The shift of Web traffic from desktop and laptop computers to mobile devices tipped dramatically towards the latter, according to a Web-traffic analysis released yesterday by Rogers Communications Inc.
Rogers’ OutRank service offers small businesses Web services such as Web site construction, SEO improvement, and analytics, and as a result closely monitors the Web traffic going to its customers sites. It observed that in the first quarter of 2012, 18 per cent of visitors to those Web sites came from mobile devices, and by the end of the year, that shot up to 29 per cent of all traffic.
The statistic shows how important it is for small businesses to recognize that more customers will be discovering them via a smartphone or tablet, Rogers says. Considerations must be made to ready Web sites for mobile presentation and tie in to other local business discovery services accessed on smartphones.
Canadians are using mobile devices on the Web more often.
While cell phone penetration didn’t leap forward in Canada during 2012, a convergence of other factors are pulling consumers further into mobile Web browsing habits. All major carriers now offer faster LTE service, a wider selection of smartphones, and new entrants also offer affordable options to buy smartphones that ideal for Web browsing.