21 Digital Marketing Statistics for Small Businesses in 2024

The online world has opened up countless opportunities for your business’ growth—the only hurdle is learning how to navigate and leverage these to your best benefit. To help you out, here are some of the most important digital marketing statistics for small businesses to give you better insight into the digital marketing industry and help you navigate it better.

1. Search engines are consumers’ #1 source of brand discovery

Gone are the days of putting up posters and print ads to market your business to new audiences. Today, search engines are the number one source of brand discovery for 30.6% of consumers. This sits just above television ads, with 30.2% of votes, and word-of-mouth marketing at third place.

These digital marketing stats mean you’ll have a much higher chance of growing your brand presence by putting more effort into your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, like optimizing your keywords, doing content marketing, and maintaining your site’s health. Learn more about how to build an SEO marketing strategy for your business.

2. Websites that invest in SEO get 86% of all online clicks

If you’ve ever wondered why SEO is such a pillar in digital marketing, it’s because so much of the online population only interacts with the front page of the internet—i.e., the first page of search engine results. A study by Backlinko found that the first 10 websites on Google’s search engine results get 86% of all organic clicks on average, while a paltry 14% goes to all the websites on the second page and beyond.

If you needed more proof that SEO yields significant results for your website and business, this digital marketing statistic proves it. The higher your search engine ranking (especially on Google), the more visitors your site gets—and the higher your chances of gaining new customers. See what it takes to rank higher on Google.

3. 43% of users use the internet mainly for brand & product research

When potential customers are in the stage of deciding whether or not to purchase from your business, a good number of them will use the internet to find out more about your brand. For over 43% of internet users, researching brands and products is the main reason they use the internet at all.

Although this online marketing statistic isn’t surprising, it begs the question: What can businesses do to meet the growing demand for product information? The best way is to build and optimize a consumer-ready small business website. In fact, this is one of the foremost steps for marketing your business, as it’s the center point of all your future digital marketing strategies.

4. 45% of audiences will visit a local business with a strong online presence

Your online presence can directly influence your physical store’s foot traffic too. Studies found that out of all consumers who research brands online, 45% will proceed to visit a store’s physical location if it has a strong online presence. This includes things like a functional and well-designed website, positive online reviews, and a credible Google Business Profile.

This digital marketing fact means that even if you own a small local business, optimizing your online presence can maximize your growth. Learn more local online marketing strategies you can use to grow your small business.

5. The digital marketing industry is set to grow by 13% in 2028

Digital marketing plays such a substantial role in businesses’ growth, so it’s no surprise that its industry is also set to grow in the next few years. Experts say that the digital marketing industry is projected to grow by 13% in 2028, and it’s currently worth $320 million in 2023. Meanwhile, according to LinkedIn’s digital marketing job statistics, the most in-demand skills in the digital marketing industry are social media and search engine marketing.

6. 43% of business owners say digital marketing is most effective for brand awareness

While different digital marketing strategies work better for some businesses than others, most agree on one thing: digital marketing is best for building brand awareness. A recent study by Mailjet found that nearly 43% of business owners and marketers set brand awareness as their biggest area of opportunity in digital marketing, closely followed by improving customer relationships (41%).

No surprise there: One of the most well-benefited facts about digital marketing is that it’s an effective way to connect with large (but highly targeted) audiences, which has only increased in recent years following the pandemic. See what other types of small business marketing ideas could help.

7. Only 23% of websites rank in the top three Google search results

SEO can often be a fierce competition. Despite digital marketing growth statistics showing that the majority of clicks go to top-ranking websites, only very few manage to get those much-coveted spots. According to HubSpot, only 23% of websites rank in the top three search results. This means over 75% of all websites still struggle to gain traffic—a substantial number, given that there are about 1.11 billion websites in the world.

