Why SEO Still Matters in 2025: 14 Statistics on Organic Search That Can’t Be Ignored

I still get nightmares.

Don’t worry, I don’t wet the bed, but I still get nightmares.

I am not scared of ghosts, vampires, or hounds. I fear a three-letter word that keeps me up at night. It goes like S-E-O! Boo!

Just kidding.

In a world where AI is writing our emails and ChatGPT is probably planning world domination (kidding again... mostly), you might think SEO would be dead, right? But here's the truth: it isn’t. In fact, it's more alive than ever – and I've got the numbers to prove it.

By the way, this isn't one of those "SEO will make you a millionaire overnight" posts – we all know how reliable those promises are. Instead, I will show you some evidence of why SEO matters and give you actionable tips to turn these insights into real results.

14 Research-Based Statistics on Why SEO is Still Relevant

1. According to various sources, 57% of B2B marketers state that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative.

Myth: “SEO is only good for blog traffic, not actual leads.”

Reality Check: SEO isn’t just about pulling in random clicks. When executed correctly, it attracts users with clear buying intent—those who are actively searching for solutions to their problems. For B2B companies, where trust-building and longer decision cycles are part of the game, organic search is crucial.

Actionable Insights:

• Target Intent-Driven Keywords: Focus on keywords that signal a user is ready to engage or buy. Words like “best,” “top,” or “how to [solve a specific problem]” work well in attracting these users.
• Create Lead-Generating Content: Develop SEO-optimized lead magnets like eBooks, guides, or checklists. Not only do these provide value, but they also capture leads who might be in the consideration or decision stage of their journey.

Check out our eBooks and lead magnets here.

2. 53% of all website traffic comes from organic search.

Myth: “Most website traffic these days comes from social media.”

Reality Check: Social media plays a big role in brand awareness, but when it comes to pulling in visitors who are ready to take action, organic search is unmatched. SEO isn’t about fast results; it’s about building a steady stream of visitors over time who are actively looking for what you offer.

Actionable Insights:

• Publish Long-Form, High-Value Content Regularly: Focus on creating in-depth content that fully satisfies search intent. Content that answers questions thoroughly tends to rank higher and attract more organic traffic.
• Refresh Existing Content: Regularly update older, high-performing posts with new information and insights. This helps maintain rankings and keeps traffic flowing over time.

Developing SEO-friendly content may seem easy, but there’s a lot of background research and content planning that goes behind it. At Market Me More, we have generated thousands of blogs over the years resulting into organic traffic worth 100s of thousands of dollars. If you need help generating blogs that focus on full-funnel marketing, we’re here to help.

• Top of the funnel marketing
• Middle of the funnel marketing
• Bottom of the funnel marketing
  

3. Organic search is over 5x more effective than paid search in the long run.

Myth: “Paid ads are the only way to get quick traffic.”

Reality Check: Paid ads are excellent for short-term visibility, but SEO builds a foundation that delivers results long after the initial investment. With SEO, you aren’t constantly paying for each visit—traffic continues to flow without ongoing ad spend.

Actionable Insights:

• Balance Your Marketing Budget: Consider using a mix of paid ads for immediate results and SEO for lasting impact. This combination helps build a presence now while laying the groundwork for future traffic.
• Invest in Evergreen Content: Focus on content that will stay relevant over time. Guides, how-tos, and resources that maintain their value will keep driving traffic long after they’re published.

Here’s what an evergreen blog looks like: Creating a Comprehensive Long-Term SEO Strategy: Step-by-Step Guide

 4. Nearly 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results.

Myth: I can publish 5 highly focused blogs and rank on page 1 of Google.

Reality Check: First-page visibility is essential. If your site isn’t appearing on the first page, you’re practically invisible to most searchers.

Chances are, your competition is there, making SEO a key tool for securing that prime real estate. But posting highly focused or high-volume content is not enough.

You need to have the right domain authority, good backlinks, EAT-focused content, and much more to have a chance of ranking on page 1.

Actionable Insights:

• Target Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific and easier to rank for, yet still highly relevant to searchers. They also capture more focused traffic, often closer to conversion.
• Analyze the Competition: Use SEO tools to check what keywords your competitors rank for and identify gaps or opportunities where you can realistically compete and rank.

