Companies appearing at the top of search result rankings get four times the average number of clicks than those ranked second, it has been revealed.

The figures leaked to Aaron Wall from AOL also indicate that second place rankings are still in with a shout, pulling in three times as many clicks as sites ranking in 10th place.

If there is a better example of the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) to user visits, I'd like to know.

Of course not every company will be capable of achieving the much-coveted top spot, but for small to medium-sized businesses aiming for a top ten ranking, the seo web design implications are also reassuring.

According to the stats, a website that ranks 10th in a search will still receive more than one fifth (147,551) the click total for pages ranked 11 to 20.

But businesses are becoming increasingly SEO savvy, with the Times reporting that SEO spending outpaced that of pay-per-click advertising across the UK in 2007.

It could be the right time for flagging internet firms to start considering web design help from a search engine marketing company to stay ahead of the competition.