8. Digital ads have an average ROI of 200%

According to digital marketing stats from Google, every dollar advertisers spend on digital advertising earns them $2 back, which equates to a 200% average return on investment (ROI). Meanwhile, every dollar spent on Google ads alone earned advertisers $8 back in 2022. These are some of the highest digital marketing ROI statistics. Other strategies with similarly high returns are email marketing and search engine optimization.

9. Online advertising revenue has grown by 50% since 2020

If there’s ever been a time to try online advertising, it’s right now. According to Statista’s digital marketing industry statistics, online advertising revenue in the U.S. jumped from $139 billion in 2020 to over $209 billion in 2022—a 50% growth in just two years. Much of this is thanks to the ever-expanding space of online advertising, from pay-per-click (PPC) ads to new players like streaming platforms and virtual reality.

10. 33% of small businesses use social media as their main digital marketing strategy post-pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly increased social media activity for businesses and consumers alike. And now that the world is gradually opening up again, many small businesses still find social media an effective strategy for marketing. A recent study by UpCity found that 33% of businesses focus most of their digital marketing efforts on social media—an increase of 6% from before the pandemic.

The study also found that social media marketing was more popular among business-to-consumer (B2C) businesses than business-to-business (B2B) businesses. Meanwhile, SEO marketing came in just second place.

11. 39% of consumers are likely to purchase directly from social media

When it comes to marketing your small business digitally, social media is one of the key players, and with good reason. Not only is it an effective channel for growing your online reputation, but more shoppers are purchasing directly on social media. A study found that over 39% of consumers said they were likely to purchase directly from brands on social media, a 3% increase from just last year.

This means that social media isn’t effective exclusively for brand awareness and engagement anymore—it’s also a space where customers can complete the full buyer’s journey.

12. Over 90% of consumers research on social media when making purchase decisions

While not all customers purchase directly on social media, you can bet a good majority of them will use it to research your brand. A survey found that over 90% of customers regularly used social media to research a brand when deciding whether or not to continue with a purchase.

So does social media directly influence purchase decisions? The answer is a resounding yes. Of the number above, nearly 25% said they always turned to social media when making purchase decisions. In contrast, only 8% of customers rarely or never use social media at all.

13. 50% of B2B marketers find social media the most effective digital marketing strategy

Here’s probably one of the more surprising digital marketing stats from this year—for 50% of B2B marketers, social media marketing was the most effective digital marketing strategy for driving revenue. It was even ahead of content marketing and email marketing, which garnered 47% and 41% of votes, respectively.

If anything, these B2B digital marketing statistics indicate the growing relevance of interactive communication in marketing even among businesses, rather than one-sided communication like email or blogs. While these remain effective B2B strategies, it may also be time to sharpen your LinkedIn skills.

14. The average email open rate in 2022 was 18%

Email marketing is a staple in small business digital marketing—it’s not as cluttered as social media, and it’s more personal than digital ads. In 2022, the average open rate for marketing emails across all industries was just under 18%, with nonprofit email organizations on the upper end of the statistic (31%) and the health and fitness industry on the lower (10%). Keep these digital marketing statistics in mind as benchmarks for your next email marketing campaign.

15. Over 47% of small businesses found success with email campaigns

Email marketing offers many benefits for small businesses. They’re effective for everything, from brand awareness to increasing sales. In a 2022 survey, around 47% of small business owners said they found success with their email marketing campaigns. And, on average, 60% of businesses of all sizes found some success with email.

The key takeaway? Don’t discount email marketing—it’s still one of the most effective digital marketing strategies. But don’t be too generic with them either. Make sure you follow email marketing best practices and have an email marketing plan in hand.

16. 42% of small businesses say email marketing will have the highest ROI in a recession

Email marketing has proven its effectiveness in returning revenue, and not just for large enterprises. A survey found that nearly 42% of small business owners chose email marketing as the best digital marketing strategy for ROI during a recession. Emails just barely edged out digital ads, social media, and word-of-mouth marketing.

While these digital marketing statistics aren’t definitive guidelines for what strategy works best for your business, they show that an integrated and multi-directional approach is most effective for digital marketing performance. For instance, while emails bring high ROI, social media is better suited for boosting engagement.

