Is SEO Dead or Does it Just Smell Funny?

Recently a potential client told me that SEO was dead. Apparently he was advised by some “Expert”.

I advised him that those who try to scam or attempt Black Hat tactics are finding it increasingly hard to be successful to rank. I advised them that SEO is far from dead. The fundamentals have not really changed much over the years.

A vast -majority of searches, in fact it is quoted at over 90% of online experiences begin with a search engine.

Google currently holds 90% of the search engine market share. This includes, Google + Google Images, followed by YouTube which of course is owned by Google followed by Yahoo!, Bing, and Amazon.

Nearly 60% of Business to Business marketers stated advised that SEO creates significantly more leads than any other marketing strategy

Over 80 % of people perform research online prior to making a large purchase.

Approximately 50% of consumers view 3 to 5 pages or posts of company website content prior to approaching the company.

Over 70 % Digital marketers describe content marketing as their most effective SEO tactic.

Over 75% of potential site visitors do not scroll past the first page of search results

Over 60% of internet users conduct online research prior to making a purchase.

“Content is Still King” as displayed by this statistic. It still pays to present yourself as an authority in your field. The first-page result on Google consists of at least 1,800 words.

Leads derived from organic searches have the highest closure rate from search engines have a 14.6%close rate, while outbound leads such as cold-calling and direct mail have a 1.7% close rate.

A vast majority around 70-80% of people searching ignore the google ads, and choose to only click on organic search results.

Keep your website Fast – if your website takes over 2 seconds to load the drop off or bounce is up to 50%.

This is an interesting statistic. At the moment  “Voice Search” currently accounts for 10% of all searches. This figure will change very quickly over the next few years.

Local SEO Statistics for 2019

It used to be impossible to Outrank national brands in search results. Fortunately, Google updates over the last few years have provided the opportunity for local businesses to compete for search rankings on a local level.

Google gives a ranking boost to businesses in close proximity to the searcher in location-specific searches.

Pigeon invited local businesses to the world of search engines, and those who were paying attention made out like bandits.

18% of location-based mobile searches result in a sale within one day.

Over 70% of consumers who perform a local search visit a store within 5 miles of their current location.

Over 60% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site.

Nearly 90% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.

Nearly 90% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps.

Nearly 90% of location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase.

Mobile First SEO Statistics for 2019

Your website must be mobile friendly if not you are doing you’re your customers and your business a disserservice.

If your website ranked first in Google for “Website Design Dandenong” when searching from your mobile device, but is hard  to navigate on your phone, it is going to lose its ranking very quickly.

Mobile search rankings are more important than ever.

1. More searches are performed on mobile devices than desktops.
2. The majority of smartphone users make use of search engine facility at least once a day.
3. 40% of online purchases during the 2018 holiday season came from a smartphone.
4. Nearly 3 hours and a half on their phones every day
5. Mobile website visitors are impatient  – 40% of mobile visitors leave sites if it slower than 3 seconds to load.

To sum it all up:

• Search Engine Optimization is more essential than ever to your business’ success
• In most cases, writing great content is better than posting short 500-word blog articles
• If your website isn’t mobile friendly, it’s time for a new website.  – Not Negotiable.