While SEO isn't new to those of us in the digital marketing industry , there are plenty of small and local businesses that are only now being introduced to the power of organic search traffic. Whether you're a salesperson for a marketing company who needs ammo to make the sale, or a local business owner looking for more reasons to invest in SEO, these statistics will help you better understand the overall value of search traffic.

Local Search Users Take Action

88% of consumers who search for a specific type of business via mobile call or visit within 24 hours. (Google's Mobile Movement Study, 2011)

By now, every local business owner is aware of the importance of local search. It can make or break your business today because customers are on-the-go and want to save time wherever they can. Gone are the days when you looked up a business in the White Pages or drove around town blind looking for a specific shop. Our phones not only give us that information in a matter of seconds, they can lead us there quickly so we can get more done. If you want those 88 percent of consumers to be able to call you, make sure you have a local SEO strategy in place so you can be found above your competition.

Search Leads to Sales

Leads from search engines close at a 15% rate. Higher than referrals, paid search, and outbound.

When you get a call from a telemarketer, you're more than likely not looking or interested in the product or service they're pitching, right? It's probably also annoying getting a random call from someone trying to sell you something. If you were interesting in their products or services, you'd search for it! This is the ultimate example of why leads from organic search traffic is so valuable. Instead of being pitched at a random time, consumers are seeking out your business. No one searches for "car dealers in NH" unless they're in the market or soon to be in the market for a car in New Hampshire. So if you're the car dealer at the top of this SERP, you're sure to be raking in leads after ready-to-buy customers click through and view your inventory.

Page 1 is Where You Want to Be

75% of users never go past the first page of search results. (HubSpot)

Businesses cannot afford to be on page two for keywords related to their business because most people will never get past the first page. They're likely to find exactly what they're looking for, and then they're gone and out of the market. You didn't even get a chance to gain their business because they won't even know you exist. No amount of paid search or traditional advertising can make up for the value that being on the first page (hopefully near the top) can have on your business.

Paid Search is a Distant Second to Organic

79% of search engine users say they always/frequently click on the natural search results. 

Paid search is a great way to supplement your organic traffic, but it can certainly not replace it. Most users understand paid results are ads and instead choose to focus on organic results. Organic results are trusted as being the most relevant, so users understand what they're clicking on more than they do with paid results. This is why leads from organic search close at 15 percent, compared to paid search's 4 percent.

Originally Published to Wikimotive.com on May 18, 2015.