71 Key SEO Statistics for 2025

In the fast-evolving world of digital marketing, staying ahead in Search Engine Optimization requires a deep understanding of the forces at play in 2025. As search engines refine their algorithms and Artificial Intelligence increasingly influences search results and user behavior, access to current, reliable statistics is your competitive edge. This report delivers the crucial SEO statistics for 2025, equipping digital marketers and website owners with the data insights needed to make informed decisions, optimize for visibility, and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the modern search environment.

Top SEO Stats

Here are some of the most interesting SEO statistics that are relevant for 2025:

• AI-generated content now accounts for 19,1% of content in Google's top 20 search results, up from 2.3% in 2020. (Originality.ai)
• 63% of Websites Receive AI Traffic. (Ahrefs)
• The search term 'AI tools' has seen an 8600% increase in popularity over the past 5 years. (Searcherries)
• The global SEO market is projected to reach $143.9 billion by 2030, growing at an 8.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). (Research and Markets)
• 75% of searchers never click past the first page of search results. (HubSpot)
• Position #1 in Google has an average CTR of 27.6%. (Backlinko)

AI & Search Evolution Statistics

Right now, we are witnessing a transformation in search. Users are increasingly consuming AI-generated content and seeking information without visiting source websites. As a result, new terms are emerging, such as "answer engines" (instead of the familiar "search engines").

Here are some statistics on what we believe is the most relevant topic in SEO for 2025.

• AI overviews appear in approximately 29.9% of Google searches and nearly 74% of problem-solving queries. (Authoritas)
• The search term 'AI tools' has seen an 8600% increase in popularity over the past 5 years. (Searcherries)
• AI-generated content accounts for 19.1% of content in Google's top 20 search results (up from 2.3% in 2020). (Originality.ai)
• 63% of Websites Receive AI Traffic. (Ahrefs)
• 91% of marketers incorporate AI in their work. (Ad Age)
• 54% of content marketers use AI for idea generation, 41% for headline writing, and 40% for outlining/editing. (Orbit Media)
• AI overviews can lead to an 18-64% decrease in organic clicks for affected queries. (Search Engine Land)
• 75% of Google AI Overviews appear in the first 12 organic results. (Search Engine Land)
• ChatGPT's web search feature, one of its most popular and fastest-growing, recorded 1 billion search queries in just one week. (OpenAI)
• ChatGPT's traffic grew by 182% year-over-year in April 2025. (Similarweb)

Search Engine Landscape Statistics

Google remains the most popular search engine in the world. This statistic is extremely important for a general understanding of trends in the field of SEO.

• Google retains a 90.15% global search market share (Statscounter).
• 75% of searchers never click past the first page of search results. (HubSpot)
• In 2025, SEO specialists in the United States are earning an average salary of $63,193, representing a significant 28% increase from previous years. (Searcherries)
• Organic search produced 33% of overall website traffic across seven key industries. (Conductor)
• Organic traffic grew by 2.39% from January to December 2024. (SE Ranking)
• 51% of searches have informational intent, 33% navigational, 14.5% commercial, and 0.69% transactional. (Search Engine Land)
• 44% of Google searches relate to branded terms, while 56% involve unbranded queries. (SparkToro)
• 53.3% of all web traffic comes from organic search, while 27% is attributed to paid search (HigherVisibility)
• Featured snippets have an average CTR of 35% (MOZ)
• In April 2025, Bing held the second position in the global search engine market share with a 3.89% share. (GlobalStats)

Ranking & Visibility Statistics

Users are spending less time selecting a source, trusting that the top search results already represent the most relevant and high-quality content. According to recent statistics, it is not enough to simply be on the first page of the SERP to get noticed.

