Since 2016, worldwide internet usage turned in favor of mobile devices. Now, mobile communication has become predominant, especially the mobile search or the search of information from mobile devices.
The rise of smartphones has made almost everyone perform a significant portion of their work through a mobile phone.
The browsers, at first designed for desktop computers, were considerably slower.
To this, we must add the fact that the speed of the networks was relatively dawdle compared to what´s available today.
It was really an agony to navigate or search for something through a mobile phone and the users wore out on pages designed for desktop browsers.
1. How it started?
The change began in 2011 with the implementation of HTML5.
It was no longer necessary to use an app or Wi-Fi to enjoy a pleasant experience when searching the web.
Subsequently, due to the relative slowness of the mobile web, Google had an idea and the accelerated mobile pages (MPA) emerged, with the rollout of the mobile-first index.
This mobile-first index increased smartphone usage up to what exists today, in which 86% of people access the Internet through the smartphone.
Nevertheless, this is only in regards to the speed of navigation. To this, we must add that currently, mobile phones are no longer exclusively to talk.
We now use our cell phones for surfing the web, checking email, snapping photos, updating our social media status and so much more than only make calls.
To Patricia Grullon, an Industrial Design instructor at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, this phenomenon is due to the
“rapidly expanding software titles, better screen resolution, and constantly improved interface make cell phones easier to navigate, and more fun to use”.
2. What causes this migration in the habits of the users towards mobile search, and why?
The shortest and simplest answer is that this migration in the habits of the users is due to SEO.
Why? This part of the answer is not so simple, because this effect of habit migration cannot only find an answer in purely technological aspects (from a hardware/software point of view).
First, we must keep in mind that Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the action of ensuring a website is relevant to search engines based on the use of certain words and phrases important to describe the content of the site.
Some people say it is simply quality control for websites.
Likewise, if we take into account that
SEO aims to perform two fundamental tasks: 1.- Ensure the use of content with words and phrases accustomed by people who search for certain products. 2.- Make it easy for people to share and link to it. Click To Tweet
SEO service typically includes making sure your site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
Being that way, then it does not seem so crazy that SEO is responsible for the increase in mobile search.
These aspects described above, refer to a more abstract concept that has to do with the way to present the information to the users, the layout.
Just as a great dish presented by a Michelin Chef can generate a need to ingest certain foods, the presentation and diagrammed information generates certain effects on the consumption habits of the people.
So, we can affirm that in this case, the symbiosis generated between the technological improvements (from the software or hardware point of view) and the conditioning generated by the way in which the information is presented, has generated an increase in mobile search.
3. But, could it be just this?
In this case, the answer must be: no, it doesn’t.
At this point, it is necessary to take into account that today 89% of the world population has smartphones or tablets and, only 11% uses only the telephone to make calls only.
We must also remember that for some years, people have migrated towards electronic devices that allow them to summarize in one place the telephone, the radio, the camera and the library.
That said, it should not surprise anyone that now much of the day to day of the people are related to mobile devices.
In mobile devices we receive our email, with high marketing content, most of the time, carry our agenda.
Frequently, we keep our agendas with reference to hyperlinks related to our work and our social networks, constantly bombarded by invasive advertising.
Therefore, it´s not out of order to think that because of the effect of immediacy in communications, there is currently an exponential increase in searches from mobile devices.
4. How is it really rising mobile search?
Due to the overcrowding of smartphones and the increasing availability and affordability of mobile internet, smartphone users have increased a large of their time online mainly searching or bonding through social apps.
Below we present some statistics that support the assertions made previously.
- Only in the U.S., the number of mobile search users in 2015, was 157.6 million users.
- In 2018, 52.2% of all worldwide online traffic was generated through mobile phones, up from 50.3% in the previous year (Source: Statista)
- 57% of all U.S. online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets through mobile search (Sorce: BrightEdge)
- In 2019, this figure expects to grow to 215.8 million, that represents an increase in 36,71%.
- 67% of consumers are willing to buy a product or use a service on a mobile-friendly site (Source: Google Research)
- 70% of mobile searches result in action being taken within an hour as opposed a week for desktop (Source: Mediative Labs 2012)
- 5-7 seconds is all you have to convince a user that they are on the right page with relevant results to their search (Source: Baymard Institute)
- 73% of consumers find mobile websites load times to be too slow and 74% say they will leave the site after waiting 5 seconds or more.
- 27% of websites are misconfigured for smartphone searches, which leads to an expected drop in traffic of 68% (Source: Bright Edge Mobile Share Report)
- Search is the most common starting point for mobile search. 48% start on search engines. (source: Google)
- Consumers are spending time researching on their smartphones (15+ hours/week) (Source: Google)
- 89% of participants admitted to searching for a local business on their smartphone once a week or more with 58% searching at least daily. (Source: Mediative Spotlight on Local Mobile Consumer Search Behaviour: Part Two – Aug. 2013)
- Total mobile engagement on social has grown 55% in the past year (Source: comScore)
- 73 percent of mobile searches trigger follow-up actions (SearchEngineLand)
- 89% of consumer media time in mobile apps (Source: Nielsen)
- 61% of mobile searches result in a phone call (Source: Google)
- 18% of local searches lead to sales (Source: Google)
- 1 in 3 searches on a smartphone occur right before a consumer visits a store (Source: Google)
- 69% of Marketers believe that their website is currently mobile-friendly (Source: gShift Study)
- 40% of searchers will click another mobile result if a site’s not mobile friendly (Source: Icebreaker Consulting.
