How important is being on the top of Google?

A new study from Chitika, an online advertising network, demonstrates the significance of top search rankings.

The top position in Google earns 32.5% share of web search traffic, which is about double the web traffic possessed by the next runner up (17.6%). These declines continue throughout the rankings, with the 10th position (the last on the first page) owning about 2.4% of the web search traffic. This precipitous decline in value illustrates the value that web marketers place on top search rankings.

The drop off of web search traffic is even more dramatic when venturing off the first page.  This study outlines the importance of a solid search marketing methodology. Highly competitive terms may be unattainable for some smaller websites, whereas long-tail results may allow for top rankings. Larger websites with more authority may compete for top positions with high-competition keywords, but the difference in position makes all the difference. This study may be a useful data point for marketing strategy and planning for search marketing.

Percentage of search engine traffic for first page results

• Page 1: 91.5% of web search traffic
• Page 2: Slightly less than 5% of web search traffic
• Page 3: Just about 1% of web search traffic