• Position #1 in Google has an average CTR of 27.6%. (Backlinko)
• On average, over 90% of pages on websites older than five years each receive fewer than 10 visits per month. (Searcherries)
• The top three SERP results get 54.4% of all clicks. (Backlinko)
• Position 2 has an 18.7% CTR; position 3 has 10.2%. (FirstPageSage)
• The #1 result has 3.8x more backlinks than positions #2-#10. (Backlinko)
• 96.55% of all pages get zero traffic from Google. (Ahrefs)
• 91% of marketers say SEO positively impacted website goals in 2024. (Conductor)
• Articles over 7,000 words significantly outperform average-length content (900–1,200 words), generating nearly four times more traffic. (Semrush)
• Improving CTR by 3% could potentially move the page up one position in Google’s rankings. (WordStream)
• 74.3% of link builders purchase backlinks. (Authority Hacker)
• 66.5% of all backlinks created over the past nine years no longer work. (Ahrefs)
• The appearance of AI Overviews in search results correlated with a 34.5% lower average clickthrough rate (CTR) for the top-ranking page compared to similar informational keywords without an AI Overview. (Ahrefs)

Keyword Dynamics Statistics

Users are increasingly using natural language to search for information. This statistic confirms that in 2025, it is worth rethinking approaches to keyword research.

• Most effective content formats: roundups (28%), original research (25%), infographics (25%). (Orbit Media)
• The average blog post length has increased by 77% over the past ten years and is now around 1,400 words. (Orbit Media)
• "People Also Ask" appears in 96% of search queries. (Conductor)
• AI tools have made keyword research faster and more precise by analyzing large datasets to predict future trends. (Neil Patel)

Backlinks & Authority Statistics

Despite Google's statements, recent studies indicate that backlinks are still one of the most important ranking factors.

• The site's overall link authority, as indicated by Ahrefs Domain Rating, shows a strong correlation with higher search rankings. (Backlinko)
• Pages ranking #1 in Google have over 200 referring domains on average, while pages at position #10 have fewer than 80 referring domains (Semrush)
• The #1 result has 3.8x more backlinks than positions #2-#10, emphasizing the importance of link-building strategies. (Backlinko)
• The average cost of a paid link is $83. (Authority Hacker)

Mobile & Voice Search Statistics

Understanding how users utilize mobile devices impacts user experience, as well as technologies related to voice search. 

• 64% of Google searches come from mobile devices. (Sistrix)
• Mobile traffic accounts for around 62% of affiliate-driven visits. (FirstPromoter)
• Approximately 8.4 billion people use voice assistants globally. (OuterBox)
• Around 72% of U.S. consumers use voice assistants to conduct voice searches. (OuterBox)
• 27% of the global online population uses voice search on their mobile devices. (OuterBox)

Local SEO Statistics

Almost half of all Google searches are related to local search. This statistic can be very valuable for businesses.

• 80% of U.S. consumers search for local businesses online at least once a week. (SOCi)
• 90% of local consumers are now diving into online searches daily (Forsta)
• 74% of local consumers usually scan 1 to 6 reviews before deciding on a local business (Forsta)
• 99% of respondents use Google platforms to find local business information. (Forsta)
• 69% of consumers feel positive about using a business if its written reviews describe positive experiences. (Brightlocal)
• 36% of consumers use two review sites when deciding to use local businesses. (Brightlocal)

Video & Visual Search Statistics

We are already seeing how image and video search is becoming a part of users' daily lives through AI tools. According to statistics, this trend will continue.

• Nearly 9 out of 10 businesses use video in their marketing strategy. (Wyzowl)
• Over half of video marketers (51%) have used AI tools to create or edit marketing videos. (Wyzowl)
• On Instagram, users spend 50% of their time watching Reels. (Meta) ​
• While only 10% of U.S. adults regularly use visual search, 42% are at least somewhat interested in using the tool. (EMARKETER)
• Visual search has influenced 22% of consumers aged 16–34, who have either seen or purchased an item through it, compared to 17% of those aged 35–54 and just 5% of consumers 55 and older. (EMARKETER)

E-Commerce & Affiliate SEO Statistics

Despite news that affiliates are receiving less and less organic traffic, the global affiliate marketing market continues to grow.

• Affiliate marketing is growing at a CAGR of 18.6%, with the global market expected to reach $48 billion by 2027. (FirstPromoter)
• On average, between 4 and 7 of Google's top 10 search results containing the word "review" use affiliate links to products. (Searcherries)
• In Q3 2024, smartphones accounted for 77% of retail website traffic and 68% of online orders. (Statista)
• Affiliate marketing programs are used by 81% of advertisers and 84% of publishers. (Rakuten)
• Organic search traffic contributed significantly to e-commerce success, accounting for 23.6% of total e-commerce orders in 2024 (Reboot)
• Aliexpress.com is the world's most visited eCommerce website in 2025. (Semrush)

Technical SEO Statistics

Some believe that the importance of technical SEO is greatly exaggerated. However, statistics show that the technical side is still very important.

