I found an interesting map of the click distribution on Google search results.  It appears that there is a 42.9% traffic difference between the site at #1 and the site at #2 as well as a considerable extra time spent at the number one site.

So what does this mean for web publishers?  It means that you need to try to do everything possible for that #1 spot. Think of it like this:  the number two site gets only 1,345 clicks while the number one site gets 5,636 clicks.  It doesn’t take a genius to realize the amount of difference those extra 4,300 visitors per day could make.

Getting that #1 ranking is hard work, but it is possible if you stick with a solid SEO strategy.  Once you find a strategy that works for you (everybody’s is different), stick with it, scale it up, and don’t be lazy.  Eventually you will get the #1 spot.