Websites are crucial to ensuring your business’ success in today’s digital-first world. They help establish your branding, connect you with customers, and grow your sales. To help you build and operate an effective website, here are 47 essential website statistics for small businesses.

General Website Statistics & Insights

Building brand presence online is essential to any business, and the key to success is building a website that introduces your brand to prospects, educates and serves customers, and helps you gain market share in your industry. If you haven’t built one, these basic stats on websites may convince you to do so.

1. Approximately 73% of small businesses have a website

Nearly three-quarters of small businesses have a website—up from 2018, when only 50% did. If you’re one of the 27% that still doesn’t have a web presence, take these online business statistics as a sign to build one soon. Having a website is crucial for your business name and brand recognition and, as the small business website statistics below show, it can also help in lead generation and conversion.

2. Over 93% of website traffic is directed through Google

Website visitor statistics show that over 93% of the world’s web traffic goes through Google, and Google search statistics show that there are over 8 billion searches a day on the platform. So it’s easy to conclude that virtually every small business should optimize its website to align with best practices for Google’s search engine algorithm.

3. 1 in 5 businesses say their main website issue is low traffic

It doesn’t matter how good your product or service is if no one is around to discover it—in fact, 21% of small businesses say their main website issue is low traffic. Beyond your site design and page loading speeds, make sure you also invest in the rest of SEO. Learn what search engine marketing is to lead your target audience to your site.

4. The average click-through rate of a call to action is 4.23%

A 4.23% click-through rate might not sound good, but it’s significantly higher than the 3.17% click-through rate (CTR) for Google ads—and much cheaper too. Spend time developing effective calls to action (CTAs), whether it’s by researching buttons (e.g., shape and color), changing your site’s copy, or fixing other aspects of your site’s design.

5. Google searches for ‘small business website’ have gone up by 30%

Over the past five years, the number of Google searches for “small business website” skyrocketed to an all-time high. The number of searches has gone up by 30% over the past three years alone, indicating an increased interest from small business owners to build a website for their own brands.

6. Only 40% of websites rank on the first page of search engine results

First-page rankings are everything in the world of SEO. When researching on the internet, whether to find solutions to a problem or just check out new businesses to try, most internet users will only search on the first page. However, according to website traffic statistics, only 40% of websites rank on the first page of search results—which means the majority of sites get very little traffic.

7. Over 58% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices

When designing your website, it’s more important than ever to have a mobile-first mindset. As of the first quarter of 2023, website statistics show that 58.3% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, a steadily increasing trend over the past five years and a 7% increase from 2020. As smartphones become more capable, people are steadily using them to do more things, from researching information to shopping.

Statistics About Site Design

Now that you know the general website basics that matter when building a site, here are some website statistics on design to keep in mind as you build your site.

8. 38% of people will stop interacting with a poorly designed site

People have endless websites to choose from online. Instead of trying to navigate a bad website, 38% will leave and head to the hundreds (if not thousands) of other sites that offer the same things—minus the headache. Don’t waste the opportunity to convert your viewers by having them bounce off the page before they’ve even begun—see what makes a good website as far as design goes.

9. 38.5% of users judge a business by how its website looks at first glance

Nearly 39% of professional web developers think poor design drives users away. Forget about optimization for a second, and just think about how your site looks aesthetically. Is it sleek enough? Does it have high-quality images? Designing a site from the ground up isn’t the most difficult thing to do. For inspiration, check out our list of the best one-page website examples.

10. 70% of our time is focused on the left side of the webpage

Did you ever wonder why many websites (like Amazon) keep their menu bars on the left side? Most people read from left to right, so the majority of our attention is directed on the left side of the page.

Studies show that 70% of the time users spend on a webpage is solely focused on the left. So, always place your most important information nearer to the left side of web pages (and high up on the page) for a better response. Our list of the best startup website examples offers more insights into this as well as other creative web design ideas.

11. 39% of users focus on a website’s colors

One of the most crucial website facts—and branding facts overall—is that color substantially affects how people perceive your brand. More than any other element, including quality images or typography, a website’s color scheme is what attracts consumers the most when it comes to website design. In fact, nearly 40% of users focus on color when looking at a website, with 46% of consumers stating they prefer blue on a site’s design.

12. Consistent branding can increase website conversions by 33%

Consistent branding across your website and all of your online marketing assets influences purchase decisions in a major way and is essential for brand recognition. Keep your imagery, language, and colors aligned, as consistent branding can increase conversions (and with that revenue) by as much as 33%. See how other companies leverage this tactic in our list of the best small business website examples.