• Approximately 35% of websites suffer from slow page loading speeds. (SE Ranking)
• 67.52% of websites have meta tag titles that are too long, 53.69% have duplicate titles, 49.36% are too short, and 5.93% are missing entirely. (SE Ranking)
• Websites loading in just 1 second convert three times more effectively than those taking 5 seconds. ​(Portent)
• 23% of websites have no structured data markup implemented for SEO. (W3Techs)
• 87.3% of websites use HTTPS, enhancing security and trustworthiness. (W3Techs)

Future Trends Statistics

It's no surprise that most forecasts are in some way connected to AI. Those who are already actively using AI technologies in their work are not worried about the future—in fact, they're placing big bets on it. It's worth noting the overall optimism about the future in the search marketing industry—this is evident both in individual company forecasts and in social media activity.

• 29% of SEO professionals predict generative AI will cause the biggest shifts in the next two years. (Search Engine Journal)
• AI has the potential to contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. (PwC)
• Generative AI is projected to grow into a $1.3 trillion market by 2032. (Bloomberg)
• The global SEO market is projected to reach $143.9 billion by 2030, growing at an 8.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). (Research and Markets)

What These SEO Statistics Tell Us

Looking at the data for 2025, one overwhelming theme emerges: AI is no longer a distant future trend for SEO; it's a present-day reality actively reshaping the search landscape. The statistics confirm this: AI-generated content's significant presence in the top 20, the sheer number of websites receiving AI traffic, and the explosive growth in 'AI tools' searches all point to a fundamental shift in how information is consumed and created online. While AI offers incredible potential for marketers – with 91% now incorporating it – the increased appearance of AI Overviews and their associated click-through rate decreases present a clear challenge to traditional organic visibility. We are witnessing the rapid evolution towards what some are calling "answer engines," where users get information directly on the SERP.

This shift profoundly impacts the concept of ranking and visibility. While the data clearly shows that the top positions, particularly the top three, capture the vast majority of clicks (54.4%), the emergence of AI Overviews, which often pull from these top results, introduces a new dynamic. Simply ranking high is necessary but not sufficient; securing visibility within AI Overviews (which appear in nearly 30% of searches) and optimizing for other rich results like Featured Snippets (with a 35% average CTR) becomes critical. This underscores the growing importance of structured data and content formats that lend themselves to being easily summarized and presented by AI, all while providing enough depth and authority to entice a click for those seeking more.

Crucially, while the front end of search is changing dramatically, the underlying fundamentals of SEO remain vital, albeit requiring adaptation. The statistics reinforce that site authority, heavily influenced by backlinks, continues to correlate strongly with higher rankings – the #1 result having significantly more referring domains is telling. Technical health, despite being overlooked by many (as shown by common issues like slow speeds and missing structured data), is a foundational layer that directly impacts user experience and conversion rates. Content quality and depth are also validated; long-form articles significantly outperform shorter ones. The key takeaway here is that AI can and should be a powerful tool to enhance these fundamentals – aiding in keyword research, technical analysis, and even drafting – but it doesn't replace the need for a strategic approach to building authority, ensuring technical soundness, and creating truly valuable, comprehensive content.

Furthermore, the data highlights the increasing importance of understanding user intent and the diverse ways people search. The dominance of mobile traffic, the growing use of voice search assistants, the critical role of local search (especially for businesses), and the rising interest in visual and video search all point to a more fragmented and nuanced user journey. Successful SEO in 2025 requires moving beyond optimizing solely for desktop text searches. It means ensuring a seamless mobile experience, considering voice search queries in keyword strategy, prioritizing Local SEO elements like reviews and profile accuracy, and strategically incorporating video and visual assets where relevant.

Considering the projected growth of the global SEO market and the immense economic potential of AI, the message is clear: 2025 is a year of significant transformation, but also immense opportunity. The challenges posed by evolving SERPs and AI Overviews necessitate strategic agility and a deeper focus on user experience and holistic authority. Those who embrace the change, leverage AI effectively as a tool, and continue to build robust online presences that cater to the diverse ways users search will be best positioned to thrive in this dynamic landscape.