Study: Blogs appear most often in top Google positions
Blogs appear 23% of the time in the top 5 positions of Google Search, excluding home pages, according to BrightEdge data.
Blog posts are the most common content type found in the top 5 Google positions, a new study has found.
Why we care. Multiple CTR studies show most organic clicks go to the top 5 positions on Google Search (around 69% to 74%). So prioritizing the types of content Google rewards with more visibility is only logical.
By the numbers. Blog posts are the most prevalent content type in the top 10 positions of Google Search, excluding home pages, according to a study by enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge. Blog posts appear:
- 511 times in the top 3 (8%).
- 1,014 times in the top 5 (23%).
BrightEdge determined content types for 23,785 of the pages analyzed in the top 10 – and 3,254 were blogs. The 19% figure excluded the homepages, which accounted for 28% of the total.
But. Blogging won’t deliver visibility or organic traffic without a strategy. The content you publish must be useful or helpful to searchers.
Dig deeper. How to write a blog post that wins in 10 steps
What BrightEdge is saying. To be successful in this new world of generative AI content creation, you will need a deep understanding of your audience, according to Jim Yu, BrightEdge founder and executive chairman.
- “The future is not just AI – it’s AI and human symbiosis. AI can inform and assist, but human creativity, expertise and skill sets are necessary to add the voice and trust of your brand. Success lies in the fusion of AI and human expertise throughout any content creation process,” he said.
About the data. The findings are based on a dataset of 10,000 keywords with various intents, across 10 industries (banking, insurance, retail, software, higher education, real estate, advertising/marketing, manufacturing, travel/hospitality and industrial machinery). Data was collected in August.
Blogs remain popular. Yes, despite all the hype around video content (which is huge) people still read blogs.
- 54% of people read a blog post at least once a week, according to a recent HubSpot survey.
Dig deeper. How to survive and thrive in a Google helpful content world
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About the author
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.