13. 73% of businesses invest in unique design

With the amount of competition in the market, your company website needs to stand out. Nearly three-fourths of businesses achieve this by investing heavily in design. As a startup or small company, you might not have the funds to compete with larger companies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build a website that does. In fact, the best cheap website builders make it easy to create a custom, visually impactful website to set your brand apart for less than $9 a month.

14. 57% of users won’t recommend a company with poor mobile web design

Above all, don’t forget to ensure your site looks good on every device. According to Zippia, 57% of consumers say they wouldn’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website. The good news is that drag-and-drop website builders like Squarespace, Wix, and GoDaddy have mobile-friendly templates you can use to design your website.

15. 38% of customers look at a site’s layout & navigational links when they first visit a website

In website design, layout and navigational links play a crucial role in the overall user experience. They essentially work as maps that guide users around your website and point them in the right direction. It’s also the first thing that many users look for when visiting your website: a survey found that 38% of customers look at a website’s layout and navigational links when visiting it for the first time.

Statistics on How Websites Use Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is proving to be a powerhouse in marketing, and one particularly strong area is with websites. From AI website builders that can create a professional website from a few prompts to customized search suggestions, AI is steadily revolutionizing how websites function both for brands and consumers. Keep reading for stats on using AI in websites.

16. Interest in AI websites has increased by 87% since 2021

Coinciding with the atmospheric rise of AI tools, interest in AI websites has risen just as dramatically. From July 2021 to July 2023, “AI websites” as a Google search term increased by 87% in the U.S. Alongside AI websites, people are also interested in AI content marketing generators and AI-generated websites—which only highlight the growing demand of artificial intelligence in websites as a whole.

17. Incorporating AI in a website can lead to a 15.4% increase in traffic

Incorporating AI in your website increases its functionality, creating a better user experience and in turn bringing in more traffic. This was the case with Microsoft’s website Bing, which saw a 15.4% increase in its website traffic after incorporating an AI chatbot similar to ChatGPT into its website. If this growth continues, projections say that it could lead to a consistent increase of 10% in website traffic rankings each year.

18. AI-powered SEO can increase a website’s domain rating by over 40%

For websites, an area that AI can be significantly helpful in is search engine optimization (SEO)—in fact, website statistics from tech site Techcrunch found that using OpenAI to help plan the site’s SEO boosted its domain rating by over 40% in less than one year. Using OpenAI helped it target specific SEO key phrases to hone in on, which increased website clicks exponentially, thus improving its domain ranking.

19. 93% of web designers have used AI in designing a website

AI in websites isn’t just limited to extending functionality and user experience—it’s helpful in the design process too. In fact, website stats from HubSpot found that 93% of web designers used AI in their website design process over the past year. Most (58%) used AI to generate image and media assets, while others used it to create full web page designs or explore new design ideas and strategies.

20. Chatbots are the #1 most used generative AI tool by consumers

Generative AI—AI that creates new content like text or images—is steadily on the rise. However, studies have found that the generative AI tool that consumers used the most is the AI chatbot (at 14%-15%), more than for gaming or online search. Whether for marketing, sales, or customer service, the best AI chatbots are the most useful smart tool for your online customers, so be sure to add them to your website.

21. 91% of customers believe that company websites should have AI chatbots

A 2022 survey found that 91% of consumers believed that AI chatbots on company websites were generally valuable and improved their customer experience, compared to only 9% who thought otherwise. AI chatbots expand your website’s customer service and substantially improve customer experience.

22. AI-powered online search is the #1 AI product customers are most interested in

AI’s reach may be expanding to multiple industries and tools, but the AI product customers are interested in the most is online search, with 49% choosing it over products like smart assistants or vehicle navigation. This means that with the advent of AI for small business marketing, customers expect more functionality and options than ever from business websites, which will also likely influence their purchasing behavior.

23. 64% of customers would purchase products recommended by AI

Customers aren’t just expecting AI assistance and recommendations from business websites—they’re trusting them too, even with purchase decisions. Website marketing statistics found that 64% of customers across all age groups are open to purchasing products recommended by AI. As far as ecommerce trends go, implementing AI machine learning has the potential to significantly increase your sales.

24. 50% of customers are excited about AI creating immersive customer experiences

There’s no question that AI has unlocked a door in digital marketing—including providing entirely new customer experiences from brands. An example of this is Heinz’s AI-generated ad campaign, which quickly garnered worldwide success. However, beyond traditional ads, website stats show that at least 50% of customers are ready for brands to build immersive and exciting experiences online using AI.

