42 B2B SEO Statistics to Know in 2024

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical to any digital strategy. Potential customers who are actively seeking a solution to a specific problem are the most valuable sales and marketing leads a business could hope to find. Nobody wants to miss out on leads because of poor SEO strategy.

Understanding how SEO works in 2024 requires a broader overview than it used to just a couple of years ago, thanks to several changes Google and its competitors have made. While SEO remains as essential as ever for websites and marketing content, SEO is becoming increasingly influential in lead generation and sales targeting, too.

Let’s look at the key areas where 2024 is bringing a wide array of new possibilities to B2B SEO.

42 B2B SEO Statistics That Are Essential in 2024

Learning where SEO stands in 2024 is the first step in aligning sales and marketing strategies with the latest trends in search.

B2B SEO Strategies in 2024

1. Search engines typically generate 300% more traffic than social media. (source) 

While marketers may spend a lot of time and attention on their social content, it’s worth remembering that SEO generally drives three times more traffic to a business’ website than social media.

2. Google’s U.S. market share is highest on mobile devices. (source) 

In January 2024, Google was the destination for 95.4% of user searches on mobile devices. Businesses whose customers are likely to use mobile devices for search should focus the vast majority of their SEO attention on optimizing for Google.

3. Bing accounted for 17.2% of desktop searches in the U.S. in January 2024. (source)

Bing, the second most popular desktop search platform, captured an additional 3.1% of the search market over the same period last year. Marketers whose customer base is likely using a desktop computer for search may want to devote some of their SEO budget toward Bing. With many businesses focusing exclusively on Google, some may find ranking highly on the less competitive Bing easier.

4. Businesses that publish blog content receive 55% more traffic. (source) 

B2B marketing strategies often include steadily releasing high-quality blog content created with SEO in mind. There’s a good reason for this, as relevant blog content increases the likelihood that your site will rank highly on search engines and drive more traffic to your site.

5. On average, the top organic search result earns 19 times more clicks than Google’s top paid search result. (source) 

Smart SEO is crucial to get webpages to their highest potential rankings. Customers who are skeptical of sponsored results will look further down the page for sites that match their needs organically.

6. Less than 1% of Google Search users ever reach the second page of results. (source) 

With so few searches ever moving beyond the first page, businesses want to ensure they’re as close to the top of organic search results as possible. 

7. 15% of all Google searches have never been performed before. (source) 

With new searches being performed constantly, it’s important to keep an eye on the terms driving traffic toward your page and your competitors’. New searches may have replaced the top terms driving traffic in 2023.

Updates to Search Features in 2024

1. AI increasingly powers Google Searches with 2024’s new Search Generative Experience (SGE). (source) 

Generative AI enables users to ask more complex questions in searches, get to the gist of their topics faster, and ask conversational follow-ups to initial queries.

2. Search tools are getting more visual in 2024. (source)

Another revolutionary search tool new to Google in 2024 is Circle to Search, which allows Android smartphone users to easily select photos, videos, and text and seamlessly search what they’re seeing without navigating to a separate browser window.

3. Augmented reality will alter the customer journey for certain products on Google. (source)

Augmented reality icons will increasingly appear when consumers shop on Google, enabling them to “try on” apparel or see how a piece of furniture would look in their home. While this is largely focused on e-commerce for fashion, beauty, and home products, B2B functionality may be on the horizon — for example, enriching product demos by having them appear to be taking place in a customer’s office.

4. Microsoft’s Bing is also enhancing search with AI. (source)

Most of the conversations around AI and SEO are focused on Google. However, Bing recently announced Deep Search, powered by GPT-4. It allows for more complex, multi-faceted searches and provides more comprehensive results.

Generating SEO Leads

1. 67% of B2B marketers say content marketing helped them generate demand/leads in the last year. (source)

54% also used content marketing to nurture their leads.

2. Over 80% of businesses believe SEO generates higher quality leads than Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. (source) 

PPC ads may drive faster results, but speed isn’t the same as quality. Clicks can occur accidentally or be made too hastily. Finding the right customer at the right moment with smart SEO is more likely to result in a conversion.

3. 57% of B2B marketers have cited SEO as the superior driver of lead generation over any other marketing initiative. (source)

Identifying the most attractive channels for your business’ lead sources is a critical early step in generating the right leads. Potential customers are rarely more receptive to a pitch than when they’re actively searching for solutions.

