As devices become more affordable, readily available and telecommunication infrastructures improve more and more people are able to access the internet via mobile devices.
“More and more” is pretty un-descript, so let’s put mobile web traffic growth into perspective…
In August 2013 a staggering 18% of global web traffic came from mobile devices in comparison to August 2012 where this figure was 6.2% less at 11.8%. That growth represented as a percentage is a whopping 53%
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_vs_desktop-ww-monthly-201208-201308
So how about the UK?
In August 2013 17.4% of UK web traffic came from mobile devices in comparison to August 2012 where this figure was 2.1% less at 15.3%. That represents a 16% year on year growth!
http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_vs_desktop-GB-monthly-201208-201308
What this means for you, the website owner?
If your website isn’t mobile friendly you need to start to consider getting an action plan in place! I don’t know about you, but when I land on a non-mobile friendly site, I valiantly give it a shot. Pinch to zoom in, *whoops, too far*, pinch to zoom out, mash a couple of the wrong buttons then press the back button – maybe I have fat fingers. But seriously if you’re reliant on web traffic as a business and / or you value your visitor’s sanity then let’s talk.
It’s not just the
usability and retention factors to bear in mind, Google have gone on record
saying if your website isn’t mobile friendly it’s going to adversely affect
your visibility on their mobile version of Google.
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/changes-in-rankings-of-smartphone_11.html
So it’s not really a case of if; it’s a case of when.
