This requires new content and new graphic elements in the blog article.
  20. Image searches accounted for 22.6% of search queries on Google.

As business owners, we all know that if you come first when searching on Google, it will generate great opportunities for potential assignments, sales of services and great earning potential. If you manage to keep up with the endless updates in Google’s algorithm, and the best practices in search engine optimization, it will be vital to get increased search traffic to your own website.

As it is impossible to guess what Google will change its algorithm next, one must work to find the ideal opportunities to rank high in the search results.

That is why we have gathered together some of the most essential statistics for search engine optimization in 2020. We hope that this article will help you master digital marketing in 2020. If you need help with search engine optimization (SEO) for your company, just get in touch .

Here are 20 reasons based on statistics that you can take a larger share of the traffic in the search engines. Higher positions in the search engines do not come by themselves, so it is important that you think about what you spend your time on. Remember that highly relevant content is one of the smartest ways to invest your time when it comes to search engine optimization.

SEO statistics for 2020

1. In 2020 (until 31.12.2020) Google has had 69.75% of all searches on desktop in the world. In second place is Bing with 13.41%, in third place is Baidu with 12.83% and in fourth place is Yahoo with 2.07%.

search engine market share

(Source: NetMarketShare )

To be successful with search engine optimization (SEO), you have to play by Google’s rules.

By actively using Google Search Console (GSC), you can find out how people find you when searching on Google.

One cannot overlook Google’s superior market position when it comes to the use of search engines. If you manage to keep up with the changes in Google’s algorithm, you will be ahead of your competitors and always be competitive. Therefore, search engine optimization (SEO) is a job that always needs to be done. It is not certain that you will always rank as No. 1 in searches, but what is certain is that Google will make changes to its algorithm.

2. Google has had over 2.3 trillion searches this year.

Google has had over 2.3 trillion searches this year

(Source: Internet Live Stats )

It has become a popular expression in many homes and finds that if you don’t know the answer to something, you just say: “Google it”. The fact is that people google and search a lot more after smartphones have become common property.

It is a fact that customers now carry out as much as 70% of the purchase process on the internet before they even contact the store.

By ranking high in the search engines, you give potential buyers the opportunity to do their own research while learning more about your products and your company.

By prioritizing search engine optimization (SEO) in your marketing mix, you have the opportunity to ensure that your business is ranked first for the two trillion searches that are made worldwide.

3. Billions of times are searched on Google in the course of a year. In the course of a day, 15% of searches are completely new to Google.

It is important to remember that search engine optimization (SEO) is not just a competition with other people to rank highest for the current search terms. With so many new searches daily, search engine optimization is as much an exercise in being found for new words and phrases that you don’t already know about.

How do you optimize and rank for something that is unknown and brand new?

To explain how to optimize for something unknown; BERT looks at the context and intent of the content as a unified text. So when you write you should plan to add something on a specific topic. BERT is an open source web-based technique that knows what you are doing and rewards you for doing it.

4. The five first page placed results get 67.6% of all clicks.

first page placed results get 67.6% of all clicks

(Source: Zero Limit Web )

Your analytics tool on your website will show you what rank you have op pages 2 to 10, but these statistics will show you that it is best to be at the top of the search. First place in the organic search on Google is like the icing on the cake.

Over 2/3 of all clicks go to the first five organic results. This means that competition in the market is much tougher than before. In order to achieve these positions, you have to follow the class and learn new things, be creative and be a little lucky with the choices you make to achieve top positions.

5. Google’s search algorithm uses over 200 different variables to rank websites.

Google's search algorithm

(Source: Backlinko )

Backlinko has done a phenomenal job of keeping the overview up to date. But, regardless, there is a lot of low-hanging fruit on the tree when it comes to search engine optimization. You don’t have to cut down the whole tree to pick the apples.

6. High quality content has always been a factor in generating search engine traffic to your website. One of the things that will probably never change at Google when working with search engine optimization is that relevant and quality content will always bring good traffic to the website.

Quality content will always bring good traffic to the website

(Source: Search Engine Watch )

Therefore, focus on high quality of the content instead of the quantity of content.

