Years ago, when online search engine ranking powerhouse Google was not yet a company and still a project in its research phase, its founders were still being innovative, using LEGO blocks to make storage compartments for the ten or so 4 gigabyte hard drives they were employing to test out their PageRank algorithm. These founders were certainly on to something, since that algorithm paved the way considerably for how a search engine ranking system is developed. Even today, Google rankings are the rankings that most of the world’s users rely upon to give them answers to everything from where they should shop to what they should buy to where they should travel to.

Of course, other search engines are in the business of devising accurate and helpful search engine rankings, and they largely follow Google in their own pursuits of ranking companies according to specific criteria. Google, however, set the standard, and most others are merely following its lead. As they do, they often turn to the site to see about some of the world’s top trends in search engine optimization.

Many of these trends exist today, including the statistic that companies that blog generally have 434 percent more pages that are indexed, which leads most commonly to a higher search engine ranking and therefore a larger chance to grab more leads. A higher search engine ranking is the ultimate goal for any company in business today, and so a lot of company owners, business to business marketing agencies, and even web developers are turning to Google and others to get stronger rankings.

Another interesting statistic surrounds how people search for things on Google and other sites. For instance, of the 88 plus percent of U.S. online users 14 and older who look online to research products as of 2012, about 40 will follow up with additional research on a social media site to either request more information or to contact a seller prior to finalizing a purchase. What does social media have to do with a search engine ranking in this case? It is more indirect, but the two both operate as tools devised to improve leads and sales among companies, so both are equally important.

More importantly is the stat that 42 percent of people who use search engines will click on the first natural result that appears. This more than anything demonstrates the importance of having a high search engine ranking. Another fascinating stat is that mobile Internet usage will overtake desktop Internet usage by next year, further proving the relevance of improving a search engine ranking both for online and for mobile purposes.