SEO ROI Statistics (The Ultimate 2024 Report)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become a crucial practice for businesses that intend to extend their market reach and effectively increase sales and revenue. SEO, however, is one of the most challenging marketing strategies.

Marketers still compete for SEO advantages as the average ROI of SEO in various businesses and industries is between 200% to 275%. However, ranking organically through SEO takes time to achieve. 

While some marketers experience results from SEO in as early as 3 months, others wait for 6 months or more. That puts the average timeframe to note ROI from local SEO is around 4 months and 24 days.

Regardless of waiting a long time to see results, businesses gain incredible ROI from their SEO efforts. Some industries even experience a higher SEO ROI than the usual reported range. For instance, a survey revealed that businesses in the Real Estate Industry exhibited a staggering 1,389% SEO ROI in a 3-year period.

One of the most prominent types of SEO is local SEO, which is targeted at local businesses and customers. Since the volume of local searches is huge, in 40% of local SEO campaigns, the ROI is over 500%.

While some marketers remain skeptical about the impact of SEO on their marketing efforts’ ROIs, over 50% of marketers testify that SEO is the most effective digital marketing channel.

More discussions lie ahead to reveal the SEO ROI statistics of various industries and types of SEO, letting you know what to expect and how to maximize your SEO efforts.

SEO ROI Statistics Key Findings

1. Businesses can yield an average ROI of 200% to 275% from successful SEO efforts.
2. It takes an average of 4 months and 24 days to see positive results from an SEO campaign.
3. Some industries yield incredibly higher ROIs from SEO campaigns, such as the Real Estate industry with 1,389% during a 3-year period.
4. 40% of local SEO campaigns could exhibit up to 500% or more ROI.
5. SEO is the most effective digital marketing strategy, according to 58% of marketers.

What is the Average ROI of SEO?

The average SEO effort generates an ROI between 200% to 275%. That means for every $1 spent on SEO, businesses gain a net profit of $2.00 to $2.75. 

As an example, 48% of businesses spend around $7,500 for digital marketing in SEO. Based on the SEO ROI formula, their expected ROI will range between $15,000 to $20,625.

The reported average range of ROI may already be good since it nearly triples the amount that businesses invested in. However, it does not meet the preferred standard for an acceptable ROI of 5:1 or 500%.

In some cases, companies in particular industries gain higher SEO ROIs than the average ROI reported and cross the standard threshold. However, all businesses endure waiting at least 4.76 months or 4 months and 24 days before seeing positive ROI from SEO.

The following section will examine industries that utilize SEO and discuss how they could gain certain ROIs.

Average SEO ROI by Industry

SEO ROI by Industry Key Findings

• Nearly 50% of businesses that perform digital marketing efforts like SEO yield the highest ROIs.
• The Real Estate and Medical Devices industries generate the highest average SEO ROIs of 1,389% and 1,183%, respectively.
• E-commerce records the lowest average SEO ROI across industries at only 317%.
• Healthcare companies used to solely rely on traditional marketing methods. Upon employing digital marketing efforts, sub-sectors like the Pharmaceutical industry experience an 826% ROI from SEO.

A successful SEO campaign could be described in three ways: high rankings, increased traffic, and improved conversions. With those achievements, 49% of organizations report the highest ROIs among digital marketing channels like SEO.

Examples of organizations that exhibited the biggest SEO ROIs in a 3-year span are as follows:

B2B SaaS Industry Average SEO ROI

Reports show that 49% of B2B companies utilize SEO for various marketing objectives like improving organic traffic, generating quality leads, increasing brand awareness, and so on.

According to a 3-year report, B2B companies receive a 702% ROI from their SEO efforts. With SEO’s success in this industry, 40% of B2B marketers expressed their intent to increase their SEO budgets.

Biotech Industry Average SEO ROI

There’s currently a huge divide between sciences-related organizations like Biotechnology and their non-professional consumers. 

A unique SEO and web content challenge in Biotech companies is the language and terminology barriers. Scientific jargon and complex concepts are dominantly present in this industry, and not everyone understands them.

Regardless of these hurdles, many Biotech companies overcome them and invest immensely in SEO. As a result, Biotech companies that include SEO in their digital marketing efforts experience a 788% ROI.