Website Stats About User Experience (UX)

Excellent design is one thing, but building a website with the site visitor’s user experience (UX) in mind is what will truly leave a great impression of your site. To ensure your customers return to your website time and again, take these website statistics on user experience into account.

25. 40% of people will stop engaging with a slow website

Nobody likes a slow website. While it’s great to have high-quality images, GIFs, and videos, they unfortunately can slow your website down significantly, and eventually drive audiences away. According to studies, 40% of consumers will leave a website that takes more than three seconds to load. These page load time statistics mean that while having a visually impactful website is always great, if your audience doesn’t wait around to see it, it can’t do its job.

26. Conversions drop up to 7% per second of site load time

When we say make sure your site loads fast, website load time statistics show it to be a matter of seconds. Each second a website spends loading risks many missed conversions—specifically, up to 7% of conversions are lost for each wasted second. These website performance statistics also increase exponentially: When a page takes 10 seconds to load, users’ bounce rate can increase up to 123%.

27. Optimal website visual intensity can increase positive response to 5.03%

Your website’s visual intensity refers to the overall effect its visual elements—including photos, buttons, thumbnails, and more—have on people. Research shows that websites with optimal visual intensity (i.e., good visual hierarchy and a dynamic and engaging layout) have a 5.03% positive response—over 117% more than sites with a basic visual intensity.

28. Poor UX can cause 50% of users to choose your competitors instead

A poorly designed and optimized website does more than frustrate users. Website statistics prove that it actively drives 50% of potential customers straight into your competitors’ arms. That’s quite a bit of revenue, considering each shopper spends around $2.30 per visit on average. User experience isn’t a one-time thing either: Consistently improve your site’s UX, as around 80% of a business’ profits come from 20% of existing customers.

29. 80% of consumers will leave a brand after three bad experiences

Users expect excellent customer service as well as strong web design. Four out of five users are willing to leave a brand they are loyal to after three (or even fewer) bad experiences in customer service. This means more than optimizing for fast load times and easy navigation. Engage website visitors with chatbots or live chat features so their queries get answered instantly. Additionally, provide web forms that prospects and customers can use to request information.

30. The ROI of spending on UX is 9,900%

Research shows that for every $1 spent on UX, a brand gets $100 in return. That’s an amazing return on investment (ROI), and just goes to show how important it is to optimize your website with your audience in mind.

31. 43% of small businesses plan to invest in web performance

Website speed statistics show that only 43% of small companies know just how important loading speeds are. The average page loading speed is 10.3 seconds for desktops and 27.3 seconds for mobile—an enormous amount of time in today’s ultra-fast-paced world.

Statistics About Web Content

These web page statistics on content will help you create the right content that drives traffic to your website, keeps your customers engaged, and gets prospects moving through to the end of the sales funnel.

32. Users spend 88% more time on web pages with video content

If you’re having a hard time lowering your bounce rate, include videos in your content. Studies show that users spend 88% more time on pages with videos. Not only are videos generally more engaging, but users usually prefer watching videos to reading long blocks of text.

33. 87% of marketers have increased sales because of video content

In addition to increasing time on site and engagement, having video content can also generate considerable traffic and sales. More than 85% of marketers have improved their sales specifically because of video content. On the consumer’s side, a whopping 89% of customers said that they’ve been convinced to make a purchase from a company’s video.

34. Businesses that blog get 67% more leads per month

Once you’ve made a small business website that provides great UX, the next step is to create a blog, as these website stats show. Blogs can generate more leads—nearly 70% more, in fact. Blogging is a fantastic way to personalize and humanize your brand by imparting your brand values to your readers. Plus, it can also help boost SEO by showing search crawlers that your website is authoritative for your business industry.

35. 61% of U.S. consumers made a purchase because of a blog

Research shows that 61% of U.S.-based online consumers made a purchase based on a blog recommendation. In addition to businesses looking for lead generation for direct sales, this is also great news for those who want to start a blog that makes money via affiliate marketing or sponsored content.

36. Readers are 94% more likely to read your entire blog if it takes less than 6 minutes

Though having many blog posts is good for your SEO, try to keep the reading time of each just under six minutes (approximately 1,000 words). According to research, this is the sweet spot that lets you optimize blog content and impart useful information, and it gives your blog a 94% better chance of being read from start to finish.

Statistics for Ecommerce Sites

Are you planning to sell online? Whether you’re a small local ecommerce business or a dropshipper, these statistics about websites in the ecommerce industry can help you build a successful brand. For even more data on all things ecommerce, check out 38 more ecommerce statistics.

