In this day and age, it’s no secret that a large proportion of online traffic can be traced to mobile devices. Between our smart phones, tablet computers, and hi-tech wearables like smart watches and bracelets, it’s safe to say the human race is never truly offline. We’ve certainly come a long way since 1943 when Thomas Watson, Chairman and CEO of IBM, claimed he foresaw a world market for ‘maybe five computers.’

With the birth of information technology and the rise of the internet, the world has transformed from an isolated collection of nations and cultures to a singular global community connected by one thing we all have in common: computers. But now the technological community is once again moving on, away from static PCs and bulky laptops and into the wide world of mobile devices! Right now, it couldn’t be more important for your business’ relevance and prosperity to ensure that your websites are optimised for mobile usage.

Some things remain constant, though. As could be expected, Google continues to dominate in both website traffic AND the search engine market; in 2019 Google claimed over 92% of search engine requests and was the single-most visited website on the net with over 60 billion hits. While Google’s market supremacy seems here to stay, the once-dominant PC has greatly reduced its share in online traffic in recent years.

In 2019, as Google continued to claim the lion’s share of online activity, the % of online searches originating from mobile devices quietly surpassed desktops, accounting for 50.7% of searches in June compared with just 45.5% coming from static machines. This gap has not re-closed or switched back since, even in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent largest world-from-home movement in history.

The following graph from Statista, depicting the mobile device share of organic US search engine visits between 2013 and 2021, displays starkly how strong the trend is in favour of mobile devices.

So, what does this mean for your business? Well, if your website is not properly optimised for mobile usage, you could be missing out on a huge chunk of potential traffic. Only 13% of websites are able to maintain the same SERP position across all devices, so even if you’re ranking well on desktop searches, you could be nowhere to be found on mobiles! 30% of links that show on the first page of Google on desktop aren’t even in the top ten results on mobile. As with any business operating in our technologised 21st century world, your SEO is vital to your revenue and by neglecting mobile search traffic, you could be sacrificing a significant chunk of your potential customer base. 

This is why you need a web developer focused not just on desktop compatibility but on optimising for all platforms. If you’re looking for the best web development Manchester has to offer, look no further than OwlTree Web Solutions! Get in touch to see how we can revamp your website, boost your SEO, and take advantage of 100% of potential traffic to your business!