Google Says More People Search on Mobile than Desktop
For many years, the rumbling has been that, eventually, more people will browse the web and search from their mobile devices than their desktop of laptop computers.
It wasn't a question of "if", but rather "when".
Well, it looks like that day has finally arrived. Because Google recently confirmed that:
"In fact, more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US and Japan."
So how did we get here, and what does that mean exactly? Let's take a deeper look.
Smartphones have come a long way
The smartphone revolution as we know it really got underway around the year 2000.
However, early versions of the smartphone were limited to LED screens displaying things like emails, pages, texts and missed calls.
Gradually, the phones got smaller, the screens got bigger and the reliance on smartphones for information (as well as communication) grew.
Today, smartphones feature large, bright screens and have just as much computing power as a desktop. In short, it took smartphones just over 15 years to reach the capabilities that a desktop machine achieved in approximately 50 years.
Instant access to information is more important than ever
"Just Google it".
How many times have you heard that phrase?
Information has always been a valuable commodity. In the past, though, getting that information was a time-consuming process. People would:
- Sit and watch the news
- Sit and read the newspaper
- Go to the library
- Pick up a phone and call
Compared to the speed at which anyone can whip out their iPhone and look something up, those practices just listed seem downright glacial and archaic.
Another thing to consider is this: Imagine the amount of information and data we have available at our fingertips.
Now take away our smartphones or internet access. It would be nearly impossible for us to "Google" something without actually having Google.
People aren't going to wait for the information they're looking for. Either you have it (at which point, they'll stay on your site) or they'll leave (and may never return).
We've reached a tipping point
Since over 50% of web searches take place on a mobile device, it's very unlikely that those numbers will actually decrease.
Desktops were replaced by laptops, which were replaced by netbooks which have been replaced by smartphones when it comes to online information access.
Smartphones were the first true mobile device. And with the addition of more mobile devices, like:
- iPads and other tablets
- Smart watches
- Google Glass (and other wearable technology)
More and more people will be searching on the go, rather than setting time aside to actually sit down - at a desk or table - and systematically perform a web search.
If you're not "mobile-friendly", Google will ignore you
And if Google ignores you, your potential customers will never find you.
Earlier this year, Google announced a big update to its mobile search algorithm. In addition to search engine optimization and search marketing, Google will check if your site is "mobile-friendly" by considering:
- Does your mobile site load quickly on a smartphone
- Are the images sized correctly
- Are links easy to identify, and do they work properly
- Is the web copywriting relevant to the referring search term
If the answer to those questions is "yes", then your site is mobile-friendly. Google will rank it and it will actually be listed as "mobile-friendly". Your website will easily be found.
Should the answer be "no", then Google won't rank your site at all (making it nearly impossible to find) and won't tell people that it's "mobile-friendly" (thus scaring off potential customers).
And if over 50% of your clients are now coming via mobile search, it's absolutely imperative that your site works on mobile. After all, you wouldn't want to alienate more than half of your potential customers by giving them a bad experience, now would you?
What can you do? Partner with the experts in mobile strategy, that's what.
Once your lost on Google, it takes a long time to get found by potential customers.
So the trick is to not get lost on Google in the first place.
At WSI Milton, we're experts in all facets of mobile website development:
- Design and optimization
- Copy and linking
- SEO and organic search tactics
- Social media marketing on mobile
We're experts on mobile so you don't have to be. And we want to put our expertise to work for you.
The first step is to book a discovery meeting today with us, and we'll review your current mobile site and develop a plan to make it "mobile-friendly".
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