It is tricky optimizing your content and website for SEO, epsecially if you’re just starting out. So we have created a cheat sheet with 10 SEO tips to boost your content. Download this cheat sheet and more such nifty resources on our downloads page.

Download the Cheat Sheet

5. Voice searches are expected to account for nearly 50% of online searches by 2025.

Myth: “Voice search is good for retail brands and minor shopping needs. But B2B brands? Naaah.”

Reality Check: Voice search is on the rise, and as it grows, it’s crucial to understand how it changes SEO strategy. Voice search queries tend to be conversational, often involving full questions rather than single keywords, making optimization for natural language a must.

Actionable Insights:

• Use Question-Based Keywords: Structure your content around common question words like “what,” “how,” and “where.” These keywords align with how people speak and are more likely to capture voice search traffic.
• Optimize for Featured Snippets: Featured snippets often answer voice search queries. By including structured answers in your content, you increase the chances of being chosen as the snippet result for relevant questions.

6. According to HubSpot, 61% of marketers say improving SEO is their top inbound marketing priority.

Myth: “SEO is outdated; everyone’s focusing on social media.”

Reality Check: Yes, search is changing. People are no longer searching for information only on search engines. That said, SEO is still foundational for most inbound strategies. It may not have the flashy appeal of social media, but its reliability and longevity make it invaluable.

Actionable Insights:

• Focus on Areas Already Showing Results: Prioritize SEO efforts on pages or topics that already generate some traffic. Small improvements here can lead to big gains.
• Incorporate Trending Topics: Integrate relevant, trending topics into your SEO strategy to capture traffic. This approach expands your reach and relevance.

 Want to improve your website’s SEO quickly? Follow these 7 steps.

7. Mobile accounts for nearly 63% of all organic search visits.

Myth: “People are going back to using desktops and laptops more. Mobile search is dead.”

Reality Check: Mobile optimization isn’t just a nice-to-have—it is a must-have. With the majority of organic visits now happening on mobile, a site that’s not mobile-friendly risks losing a huge portion of its audience. Mobile SEO directly impacts user experience and search rankings.

Actionable Insights:

• Test Mobile Responsiveness Regularly: Make sure your site works smoothly on mobile by testing it periodically. Identify and fix any usability issues to keep the mobile experience seamless.
• Reduce Load Times: Compress images and optimize page speed to ensure quick load times, which are critical for retaining mobile users.

8. SEO generates 20x more traffic opportunities than pay-per-click on both mobile and desktop.

Myth: “SEO traffic is no different than PPC traffic.”

Reality Check: PPC is effective for immediate visibility, but SEO provides sustainable growth. Once you’ve built authority, SEO traffic continues to grow without the need for a constant budget, making it a solid long-term strategy.

Actionable Insights:

• Combine PPC and SEO: Use PPC for short-term campaigns, like launches or promotions, while allocating resources to SEO for steady, lasting traffic growth.
• Build Content Clusters: Group content around core topics to improve your site’s authority in specific areas, helping all related pages rank better in the long run.

9. 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.

Myth: “Social media or direct traffic is where it’s at. Google search is elementary”

Reality Check: Nearly all online journeys start with a search engine, showing how essential SEO is to your marketing strategy. By ignoring SEO, you’re effectively bypassing countless potential customers who could be discovering your brand right from the beginning of their search.

Actionable Insights:

• Optimize Key Pages: Start by improving SEO on high-impact pages like your homepage and primary landing pages to ensure they’re ranking well in relevant searches.
• Target High-Intent Keywords: Focus on keywords that align closely with your products or services, as these are more likely to attract users ready to engage or purchase.

This particular stat is bound to change further. A lot of future searches may not start directly on Google or Bing, but ChatGPT, Gemini, and other tools instead.

That said, you must still optimize your content with SEO-friendly pieces. With the new web search functionality, these AI tools will still link the prompt results with the original source, which can be your content.

That said, it is wise to be wary of TOO much AI in your content. We recently covered a piece on how much AI is too much AI. Check it out.

10. Local searches lead to a purchase 28% of the time.

Myth: “Only big brands need to worry about SEO.”

Reality Check: Local SEO is especially valuable for smaller businesses. Local searchers tend to have a higher intent to buy, often looking for nearby solutions they can act on quickly, making local SEO a strong asset for driving conversions.

