Desktop Search Volume: On the Decline

In last month's comScore qSearch analysis, it was reported that U.S. desktop search volume for the month of August was down year-over-year. For the first time ever.

Where did all the searches go? Well, mobile.

 

If you've been paying even a small amount of attention to web trends, this shouldn't be a huge surprise. What is surprising is that despite this plain shift toward mobile, as many as 70% of websites aren’t optimized for mobile devices. And that, my friends, is just plain silly.

This decline in desktop search usage clearly indicates a shift in consumer preference. This increase in the amount of mobile searches people are doing represents a change in what users expect when they engage with your website. Consider these stats:

• 75% of web users prefer mobile-friendly sites
• 74% of users said they'd be more likely to return to a site if it's mobile-friendly
• 67% of users were more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly site
• 48% of users feel frustrated when they get to a site that's not mobile-friendly
• 48% of users said that if a site didn't work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn't care about their business

If you’re not optimized for mobile search, that's a lot of potential business you're leaving on the table.

If you're still not convinced, I encourage you to visit this Google Developers page which details Google's stance on mobile and provides details about a great mobile technique called responsive design (which Aztek now incorporates into every site we build).

You can also take a look at some more great stats at Google's How To Go Mo page.

Are you considering mobile as part of your web strategy? Leave your comments below!