4. free and paid lead generation tactics are available to drive B2B business growth. (source)

There are several ways for businesses to get free SEO leads using a combination of new and traditional lead gen tactics. Companies like Uplead can also guide businesses in buying SEO leads when organic methods aren’t delivering the desired results.

5. 60% of B2B marketers cite “quality of leads” as a significant factor in evaluating their content’s performance. (source)

The quality of leads is the second most important consideration for B2B marketers. The first is “conversions,” cited by 70%.

6. B2B marketers are more likely to use “quantity of leads” (57%) to measure content performance than “quality of leads” (52%). (source)

While the quality of leads is important, it is usually harder to measure than quantity, accounting for this difference.

SEO Budget Statistics

1. 65.3% of businesses devote at least a moderate share of marketing budgets to SEO. (source) 

Nearly two-thirds of businesses spend a significant portion of their overall digital marketing budgets on SEO.

2. The most commonly reported SEO budget per client is $1,000 to $5,000 per month. (source) 

While very large brands may spend upward of $100,000 on SEO every month, the $1k-$5k range will put most B2B businesses in line with their peers.

3. Over 50% of freelance SEO marketers work with monthly budgets under $1,000 per client, versus 32.3% of those who work for agencies. (source) 

Half of freelancers spend under $1k per month per client, while only about one-third of agencies do.

4. 88% of marketers currently spending on SEO plan to maintain or increase this budget in the next year. (source) 

Even as new capabilities emerge to compete for marketing dollars, most marketers aren’t siphoning any budget away from SEO, indicating satisfaction with how SEO builds awareness, generates sales leads, and drives customers down the sales funnel.

5. 81% of SEO professionals spend significant time on keyword research. (source) 

Keyword research takes up more time for SEO marketers than any other form of SEO optimization.

6. 51% of small companies say one group or person is responsible for handling multiple types of content in their organization (advertising, thought leadership, SEO, etc). (source)

For larger companies, only 30% said this was the case.

SEO B2B Revenue Statistics

1. Google is the biggest global digital ad seller, generating upwards of $300 billion in ad sales in 2023. (source)

More money is spent on Google than on any other digital ad platform because of the way search has become such a staple of our daily lives.

2. B2B experts believe it takes no fewer than 3 and up to 12 months for SEO spend to show measurable results. (source) 

Business leaders need to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy meant to create value for months and years to come, unlike many other tactics that see a faster return on investment.

3. 41% of B2B buyers say they consume 3-5 pieces of content before connecting with a sales rep. (source) 

Just because a potential customer has found your website or marketing content doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ready to convert. Most strategies should keep this consideration period in mind and target accordingly.

4. Google’s U.S. digital advertising revenue market share will decrease from 27.4% in 2020 to 25.9% in 2024. (source)

Google is a juggernaut in ad sales and will continue for the foreseeable future. However, it’s worth noting that ad sellers like TikTok, Microsoft, and Amazon are gaining market share in 2024, while the biggest U.S. digital ad sellers, Google and Meta, have lost market share over the last few years. 

B2B AI SEO Statistics 

1. 35% of businesses reported using Artificial Intelligence for SEO. (source) 

Even though AI is a relatively new consideration for most businesses, more than one-third are already using it in their SEO, a number we can expect to rise in 2024 and beyond.

2. 54% of businesses using AI noticed cost savings and increased efficiency. (source) 

AI promises that it is cost-effective, fast, and easy to use. More than half of businesses that have begun using it are finding that AI has already made good on that promise.

3. 76% of internet users have concerns about being misinformed by Artificial Intelligence. (source) 

As appealing as AI is for the reasons mentioned above, businesses must be aware of their customer’s concerns around AI to use it effectively. Since search is a direct call for accurate and relevant information, AI-powered SEO tactics must be carefully observed and diligently updated to ensure customers aren’t misinformed. One bad experience with Artificially Intelligent SEO could lose customer trust in your business and drive them directly toward competitors.

4. 67% of internet users say they will likely use ChatGPT instead of Google Search. (source) 

Despite skepticism from a significant percentage of users regarding the accuracy of AI-powered SEO, two-thirds are still eager to give ChatGPT the benefit of the doubt. If ChatGPT can meet their search needs as well as Google can, more users will turn away from traditional search behavior and take advantage of the speed and efficiency of directing their queries to ChatGPT.

5. 54% of users say they can tell when the content they’re reading has been written by AI. (source) 

Using AI to generate content can be a big help to marketers, but it’s always a good idea to spend a few minutes sprucing it up with a human touch and doing some fact-checking while AI is still in the early phases of these capabilities.

