Don’t Get Left Behind—Mobilize

According to research conducted by Google, “over half of all Americans will own a smartphone” by the end of 2011. As a result, consumers will be more likely to use their smartphones to make online purchases. Therefore, businesses must respond to this trend by creating mobile-optimized sites. Mobile-optimized sites provide users with a version of the full website that is more easily used on smartphones. Often, the version of a full website contains numerous links, small text, small clickable areas, and many images. These elements make for a difficult and frustrating experience on a mobile users behalf—so much so, that the user may leave your website.

On the other hand, mobile-optimized sites contain fewer images to decrease load time, tabs that allow for easy navigation, large clickable areas, and categories that enable consumers to narrow their search. Because of these features, the consumer may more easily access your business’ information, service, and/or product. Furthermore, Mobile-optimized sites often contain links to the business’ social media pages such as Facebook and Twitter accounts, thereby creating more exposure for your company.

As a result of the increase of smartphone users, it is crucial for all businesses, small and large, to create a mobile-optimized website or they will be left behind.

Web Analytics Trends for 2010

It is becoming increasingly important for companies to employ web analytics in their online marketing strategies. Web analytics is a continuously growing industry despite the recent tough times that many businesses are currently facing. This has made it obvious that web analytics is here to stay and can help companies to reinvent their brand in a changing business environment.

As analytical metrics become more advanced, the basic numbers behind web usage begin to say less than advanced information on the consumers that represent these numbers. A common trend in web analytics is an overall increasingly personalized content of the measurements. Through this approach, companies can have a useful idea of their target and actual audiences and this information is useful in that it can be incorporated into new and improved marketing campaigns!

Social media will play a growing role in the future of marketing, as well. Web analytics will track how successful different social networking sites are at sending buyers to a site; also, mobile devices are being used more and more to access the web, so the necessary web content formatting is critical. Web analytics has a growing impact on the way everyday business is done and the current trends show that it is a necessary component to successful business on the web!