Online search continues to be one of the most important ingredients for a successful digital presence whether your business is small or large. While Google is the most visited website in the world, with nearly 90 billion visits in the last month, your small business can reap benefits from information provided by this search engine goliath.
Before we get to the most important facts about Google, consider some more interesting facts that explain the sheer size and importance of ranking for keywords on Google:
- The size of Google Index pages is roughly 50 billion
- There are more than 3.5 billion Google searches conducted every day
- 76% of all global searches take place on Google
- Google Search Index contains more than 100,000,000 GB.
- 16 – 20% of all annual Google search results are new
- More than 60% of Google searches come from mobile devices
So, what do all these huge numbers mean for your small business?
It means that you can take a slice of those searches for yourself. In fact, Google owns more than 90% of the market share when it comes to search engines, with Bing (2.78%) and Yahoo (1.6%) lagging WAY below the SEO giant. This means that if you choose to invest in SEO, pay attention to Google’s ranking guidelines, or get in touch with an SEO expert.
Next let’s consider some more important stats about Google Search, which reveal more about your audience and less about Google. Some of these findings may have you rethinking your approach to SEO in 2022.
The Stats You Need to Know as an SMB
- Google Processes 8.5 billion searches per day. This equates to 99,000 searches per second, but that number also includes searches for Gmail, video, and image searching. Further, 84% of people use Google more than three times per day – a truly mind-boggling statistic. If you consider the sheer volume of searches and then consider your own Googling habits, think about how your business could help to solve customers’ problems. If you were a consumer, how would you formulate a search? This is the beginning of your SEO plan for 2022.
- 63% of Google’s organic search traffic comes from mobile devices. This number will not decrease any time soon, and it tells us that consumers need information that’s readily available and helpful in solving urgent problems. Users on tablets or smartphones are more likely to conduct local searches, looking for answers to a particular query that is more likely to be location-based. Searches carried out using mobile devices are typically done with less complex results in mind. Is your business listed on Google? If not, you’re already at a competitive disadvantage. Secondly – if your site is not mobile-friendly, then you’re also at risk of falling behind your competitors.
- Google Lens has already surpassed more than 1 billion searches. Launched in 2017, Google Lens is an app that’s powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It helps users identify objects through their smartphone cameras. All they have to do is direct their cameras at the object and ask Google Assistant what it is. While it may be too early to invest heavily in Google’s image search engine, it does speak volumes to the rapid adoption of new technology. Image search will only grow in importance, and while it may not be urgent to form a strategy around Google Lens search, it shows that people’s willingness to use new technology is improving. As a business owner, you must welcome change and adapt to the newest technologies to succeed.
- Facebook was the most searched keyword on Google. There’s no denying the power of Facebook, which is why your business should be active on the platform or at least have some sort of strategy to engage with customers on Facebook. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to gain direct access to your customers. Even as a last resort, having a solid presence on Facebook instead of a fully-dedicated website can be very impactful for small business owners. Not surprisingly, the list of most searched queries is dominated by branded searches. The second most searched term is YouTube and the third is Amazon. This reveals the importance of having a presence on those platforms as well – fortunately, we know of tools that can allow time-strapped business owners to manage multiple platforms at once.
- Almost half of the product searches (46%) begin on Google. Data shows that Amazon and Google have been switching places from 2015 to 2018 in terms of being the preferred platform for users starting their product search. This can be useful for understanding the buyer journey and how you can make your customer’s purchase experience better. Whether marketers are trying to rank organically or run effective Google ads, this can be useful to make sure that they’re providing the right information to searchers to help them make the right purchase decision.
- Last but not least – 90% of survey respondents report that they were unlikely to click beyond the very first page of results. In fact, only 0.83 percent of clicks happen on page 2 of Google search results. If you’re a business, you should strive to be on the first page of Google SERPs. You drastically reduce your visibility by going beyond page one of Google. The same survey also revealed that 60 percent of mobile users were “very likely” to click on the first two or three search results they saw.
Search engines will continue to play a crucial role in our daily lives, so we can safely assume that planning an SEO or marketing strategy around them is a solid investment for future growth. For long-term success, create a strategy based on a positive browsing experience, as well as a strong combination of organic SEO and PPC ads to rank for relevant keywords.
We provide digital marketing services, as well as Lead Capture tools. We’re always happy to answer questions. Contact us today to grow your traffic, leads, and sales.