6. Only 14% say they’re “somewhat” or “very” unlikely to trust businesses that use Artificial Intelligence. (source) 

Businesses adopting AI capabilities stand to gain more than they lose, with most consumers eager to see how AI can be integrated into their digital experience.

Technical SEO Statistics for B2B

1. The average Return on Investment (ROI) for Technical SEO is 117%. (source) 

Usually, marketers can expect to break even in about 6 months.

2. 56% of marketers think too little importance is placed on technical SEO. (source) 

Most marketers think there is room to devote more resources toward technical SEO. Those who devote extra time and attention to technical SEO can gain an advantage over others in their field who focus elsewhere.

3. More than two-thirds of B2B marketers consider on-page, off-page, and technical SEO factors when performing a content audit. (source) 

A significant majority of marketers consider all three factors, while the remaining respondents focus on just one or two of these factors. SEO experts agree that all three should be addressed for best results.

4. A “Featured Snippet” on Google can increase click-throughs by over 800%. (source)

Websites that optimize to deliver featured snippets to info seekers can expect a huge increase in traffic. Over 99% of featured snippets come from a page ranked in the top 10 results.

5. 25.6% of desktop searches on Google resulted in zero clicks. (source)

Users increasingly find the information they need displayed on the results page, without needing to click through to a website. Weather, movie showtimes, and direct answers to queries are all common “zero-click” searches that still provide the user with the information they sought. B2B marketers may want to optimize toward a zero-click strategy for some searches or consider what might entice a typical zero-click searcher to click through.

Local SEO Statistics for B2B

1. 46% of Google searches seek local information. (source) 

While Google search results can scour the globe and return a vast array of information in the blink of an eye, nearly half of the queries users make seek local business results. It is essential for businesses whose customers tend to be local to direct some of their budgets toward SEO.

2. Half of Google searches that include “near me” result in visits to a physical location within 5 miles. (source)

“Near me” is a key indicator of a user’s intent to visit a local business in the immediate future. Making sure sites are optimized for “near me” and related keywords is crucial for businesses looking to draw in local foot traffic.

3. 87% of internet users used Google to research a local business in the last year. (source)

This is an increase over the previous year (81%), reflecting a shift away from using social media for this purpose. Facebook fell from 48% to 46% in the same period.

4. 47% of small business owners perform all marketing functions themselves. (source) 

Understanding that local small business owners are fulfilling many business roles themselves suggests an opportunity for business solutions that can lessen their burden. A key part of messaging to these customers is awareness that experts can drive stronger performance and ultimately increase their ROI.

Changes to B2B SEO From Last Year

From a user experience perspective, search engines have grown more flexible in recent years, enabling info seekers to search in different ways — visually, verbally, or in the form of a question. Results have grown more varied and more adaptive, with certain types of searches geared toward zero-click results, which display all the info a user needs right on the SERP (search engine results page).

As users get used to finding information faster, technical SEO is more important than ever. Savvy searchers increasingly favor organic search results. Businesses of all kinds need to ensure that their content is discoverable and intelligible in some different formats, especially if their customer base is local and even more likely to rely on search for business solutions. 

The Importance of Business Decision-Makers

B2B decision-makers will likely be searching in more traditional ways for the time being, as the business solutions they seek require more time and consideration than a typical B2C customer journey. However, with AI and other emerging tools changing the ways people search for information, businesses should prepare to tailor their SEO toward these adapting behaviors.

Using B2B SEO Statistics to Inform Your Strategy

The above statistics tell us some key things about how B2B businesses should approach SEO in 2024. First, AI and other cutting-edge capabilities are going to keep transforming search functions at a rapid pace. Second, many users have serious concerns about privacy and veracity regarding these advancements.

As concerns about receiving misinformation from AI rise, accuracy, and quality will become more important in B2B relationships than ever. SEO that delivers correct and relevant results will be crucial in building trust with potential customers. B2B businesses should establish themselves as expert sources of information in their fields, with an SEO strategy that ensures the smooth delivery of that information to those who seek it out.

FAQs About B2B SEO Statistics

With the above stats in mind, let’s ensure we’ve covered the fundamentals of B2B SEO that every business leader should keep in mind.

What You Need to Remember About B2B SEO Statistics

If there’s one key takeaway from this exploration of the SEO landscape in 2024, it’s the power of search to generate some of the highest quality leads a business will find. 

Internet users of all ages and demographics worldwide widely use search engines. This makes them a powerful platform that should be a key component of every marketing strategy.