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How to Use Mobile Stats and Trends to Improve Your Conversion Rate
Mobile usage surpassed desktop usage in 2016. Google “officialized” their priority of the mobile users experience through the mobile-first indexing initiative that finally rolled out last spring. But a responsive website is not enough to ensure online success…at least not if you want something more than increased views.
Mobile use statistics from 2018 and forecasts for 2019 can help you understand how to tweak your mobile presence for improved conversion rates.
A Refresher on Internet Statistic Lingo
Just to be clear before we dig into facts and figures, here’s how we define our terms:
User/Viewer: a human behind the mobile device actually looking at your website, ad, native app, etc.
Conversion: the process by which a viewer becomes an actual lead or customer. What constitutes a conversion is determined by each business. For example, some companies may consider the completion of a subscription form or download of trial software as a conversion while others may require the completed sale of a product/service.
App: an application that is downloaded and installed onto a mobile device. An app can pull data from the internet (and other apps when users grant permission). A (mobile) website, on the other hand, is not downloaded but is accessed through a mobile browser like Safari or Chrome.
Bases covered. Moving on…
Key Mobile Usage Insights
Every year, HostingFacts updates its list of internet, ecommerce, mobile and social media facts and statistics. They look at hundreds of data points and bullet a number of neat-to-knows, but some nuggets are particularly useful for online marketers.
Key insights from their InternetStats & Facts 2019 include:
- By 2020, 45% of all ecommerce will be mobile commerce…by 2021 that is expected to jump to 67%
- Although the majority of internet traffic comes from mobile devices, users spend more time on websites they access on desktops
- Most time spent on mobile devices is spent on apps
- Engagement on apps is significantly higher (like, 300% higher) than on mobile websites
- Mobile users do not like ads and are increasingly using mobile ad blockers
- 82% of mobile users use their device to research potential purchases in a brick-and-mortar store
Clearly, mobile device usage for everything, including shopping, is trending up. That’s easy to see. What is less obvious is how to translate these facts and stats into actionable items to improve your online visibility and conversion rate.
Takeaways: How to Improve Your Mobile Conversions
Some of the takeaways from 2018 facts and 2019 forecasts are obvious, like:
- You need a mobile presence
If your website looks great on a desktop but loads slowly or renders too big to be easily readable on a mobile device, mobile users won’t waste their time waiting or resizing…and that will increase your bounce rate (that’s no good). So, you absolutely must have a mobile website.
One word of caution, though: do not upgrade or enhance your mobile site at the expense of desktop viewing. Remember, internet users are still spending more time on sites viewed on desktops, so the full-size experience still matters, too.
- Consider developing a mobile app
An app (or progressive web app) is a significant investment, but for ecommerce-driven businesses, it may be worth the money because of the increase in user engagement, which enhances conversion potential.
More nuanced online marketing advice from these facts and stats include:
- Thoughtfully define what a conversion is for your business
Because mobile users may be using their devices for purchases made offline, you need to know how to measure your mobile online marketing efforts. Defining a conversion and how to measure conversion rate will help you know how and where to spend your online marketing budget so that you do not choke mobile marketing and, in turn, tank your overall sales.
- Do not neglect your SEO
Organic search results are still going to be essential to getting your website found when users are researching potential purchases or getting your native app found when they’re browsing app stores. Effective SEO for mobile usage must incorporate voice-activated search trends as well as cater to search engines’ mobile-first preferences, like data structuring and AMP.
Your SEO should also involve carefully crafted content—text, images and other media—that informs, entertains and, most importantly, compels viewers to fully convert to leads or consumers.
- Carefully evaluate mobile ad spend
Mobile ad spend is expected to significantly increase. However, given mobile users’ dislike of ads and ad-blocking capabilities, dumping a ton of money into mobile ads may not deliver the visibility increase you’re looking for. This is not to say that you should not increase your mobile ad spend—only that you carefully select the platforms and continuously monitor your mobile ads’ performance to maximize your ROI.
SonicSEO.com clients do not need to stress over 2019 mobile usage trends. Your online presence is already optimized for mobile viewing and conversion.
But, if you’re left trying to translate stats, facts and forecasts into an executable online marketing strategy on your own, get expert help. Contact SonicSEO.com for comprehensive digital marketing geared to boost your visibility and performance in the mobile-first internet.