By focusing on high-quality content, you will help the potential buyer recognize you as the right choice for him or her. At the same time, your competitors will also consider your page valuable and worth following, as well as drawing inspiration from.

Before you publish content completely uncritically, you should discuss what you have written with others in the industry or with your customers to find out what they consider to be important information to them.

7. 57% of those working in marketing believe that on-page content optimization has been the most effective search engine optimization tactic.

(Source: Content Marketing Institute )

The content on a website does much more than just being an information channel and keyword placement. That is why the average length of the article increases every year. Some argue that inbound marketing tactics are part of the reason for this.

8. The normal length of articles that have the best Google positions consists of 2416 words.

the length of articles that have the best Google

(Source: serpIQ )

The question that we always face with our customers: How long must an article be?

The answer is both difficult and simple. The article must be long enough to fully answer the potential customer’s questions.

But a general rule of thumb to get your relevant content to rank high in the search engines is to use 2000+ words.

As a rule, you will receive more backlinks because the article will be more relevant and genuine for more people.

Are you tempted to keep the message short so as not to scare away the users who don’t want to read too long an article? The fact is, you’re probably doing more harm than good when it comes to search engine optimization.

9. 91% of all websites never get any real organic traffic from Google. In most cases it is because they have no backlinks.

does not have any backlinks

(Source: Ahrefs )

A backlink has more weight than the number of words on a website.

10. 55.24% of all websites do not have any backlinks.

(Source: Ahrefs )

The same study referred to in point no. 9 also claims that more than half of all websites do not have a single backlink. In addition, approximately 30% of the remaining websites have 3 or fewer backlinks.

11. If you increase the number of backlinks a website has, the more search traffic the website will receive from Google.

Ahrefs conducted a study that included almost 1 trillion web pages worldwide. Ahrefs found that more traffic on the website led to an increasing number of backlinks/domains linking to your website.

Why is this connected?

They will reward your efforts with a connection and at the same time in the process increase your ranking.

12. The top 4 ranking factors are number of visitors, time on website, number of pages visited per session and finally website bounce rate.

best ranking factors

(Source: SEMrush )

According to SEMrush’s research into what factors affect the ranking in the search engines, quality content and internal links are also factors that are weighted highly when the website is indexed by Google.

But, top quality content will only take you so far..

If you want those who visit your website to stay on your website, you will have to think about the user’s intention with the visit. Not just on the content that you have created. This means that you must try to put yourself in the user’s point of view and facilitate easy navigation of the content. This is known as technical search engine optimization (SEO), which is also an important factor in the same way as on-page (SEO).

13. In 2019, 52% of all the world’s internet traffic was via a mobile phone. In comparison, 45% of all the world’s internet traffic came from desktops.

internet traffic via a mobile phone

(Source: StatCounter )

It is important that you check the analysis tools that you have on your website before you change everything to be mobile friendly. Remember, however, that this is your internal data, and that it does not necessarily represent what will happen in digital development in the future.

Even if your desktop website has taken over locally, you must still have a mobile-friendly website if you are to have the opportunity to compete regionally, nationally or internationally.

The trick is to have a website that is responsive to all surfaces, not just a mobile-friendly version.

14. 36% of search engine optimization experts believe that the headline/title is the most critical element when it comes to search engine optimization.

Search engine optimization means that headline

(Source: Databox )

It’s tempting to spend most of your time creating the perfect copy of an article instead of creating it from scratch. As a consequence, we tend to give headlines too little weight. It is a big mistake according to search engine optimization experts.

The headline not only gives the search engines an indication of what you are writing about, but there is also a good chance that the headline will appear in social media posts, newsletters and from most of the online traffic that you receive.

Remember that you will only get traffic to your post if you have an appealing headline that catches the user’s attention. You can easily find more examples by taking a look at various online newspapers. Some like to call this click bait. Therefore, use friends and colleagues as supporters for a review before you publish.