Construction Industry Average SEO ROI

Most construction companies pay less attention to ventures like SEO because they’re focused on the operational aspects of their business. In most cases, contractors, home builders, etc., heavily rely on word-of-mouth in replacement for a solid marketing campaign. 

However, the construction sector is a competitive industry. Thus, some construction companies resort to allocating 2.5% to 5% of their marketing budget for digital marketing, including SEO. Consequently, the construction industry produced 681% ROI from SEO.

E-commerce Industry Average SEO ROI

Most e-commerce companies allocate their marketing budget to paid ad campaigns. Meanwhile, SEO receives 10% to 24% of an average e-commerce company’s marketing budget.

According to a report, businesses with revenue less than $1 million spend the most at a maximum of 24% of their budget, while larger companies in terms of revenue spend only 10% of their budget on SEO. Due to the industry’s slight disregard for SEO, they yield the lowest ROI on this list at 317%.

Financial Services Industry Average SEO ROI

Even though 66% of financial services companies find SEO more challenging than it was 5 years ago, they still push through with their SEO efforts as they receive an impressive 1,031% ROI.

Higher Education Industry Average SEO ROI

The first priority of academic institutions is to provide high-quality education and produce renowned research. Thus, their online presence is often uncultivated. 

This dismissal of online marketing ventures creates a skew with the consumer demand. That’s because students no longer just depend on word of mouth or recommendations, 67% of potential customers utilize search engines when researching universities and colleges.

Another report that makes the demand evident showed that universities and college institutions with an SEO campaign have a 994% ROI. As a result, 84% of higher ed marketers consider SEO as a key strategy to increase enrollment. Thus, SEO is the answer to some institutions’ lack of online flair. 

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Industry Average SEO ROI

Companies in the HVAC industry value the power of SEO as 60% of consumers directly contact a business from local search results. Thus, improving web presence and boosting SEO will help HVAC companies land a spot on Google Maps’s “pack” of listings.

Overall, SEO has an ROI of 678% for HVAC companies, thanks to their customer base that heavily relies on search engine results.

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Industry Average SEO ROI

The industrial sector has adopted the Internet of Things (IoT), which created the revolutionizing Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) industry.

With IIoT, companies collect real-time data, which helps improve quality control and implement automation for manufacturing. Since industrial businesses see better ROIs after adopting IoT, Statista estimates there will be 30.9 billion IoT devices worldwide by 2025.

The expanding adoption of IIoT will likely create more competition in the industry and urge the implementation of effective marketing solutions. 

Some marketers in the IIoT sector already utilize SEO as a cost-effective strategy to promote their devices. As a result, these marketers in the IIoT industry experience an 866% SEO ROI.

Commercial Insurance Industry Average SEO ROI

As shown by the 30% increase in web searches for insurance in the past years, the demand for web content in the commercial insurance industry is increasing.

The top-performing insurance websites alone receive 10.5 million monthly visits. When it comes to their SEO efforts, their ROI exhibited a 3-year average of 758%.

Legal Services Industry Average SEO ROI

Law firms and other legal services companies are realizing the importance of SEO in their organizations’ web presence. And with SEO, these organizations can improve their visibility and attract more clients.

Small to mid-sized law firms generally spend $3,000 to $15,000 per month on SEO campaigns. The exact amount may depend on geographical factors, the presence of competitors, etc. Consequently, these legal services firms experience a 526% ROI from their SEO efforts. 

Manufacturing Industry Average SEO ROI

The manufacturing industry is a competitive sector that makes manufacturing companies spend $1,000 to $5,000 monthly on SEO. Some even expend over $10,000 for a more aggressive SEO approach. In turn, these manufacturing companies record an 813% ROI from SEO.

Medical Devices Industry Average SEO ROI

The medical devices industry used to count on passionate sales reps who showcased products by connecting face-to-face with healthcare professionals. However, consumers today also value virtual connections, which are faster and more convenient.

Hence, companies in the medical devices sector face the challenge of adapting to today’s digital society where there is an increased dependence on the Internet. Still, the adoption of the medical industry to digital marketing efforts like SEO is minimal.

Medical SEO currently costs between $799 to $1,999 per month. The return to their SEO efforts is ten-fold, exhibiting an ROI of 1,183%, proving that there is a huge customer base and market waiting to be unlocked in the medical devices industry.