Actionable Insights:

• Optimize Google My Business: Ensure your Google My Business profile is complete, accurate, and optimized to appear in local searches.
• Use Localized Keywords: Incorporate keywords that include local identifiers (like cities or neighborhoods) in your content to capture local traffic.

At Market Me More, we work with organizations of all sizes, if you need help defining your brand offer, creating marketing collaterals, or developing your online presence, give us a shout.

Fill this form and we will reach out to you right away!

11. More than 80% of people ignore paid ads in search results.

Myth: “People can’t tell the difference between paid and organic results.”

Reality Check: Many users are savvy enough to scroll past paid ads, heading straight to organic results, which they perceive as more trustworthy. This tendency emphasizes the importance of organic SEO in building credibility and attracting clicks.

Actionable Insights:

• Prioritize Organic Rankings for Key Terms: Focus on improving rankings for high-value, competitive keywords to capture that ad-averse audience.
• Build Authority with Quality Content and Backlinks: Enhance your site’s authority by creating high-value content that attracts quality backlinks, helping your pages rank higher organically.

12. Updating old blog posts with fresh content can boost organic traffic by over 100%.

Myth: “We must keep publishing new content quickly to always stay relevant.”

Reality Check: While you should ideally post new content regularly, you must not ignore the old timeless pieces either. Refreshing older content can be a goldmine for boosting organic traffic.

By revisiting and updating high-traffic posts, you can reap SEO benefits without creating new material from scratch, helping you maintain rankings and keep content relevant.

Actionable Insights:

• Update High-Performing Content Regularly: Revisit high-traffic posts every quarter, adding new insights, stats, or links to keep them fresh and valuable.
• Adjust the Publish Date: Change the publish date on updated posts, signaling to search engines that the content is current, which can lead to a ranking boost.

13. Video content has 41% higher click-through rate than text-based content.

Myth: “Only written content matters for SEO.”

Reality Check: Video is a powerful SEO tool as search engines increasingly favor multimedia content. By incorporating videos, you improve your chances of ranking higher and engage your audience, which can lower bounce rates and improve user retention.

Actionable Insights:

• Add Video Summaries or Tutorials: Include videos on key pages or within blog posts to boost engagement and rank higher in search results.
• Optimize Video Titles and Descriptions: Use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve their visibility in search results.

14. SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads have only a 1.7% close rate.

Myth: “SEO leads don’t really impact sales.”

Reality Check: SEO-generated leads that come from bottom-of-the-funnel marketing efforts are often high-intent, with a close rate that proves it. While outbound efforts have their place, SEO provides a much more efficient and targeted path to conversions, capturing audiences actively searching for solutions.

Actionable Insights:

• Focus on Lead-Capturing Landing Pages: Ensure your landing pages have clear CTAs, compelling value propositions, and forms to capture leads effectively.
• Align Content with Customer Pain Points: Create content that speaks directly to your audience’s needs and challenges, positioning your solution as the answer.

Summary of Key Lessons

Let’s recap the 14 statistics:

1. 57% of B2B marketers state that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative.
2. 53% of all website traffic comes from organic search.
3. Organic search is over 5x more effective than paid search in the long run.
4. Nearly 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results.
5. Voice searches are expected to account for nearly 50% of online searches by 2025.
6. 61% of marketers say improving SEO is their top inbound marketing priority.
7. Mobile accounts for nearly 63% of all organic search visits.
8. SEO generates 20x more traffic opportunities than pay-per-click on both mobile and desktop.
9. 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
10. Local searches lead to a purchase 28% of the time.
11. More than 80% of people ignore paid ads in search results.
12. Updating old blog posts with fresh content can boost organic traffic by over 100%.
13. Video content has a 41% higher click-through rate than text-based content.
14. SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads have only a 1.7% close rate.

Conclusion

SEO may not have the instant attraction of paid ads or the virality of social media, but these statistics prove that it remains an invaluable asset for long-term success.

From higher lead quality and conversion rates to increased visibility and trust, SEO is still very much important.

By focusing on data-backed strategies, updating content, and embracing trends like mobile and voice search, businesses can use SEO to create a sustainable growth engine that drives results year after year.

If you’re ready to tap into the power of SEO to capture high-intent traffic and build a lasting brand presence, Market Me More is here to help. Let’s work together to transform your marketing strategy and secure those all-important spots on the first page.

Fill this form and we will reach out to you right away!