15. Keyword strategy that uses the long tail has a click-through rate (CTR) that is 3-5% higher than generic searches

Keyword strategy that uses the long tail

(Source: Smart Insights )

It is no longer so common to only search with one or two words. Search phrases with four words or more are more often searched. By searching with more words, you search for a more relevant result. It is therefore important that your content caters to those who apply.

In the case of a more thorough search, the user expects more specific and up-to-date content as their search phrase is far more thorough.

As a starting point, you should consider satisfying the user’s search in the following areas:

If you want to rank for keywords related to, for example, search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, you might use these search phrases:

  • How to create a search engine optimization strategy
  • What is a search engine optimization strategy?
  • What are the benefits of a search engine optimization strategy?
  • How do I get more traffic to my website?
  • How much does it cost to get advice to create a good search engine optimization strategy for a new website or online store ?

16. 70% of those working in digital marketing consider search engine optimization (SEO) more important than paid search (PPC)

SEO more important than paid search PPC

(Source: Databox )

Digital marketers believe that search engine optimization ( SEO ) is a long-term strategy, while paid search (PPC) is a short-term strategy.

This is not to say that search engine optimization (SEO) is the only strategy that brings profit. A well-designed paid search strategy can also prove to be very profitable.

17. 61% of those involved in digital marketing believe that if you manage to enrich the search results, it will give a natural presence in relation to content marketing.

relation to content marketing

(Source: HubSpot State of Inbound )

Due to inbound marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), more and more people are aware of their ranking in the Google search results.

18. Searches on mobile using search terms such as “Where to buy” + “nearby” have increased by over 200% in the last two years.

(Source: Google )

Having a local search engine optimization strategy is more important than ever for smaller companies. It does not necessarily mean that blogging and uncritical content production is the right strategy. The best tip you can get is to ensure that your company information is correct in the various online directories such as Gulesider, 1881, 180, Proff, Pure Help and more. Remember that it is free to be listed in these “directories” with your company information. If any of their salespeople claim otherwise, it’s just bullshit, and additional services that you don’t need, they try to push on you. Just imagine how unhelpful these services are if they do not have all Norwegian companies listed, and there would be major shortcomings. As a customer of ours in Adseo, you get the opportunity to ask us for advice and can entrust these decisions to us by means of an agreement on media advice.

If your website or online store is not optimized for local or mobile search, you will not appear in the search engines. This means that the local or regional customers will not find their way to your company.

19. 72% of everyone who did a local search within a radius of 8 km visited the store.

(Source: WordStream )

Refers to the point above for those who searched “nearby”. By having a good digital online presence, you will not only be found in searches, but you will most likely also experience increased visits to your store.

20. Updating and reusing old articles can increase organic traffic by as much as 106%. This assumes that new, updated and relevant content and graphic elements are added.

(Source: HubSpot )

If you have old content that has only been “lying in the drawer” for a while, this data can become your new best friend. If you have a solid foundation at the bottom and have ranked on various search terms and search phrases with old content, the best strategy is to renew these to the 2020 standard.

21. Image search was used on 22.6% of all search phrases in Google.

Image search was used on the search phrases in Google

(Source: Moz )

Are images the new keywords? Based on available information from Mozo and other measurement tools, it could look like this.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start defining a strategy for search engine optimization. To set up visibility on image searches, you must start by prioritizing schema and metadata.

The most important things for your SEO strategy in 2020

Those involved in digital marketing spend more time and money on search engine optimization so that the competition for the best positions is fierce.

Providing useful and relevant content to your potential customers is the best way to achieve good positions in the search engines. Therefore, write quality content and design good user experiences.

Mobile-optimized websites and online stores only become more and more important when it comes to ranking in the search engines. When it comes to local search engine optimization, it is perhaps one of the most important factors that you have to work with if you want local visibility.

There is a lot you have to think about when creating a search engine optimization strategy for your company. Remember that the algorithm of the search engines is constantly changing, and so must your measures.

It is important to keep up-to-date on search engine optimization and implement the measures that are necessary for you to succeed with the set objectives in the SEO strategy.

Carry out a technical review of your digital platform before creating your search engine optimization strategy. It is a good starting point to know the status quo before taking measures.

Contact your SEO agency Adseo .

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