37. There are over 26 million ecommerce websites

More and more people are shopping online, with over 26 million ecommerce websites worldwide—of which 14 million are located in the U.S.

38. The biggest ecommerce platform has 6.1 million live websites

WooCommerce is the largest ecommerce platform as of 2023, with over 6.1 million live ecommerce websites. This makes up almost half of the total ecommerce sites there are worldwide. This is followed by Shopify, with just over 4 million live websites.

While both platforms offer numerous benefits for any business, find out which is better for yours in our WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison.

39. On average, U.S. ecommerce sales grow by 17.9% each year

Despite massive competition, ecommerce websites are a worthwhile investment according to website statistics. Studies show that U.S. ecommerce sales grow by an average of 17.9% every year. Worldwide, a quarter of the world’s population (or roughly 2 billion people) purchased a product or service online in 2021—needless to say, ecommerce is here to stay.

40. Nearly 54% of U.S. consumers shop on mobile devices

More reason to have a beautifully designed site on mobile, not just on desktop—nearly 54% of Americans shop on their mobile phones and tablets. While you’re at it, make sure to integrate your social media profiles and marketplaces with your website. Think Facebook, Amazon, Etsy, Instagram, and Shopify—make it easy for your customers to hit that “Check Out” button.

41. 86% of mobile shoppers abandon carts

While mobile traffic accounts for more than half of all ecommerce web traffic, research shows that mobile also leads to higher abandonment rates. Mobile shoppers abandon carts 86% of the time, compared to desktop shoppers who abandon carts 73.07% on average.

To combat this, ensure that your store is optimized for mobile, not only in images but also in copy. And, don’t forget to use website exit pop-ups and email marketing to avoid cart abandonment. Neglecting to optimize these can lead to a loss in revenue.

42. Sites that only accept PayPal are considered less trustworthy

Only offering PayPal as a payment option on your website makes your site look dated or less reputable, which can be a huge mistake when trying to get customers to convert. While PayPal might be the default payment gateway for many businesses, explore other options like Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Stripe, and Skrill.

You can also eliminate the headache of integrating payment processors by building your website on Weebly. You’ll get access to its reputable payment processing features in every plan, even the free one. This is thanks to integrated payment options through its parent company, Square.

43. 44% of Europeans prefer purchasing via digital wallets

Customer research in Europe found that 44% of shoppers prefer digital wallets as an online payment method—including e-wallets like Apple Pay and Alipay—more than any other method like credit cards or cash on delivery.

Stats About Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Whether you have a physical storefront or an ecommerce one, a strong online presence anchored by your business website is a crucial key to your success. Online traffic directly leads to more foot traffic and sales. Still unconvinced? Keep reading for these website stats on local search engine optimization.

44. Nearly half of Google searches are for local businesses

Even if you’re not planning to expand your small business globally, local SEO is still vital. Forty-six percent of searchers look for local businesses, and these are also catalysts for in-person visits. At least 45% of these searchers also likely visited a local store afterward. Don’t miss out on the web and foot traffic: Build a beautiful site, and work on your SEO to build a strong local online presence.

45. 96% of potential clients learn about a business online

If the website statistics above still don’t convince you to build a site, maybe this will: 96% of customers (basically everyone) use the internet to read local business reviews and learn about a business. Of course, this also involves social media marketing, but all your online marketing efforts can be accelerated by creating a website to showcase your brand’s presence online.

46. 86% of customers search Google Maps before visiting a business

Some 86% of potential customers scope out a business on Google Maps before heading over. So, after you’ve built your website, create a Google Business Profile and add business listings to other directories, like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau.

If you don’t have the time to create and manage online listings, you can always hire listings management services through companies like Hibu. Find out more about Hibu and other agencies that can help you in our guide to the best digital marketing agencies for small businesses.

47. 62% of customers will ignore a business without a web presence

Finally, one more reason to build a site is that a majority of potential customers will completely disregard your business if it doesn’t have a web presence. In fact, websites have become so ubiquitous that not having one is seen as distrustful. Plus, when building one, include important information, like your products and services, physical address (if available), and contact information. Website statistics show that all these build trust among your customers.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Bottom Line

No matter what type of business you own, having a professional, well-optimized website should be a top priority. Not only does it increase your professional credibility through brand recognition, but it is also a significant boost to your digital marketing strategies. Use these website stats as your guide to build a site that establishes your brand, connects you with customers, and generates leads, conversions, and sales.