Pharmaceutical Industry Average SEO ROI

Much like businesses in the medical devices industry, pharmaceutical companies utilize traditional marketing strategies like sending sales representatives to personally reach their main customer base.

Now, SEO is an essential practice for pharmaceutical companies to attract certain customers. The industry’s SEO cost ranges from $3,000 to $10,000+ monthly. Then, the expected ROI from SEO is around 826%.

Real Estate Industry Average SEO ROI

Data shows that 90% of web users browse potential properties on real estate websites. Therefore, most property buyers start their purchasing journey online, and marketers must race to the top spot of search engine rankings to receive more customers and generate more sales. 

SEO is a vital tool for businesses in the real estate industry to remain at the front of this huge market. Real estate marketers spend on SEO depending on their market size and demand. The general rule of thumb is the larger the market, the higher the SEO costs. On the other hand, smaller real estate markets exhibit lower SEO costs.

Due to its large customer base and expenditure, the real estate industry exhibits the highest SEO ROI of 1,389%.

Average ROI by Type of SEO

ROI by Type of SEO Key Findings

• A successful technical SEO effort, which includes improving website performance for higher customer satisfaction, can generate an ROI of 116%.
• Local SEO helps cater to 46% of all Google searches with local intent. As a result, 40% of all local SEO campaigns record a 500% ROI.
• Utilizing content marketing in SEO, whether through video content, blog articles, or graphics, likely leads to 6 times higher conversion rates than marketers that don’t.

As mentioned earlier, SEO has multiple elements. The industry isn’t just the only effectual factor in determining SEO ROI. The type of SEO can also predict the success of your SEO campaign, and more statistics below will help you gauge each type’s effectiveness through their ROIs.

Average ROI for Technical SEO

The goal of technical SEO is to ensure the company website upholds the technical requirements of search engines. These standards are set to result in improved organic rankings. Some examples of the elements of technical SEO that help develop its success are:

• Crawling
• Indexing
• Rendering 
• Load time 
• Proper configuration of files
• Overall website architecture

A solid example of technical SEO is mobile optimization. Studies reveal that 60% of all searches are done through mobile devices. Thus, optimizing web content for mobile devices has become essential for marketers today. Otherwise, their campaigns might fail. 

When a website employs a mobile-first approach and contains optimized content for mobile use, it will likely result in 70% more user engagement and develop 50% higher conversion rates.

Average ROI for Local SEO

Local SEO is focused on increasing local organic traffic and visibility, which builds a business’ brand awareness among its local customer base. It’s the type of SEO that is responsible for showing users information on:

• Public transport schedules and rates 
• Nearby business locations
• Top products and services based on reviews

Since 46% of all Google searches seek local information, local SEO is a key aspect of an overall SEO campaign. Then, an average of 80% of all local searches are converted. On that account, 40% of local SEO efforts display at least 500% ROI.

Average ROI for Content Marketing in SEO

Local SEO is focused on increasing local organic traffic and visibility, which builds a business’ brand awareness among its local customer base. It’s the type of SEO that is responsible for showing users information on:

• Public transport schedules and rates 
• Nearby business locations
• Top products and services based on reviews

Since 46% of all Google searches seek local information, local SEO is a key aspect of an overall SEO campaign. Then, an average of 80% of all local searches are converted. On that account, 40% of local SEO efforts display at least 500% ROI.

Effectiveness of SEO Statistics

Return on Investment isn’t the only metric used to measure the success of an SEO campaign. Other metrics that assess SEO ROI also include the following: 

• Page speed
• Crawl errors
• Organic traffic
• Domain Authority
• Engagement rate
• Keyword rankings
• New vs. returning visitors
• Organic click-through-rates (CTR)
• High-quality backlinks (from reputable websites, quality content, etc.)

Based on the statistics discussed above, SEO is a relatively successful marketing strategy. Hence, 58% of marketers agree that SEO is the most effective digital marketing approach.

ROI of SEO vs PPC Statistics

SEO is commonly compared with the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing model. The latter is a type of online advertising strategy where marketers pay every time their advertisement is clicked under a search engine result page. 

PPC is a popular strategy that often accompanies SEO. However, its cost has increased over the years and is now priced at $1.20 per click. Then, PPC yields an average of 200% ROI or a net profit of $2.40 per click.

