There has been some very interesting data published on the way we use the Internet in the last few days. Admittedly it covers usage in the USA, but there will be many similarities to the UK, so it is well worth a read. The message is however very clear:-
2015 is the Year of the Mobile Device.
It only takes a quick look around you to realise that today people are using their mobile phones (or ‘phablets’, those phones which are a crossover between a phone and a tablet) so much more than they used to. The reasons for this are many, one is that the phones themselves are so much more powerful than they used to be, the screens being bigger, the processors powering them being much faster, and of course the availability of high speed connections (well at least in most parts of the UK).
It is the screen size that is perhaps the biggest driver here. It was not so long ago that people bought the smallest phone they could get, but today, the opposite seems to be the case, the biggest phones now being just about hold able with one hand..
But What Does All of This Mean for Businesses?
The first point is simple, it is a MUST that your business website look OK on smaller screens and is easy to navigate and use. There are various ways you can test this, but if you also want to get listed in Google’s SERPs on a mobile device you HAVE to make sure that your site complies with their rules. The good news is that this is easy, all you have to do is to visit https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/ and put in your site’s URL.
If you pass then fine, if not, you’d better contact your web designers and get it sorted fast, or you could end up losing a ton of business over the next few years.
Twitter Integrated With Mobile Search Results
The other thing that you need to consider (if you want to get the maximum from the mobile search area, is your Twitter presence. The reason that this is once again important is that Google are starting to integrate Tweets into the Search Results on Mobile devices. This means you have to make sure you are Tweeting, or being Tweeted about or you could miss this particular boat.
The overall message is however that 2015 is the year of the mobile device and that if you want to get the most out of this change, you must make sure that your business website and marketing strategy has changed to meet the ‘new world’.
Please see the full article for all the data (and other interesting stuff)…
8 Interesting Charts on How the Internet Is Changing
This week, Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, released her annual Internet Trends report. It’s the 20th edition in a series spanning back to 1994 — the year Yahoo launched and three years before Google.com was registered.
This year, internet growth rates are slowing down, but the re-invention of how we use the internet is accelerating. For example, the report reveals how much mobile has been changing internet usage. The services we use to buy our homes, rent cars, order food, get a hotel room, and shop are inherently mobile.
In addition, she also highlighted how the internet has changed the way we work. Freelancers and on-demand workers are a growing segment of the workforce — up to 34% — and this flexible workforce has fueled the internet-based service economy. Etsy, Uber, and eBay provide a platform for a person to become a business.
The deck is an impressive 197 slides, and while the entire presentation is worth a read, we’ve selected the most interesting stats and charts that highlight how the internet is changing.
Overall Internet Usage Growth Is Slowing, But Mobile Video is Accelerating
Consumer internet usage growth rates have slowed down — up 21% in 2014 versus an increase of 31% in 2012. This slow in growth is also reflected in mobile internet usage.
But global video usage rates continue to accelerate — both for internet video and mobile video. Video accounts for 64% of internet traffic, and mobile video traffic accounts for 55% of all mobile traffic, which is an increase from 50% in 2012.
Mobile Usage Has Outpaced Desktop
Usage of mobile devices is increasing while desktop use remains stagnant. People now spend 2.8 hours accessing digital media using a mobile device, while only 2.4 hours a day using a desktop or laptop computer.
Please see http://blog.hubspot.com for the full article.