17. The influencer marketing industry is set to grow by 28% in 2025

If there’s one major emerging player in the digital marketing field, it’s influencer marketing. While influencers have been around for a while, the influencer landscape has significantly shifted in the past few years thanks to the growth of new social platforms like TikTok and the birth of subgroups like nano and micro influencers. According to digital marketing statistics from Statista, the influencer marketing industry is set to grow by nearly 28% in 2025.

Around 32% of businesses find influencer marketing most effective for generating online engagement. Meanwhile, some also find it helpful for increasing social media traffic and improving brand reputation. Find out more about how to leverage influencer marketing for your business.

18. 26% of small businesses have a monthly digital marketing budget of less than $500

Digital marketing can be one of the most cost-effective strategies for growing small businesses. In fact, a survey found that 26% of small businesses had a monthly digital marketing budget of less than $500 in 2022. This was significantly lower than in pre-pandemic times when small businesses’ digital marketing budgets reached up to $5,000.

19. Small businesses spend an average of $534 a month on digital ads

On average, most small businesses spend around 8% of their budget on marketing. And in 2021, approximately $534 of that budget was spent on digital advertising alone, according to digital marketing statistics from Statista. However, that figure is likely to increase: the study also found that 93% were planning to spend more on digital advertising in the following years. It’s no wonder—digital ads have long been a proven strategy to get results in a short time frame.

20. Only 19% of small businesses work with a digital marketing agency

Digital marketing encompasses many tasks, which can often be overwhelming for any small business owner—especially when you have a dozen other responsibilities to juggle. Despite this, only 19% of small business owners work with a full-time digital marketing agency, according to digital marketing agency statistics from UpCity. More business owners prefer working with a digital marketing consultancy instead, while others source individual tasks.

While there’s a perception that digital marketing agencies can be costly and complicated, that often isn’t the case. It all comes down to finding the right agency to fit your business’ needs. If you need help finding the best agency for your brand, we’ve outlined a guide to the best digital marketing agencies for small businesses.

21. Over 80% of marketers use AI in digital marketing

It’s no exaggeration that artificial intelligence (AI) has exploded in this year alone, and you may have even tried using it for simple tasks like research or task organization. And if you have, you’re definitely not alone: Over 80% of marketers have integrated AI into their digital marketing strategies, according to research by Statista. Most marketers use AI to automate tasks, target ads, and analyze data easily.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How effective is digital marketing for small businesses?

Digital marketing is effective for small businesses for boosting brand awareness, encouraging customer engagement and customer retention, increasing purchase intention, and building brand loyalty. Consider these digital marketing stats: over 30% of customers¹ discover brands via top-ranking websites on search engines. Meanwhile, digital ads can generate up to 200% ROI², and search-optimized websites get over 80% of all online clicks³.

Does my business need a digital marketing strategy?

Yes. Every business needs a digital marketing strategy to thrive in today’s landscape. With the digital world growing bigger and more dynamic (especially post-pandemic), traditional offline marketing tactics are no longer enough to grow your brand presence and generate sales. Some of the most essential digital marketing strategies for small businesses are search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, paid advertising, and email marketing.

Can I do digital marketing for free?

You can do some digital marketing strategies for free, like building a website, search engine optimization, email campaigns, and content and social media marketing. However, some strategies also cost money, particularly paid ads on search engines and social media. However, prices for digital ads are relatively low compared to other channels, so digital marketing on the whole is one of the most cost-effective strategies for small businesses.

Bottom Line

Digital marketing is indispensable. In today’s growing digital world, you will need digital marketing strategies for your brand to stay relevant to audiences and to generate revenue—the digital marketing statistics above are proof of that. For your best chances of success, combine a few digital marketing strategies for a multi-channel approach, then optimize according to what works best for your business.

Data Sources:

• ¹Datareportal
• ²Google
• ³Backlinko