Mobile is Huge
It's undeniable that mobile is here to stay. As devices get cheaper and connectivity improves, the saturation of mobile will only increase and it is critical that businesses pay close attention to the evolution of this segment. But just how important is it right now? Well, here's five facts that highlight the rise of mobile:
More than half of all Internet traffic (53%) comes from mobile devices.
82 of the top 100 Alexa websites are mobile adaptive.
Mobile accounts for 21% of all online spending.
57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site.
Google drives 93% of mobile search traffic.
Google Likes Mobile
That last statistic is worth mentioning again, because it's super important to a successful mobile marketing strategy:
Google drives 93% of mobile search traffic.
With this sort of domination, not understanding and addressing the factors that impact Google's mobile search rankings could really hurt you; and the latest announcement on a new factor should not be taken lightly.
Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash
Speed Matters
Beginning in July 2018, Google will make page speed a factor in mobile search ranking. In a statement released on its blog in January, Google explains how people want to find answers as quickly as possible:
“The ‘Speed Update,’ as we’re calling it, will only affect pages that deliver the slowest experience to users...”
Basically, Google understands that the mobile experience has to be fast for it to be successful. Marketers have long speculated that speed matters for mobile and the data is starting to support the assumption: 53% of mobile pages are abandoned if they take longer than three seconds to load. Ouch.
How This Impacts Businesses
Though page speed has been a signal that influences desktop searches for years, the shift towards an emphasis on page speed for mobile underlines Google's investment in the mobile space.
In the next few weeks, harknessdigital.com will be focused on shrinking page load times; but with just a few months to get onboard, how will your website address this update? Let me know in the comments.
Side note: Not sure if your website will be affected? A Free Digital Marketing Audit from Harkness Digital will include information on page load times to help you get ahead of this change.
