SEO Research Reports

BrightEdge is an industry leader in SEO research. Read up on our latest insights and findings.

Featured Research Reports

The AI Agent and AEO Organizational Readiness Gap
BrightEdge uncovers the gaps in AI search readiness, showing what separates leading enterprise teams from those still catching up.

.jpg)](/content/resources/research-reports/ai-search-visits-in-surging-2025/index.html) AI Search Visits Surging in 2025—But Organic Search Remains the Cornerstone of Digital Growth
While AI may be the fastest-growing channel, the smartest marketers are winning by combining AI readiness with proven SEO strategies.

.jpg)](/content/resources/research-reports/brand-visibility-chatgpt-and-google-ai-approaches-industry/index.html) Brand Visibility | ChatGPT and Google AI Approaches by Industry
Today, we released new research revealing a critical turning point in the evolution of search: ChatGPT and Google AI Mode increasingly reveal two distinct paths when users ask how to take action. ChatGPT's task-first approach contrasts sharply with Google's information-first model, highlighting not just a technical difference but a pivotal shift in how consumers find, trust, and act online.

Agentic AI Activity Doubles: Adapt Your SEO Strategy Now
BrightEdge AI Catalyst reveals how the July spike in ChatGPT agent activity is changing search — and how your brand can stay visible.

Google Search Generative Experience Is Coming
This infographic offers marketers a comprehensive analysis of SGE's impact on nine key industries, preparing them for the impending 'searchquake'.

The 2022 U.S. Education Services Industry Research Report
Using BrightEdge search data and analytical tools, we began by looking at search volume trends for approximately 410 keywords related to the education industry with a combined monthly search volume of more than 1.9 million searches.

2021 E-Commerce Holiday Shopping Guide: Preparing for the 2021 Holiday Shopping Season
The 2021 holiday shopping season is upon us. Despite numerous challenges facing retailers this year – from shifts in consumer behavior to product and labor shortages to supply chain disruption and longer shipping windows – the forecast is bright.

The 2021 U.S. Education Services Industry Outlook
These trends make it vital to understand and anticipate peaks in demand, and where to focus your SEO efforts and content strategy in order to tap into the organic search market. Are you ready for the surge?

2020 BrightEdge Holiday Planning Guide
Shopping trends have already shifted and using BrightEdge data, we’ve seen many these trends first-hand by examining analytics of 144 e-commerce clients from a wide variety of business sizes and diverse product profiles. Our insights into shopping behavior over the past year show that brands will need to adapt to meet new consumer shopping behavior.

Search Marketing Shifts
Increasing reliance on SEO insights and real-time intelligence signifies a major shift from SEO point solutions to a unified platform.

INDUSTRY REPORT: Travel and Hospitality SEO
As consumers trend away from absolute brand loyalty and towards a longer conversion funnel, opportunities arise to get search visibility with prospective customers.

INDUSTRY REPORT: Real Estate Marketing and SEO
Start by being at the same watering holes as your customers.

INDUSTRY REPORT: Ecommerce Marketing and SEO
Site search users are 5.5X more likely to purchase.

INDUSTRY REPORT: Retail Marketing and SEO
Only 3% of retailers report delivering desired results from digital marketing initiatives.

INDUSTRY REPORT: News & Media Marketing and SEO
How traditional media companies are combating falling print demand.

INDUSTRY REPORT: Financial Services Marketing and SEO
Key trends to watch in financial services marketing.

INDUSTRY REPORT: Higher Education Marketing and SEO
Understand the key trends emerging in education marketing.

BrightEdge 2018 Mid-Year Mobile Research Roundup
Mobile share of traffic continues its rapid expansion.

2017 Holiday Shopping Update
BrightEdge research uncovers the new holiday shopping journey.

Mobile-First: 57% of Traffic is Now Mobile
2017 BrightEdge research finds that 57% of all online traffic is now on mobile and tablet.

Future of SEO and Content Marketing Survey
More than 250 marketing leaders confirm the need to converge SEO and content marketing practices.

Organic Search Is Still the Largest Channel
51% of traffic on average still comes from organic search.

Content Engagement Report
Research finds consumers engage with only 20% of B2C content.

Holiday Shopping Trends
Mobile commerce set for rapid growth. Online retailers, find out how to capitalize on this opportunity.

Industry SERP Report
Provide content marketers with predictive, data-driven content guidance.

Secure Search Whitepaper
A guide to SEO success in a world of secure search.

Search Marketer Survey
Discover the hottest trends across search, content, and digital marketing.

Yelp Case Study
How Yelp wins at local SEO with BrightEdge.

Twitter Case Study
Tiny Prints grows search rankings 47% using BrightEdge's Twitter Trending technology.

White Hat Backlink Best Practices
Build legitimate external links to increase organic traffic, conversions, and revenue.

Smart Content: With Scale Comes Leverage
Brands who invest in SEO see 5X incremental gains compared to those who don't.