In comparison, SEO has an  average of around 275% ROI, but can display higher ROI than 500% depending on the SEO type and the organization’s industry. Furthermore, SEO costs less than PPC as it incurs no additional advertisement fee.

In a Nutshell

SEO appears to be more effective than PPC based on their ROI. However, ROI is not the sole measure of a marketing campaign’s success. Discover how PPC and SEO perform in various other metrics by reading about the statistical showdown between organic vs. paid search. 

Search Engine Trends and Forecast to Help Boost SEO ROI

Search Engine Trends and Forecast Key Findings

• There are around 500 to 600 Google search engine updates yearly that shape the SEO landscape—how competitive it is, the main elements to consider for ranking, and so on. 
• Almost 35% of SEO strategies are user-focused and aim to improve user experience.
• Over 70% of digital marketers have embraced AI and utilize it for the majority of their SEO campaigns.
• Due to the constant changes in SEO trends and consumer demands, 82.5% of marketers plan to increase their SEO budgets.

SEO has undergone significant changes through the years and marketers have always had to keep up with its constant transformation. 

Some challenges that SEO marketers face are consistent search engine algorithm updates. According to Search Engine Land, Google updates its search engine algorithm about 500 to 600 times per year. With that, SEO marketers constantly learn and unlearn concepts to rank in search engines.

Moreover, customer preferences are shifting day by day and more tools emerge for organizations to discover and adopt. 34.7% of SEO campaigns are now focused on improving user experience to keep up with changing user preferences and increasing demand.

For instance, the rise of AI has been driving SEO trends and has become a standard tool in the industry. According to Salesforce’s State of Marketing report, 77% of digital marketers already utilize AI at the forefront of their SEO efforts, potentially leading to higher ROIs.

Businesses are also improving their website’s mobile compatibility and load speed to enable their content for voice search. This need for improvement is in light of the 45% increase in voice search queries in 2024. Now, 1 out of 5 online searches are voice searches. Experts predict that this number will only go higher as more consumers adopt voice search technology.

Due to the various trends in SEO, 82.5% of marketers will increase their budgets to keep up with the SEO industry’s demand. Additionally, the lion’s share of the budget increase will be focused on content marketing.

The Future of SEO and How It Can Affect Your ROI

SEO has undergone significant changes through the years and marketers have always had to keep up with its constant transformation. 

Some challenges that SEO marketers face are consistent search engine algorithm updates. According to Search Engine Land, Google updates its search engine algorithm about 500 to 600 times per year. With that, SEO marketers constantly learn and unlearn concepts to rank in search engines.

Moreover, customer preferences are shifting day by day and more tools emerge for organizations to discover and adopt. 34.7% of SEO campaigns are now focused on improving user experience to keep up with changing user preferences and increasing demand.

For instance, the rise of AI has been driving SEO trends and has become a standard tool in the industry. According to Salesforce’s State of Marketing report, 77% of digital marketers already utilize AI at the forefront of their SEO efforts, potentially leading to higher ROIs.

Businesses are also improving their website’s mobile compatibility and load speed to enable their content for voice search. This need for improvement is in light of the 45% increase in voice search queries in 2024. Now, 1 out of 5 online searches are voice searches. Experts predict that this number will only go higher as more consumers adopt voice search technology.

Due to the various trends in SEO, 82.5% of marketers will increase their budgets to keep up with the SEO industry’s demand. Additionally, the lion’s share of the budget increase will be focused on content marketing.

Achieving SEO ROI: An Extended, Strategic Effort with High Payoff

Despite the promise of an impressive ROI and many other positive impacts discussed in this article, many marketers are still skeptical about SEO. 

The 2024 State of SEO report by Conductor emphasized that businesses with low SEO maturity levels are more likely to report minimal ROI or negative impacts from SEO campaigns. 

On the other hand, Search Engine Journal’s report reflects that SEO receives overall positive sentiment toward more experienced marketers in the industry. 

The reports show the contrast between marketers starting their SEO journey and those who have understood the industry over the years. 

As discussed thoroughly in the statistics above, SEO is a long-drawn process that takes months to display positive results. SEO success also runs on trends and current consumer needs, requiring marketers to constantly adjust. However, as proved by the data reports, SEO’s payoff will be highly beneficial.