To Understand The Value Of SEO You Must First Understand The Value Of Search Results
Understanding search engine optimization and the Value of SEO is vital for small business. Search engine optimization is the activity that can revolutionize your business by delivering more customers to your business than any other product, service or activity. This article, Understanding The Value Of SEO, is part of our Search Engine Optimization For Small Business article series. Read the entire series to revolutionize your small business.
What Is The Value Of First Page Google Search Results?
Everyone knows, especially business owners, that being the number one company listed in search engine results is a good thing. It’s good for the psyche of the business owner, and it’s good for business. Being number 1 in search engine results (SERPS) brings more visitors to your website and more customers through your door. Everyone knows this, but very few know how to calculate the value of first page search engine results or the value of SEO. What is being at the top of Google search results really worth? This article answers that very question.
Calculating The Value Of Search Engine Results
The value of being in that vaunted number one position in Google search results is something few small businesses know how to calculate. The value of SEO, as you can imagine, is different for every company. In fact, it’s much broader, because the value of SEO varies for every product, every size and color, every location where it is sold, at every time of the year, and so on. Before we get into the mathematics of what the top SERPS rankings is worth to your business, let’s glance at a more nebulous, but compelling valuation.
In relative terms (relative to each individual business, which is clearly the metric which most matters to small business owners) that value is fairly simple to calculate, and the data is compelling. Consider the value of SEO in terms of these statistics.
Statistics Facts About Top Search Engine Results
- Number 1 gets twice as much search engine traffic as number 2.
- Number 1 gets 34.35% of all search engine traffic.
- Number 1 gets as much traffic as number 2 through 5 combined.
- Number 1 gets almost as much traffic as number 5 through 20 combined.
- Number 1, 2 and 3 get 63% of all search engine traffic.
- Number 1 through 5 get 77% of all search engine traffic.
- Number 1 through Number 10 get 95% of all search traffic.
- Number 11 through 20 get 5% of all search engine traffic.
- After rounding Number 21 through 21 Million share 2% of search traffic.
- Improving from number 11 to number 10 means a 143% increase in website traffic
Quantifying The Value Of Being Number One In Search Results
We must analyze the value of that number 1 spot is a way which quantifies the value of the top spot. Doing the math is probably much easier than you think. The value of that top spot is worth far more than you could possibly imagine. A company that occupies the vaunted number 1 spot in Google search results is well positioned to experience astronomical success. Consider the statistical facts presented below.
Calculating The Value Of SEO For Your Business
Let’s lay out the math and calculate the value of SEO for your business.
Raw Statistical Data
| Search Result |
Visitors Studied |
Percent of Total |
| 1 | 2,834,806 | 34.35% |
| 2 | 1,399,502 | 16.96% |
| 3 | 942,706 | 11.42% |
| 4 | 638,106 | 7.73% |
| 5 | 510,721 | 6.19% |
| 6 | 416,887 | 5.05% |
| 7 | 331,500 | 4.02% |
| 8 | 286,118 | 3.47% |
| 9 | 235,197 | 2.85% |
| 10 | 223,320 | 2.71% |
| 11 | 91,978 | 1.11% |
| 12 | 69,778 | 0.85% |
| 13 | 57,952 | 0.70% |
| 14 | 46,822 | 0.57% |
| 15 | 39,635 | 0.48% |
| 16 | 32,168 | 0.39% |
| 17 | 26,933 | 0.33% |
| 18 | 23,131 | 0.28% |
| 19 | 22,027 | 0.27% |
| 20 | 23,953 | 0.29% |
Numbers based on a sample of 8,253,240 impressions across the Chitika Advertising Network in May, 2010.
