what does this mean for the SEO industry?

Statistics corresponding to internet browsing across the globe in the opening months of 2014 conveyed a compelling and startling reality; mobile internet usage worldwide is now higher than it is on PC’s for the first time in history as the manner in which successful marketers operate underwent a permanent transformation.

Much like historical and human transition, every era of technology undergoes an unceremonious passing of the torch ; a changing of the guard where new, younger and more adeptly suited advancements are universally and seamlessly implemented into our lives, casting the established pieces of technology which have governed our way of living for years to steady but certain obscurity.

Think of fax machines, VCR’s, the dial-up internet. All have risen to meteoric heights with their usage, particularly in the business world, only to be replaced by more useful and illustrious technology which offers far more benefits than their outdated predecessors.

The reality is that these tectonic shifts are inevitable, and in the business world those who identify and adapt to these the quickest typically tend to enjoy immediate rewards for their anticipatory measures. And whilst the most recent ‘shift’ has been expected for some-time now, the emergence of mobile devices as the primary platform for internet surfing ahead of PC’s this year will provide webmasters and SEO experts with a clear indication of the direction in which marketing will go in the next few years, as well as an excellent opportunity to begin tailoring their sites now in order to ensure that they stand to make maximum ROI from mobile optimised projects.

Below I will reflect on the nature of the change that has occurred within internet browsing in the past year, and will elaborate on the opportunities this transition is providing for SEO marketers seeking to capitalise on it during its early stages.

Mobile surfing reigns supreme

Whilst it was steadily becoming apparent that mobile devices were the future of marketing, 2014 nevertheless marked the first occasion where official figures illustrated that they had actually overtaken traditional PC’s as the number one browsing platform.

Much like when internet marketing first propelled into popularity, there is certainly an opportunity here for online marketers to get ahead of their competition through the prioritisation and optimisation of all their mobile related endeavours. This is not to say that marketers have not been aware of the importance of mobile marketing for some time now; indeed the majority of reputable SEO firms will make sure that their market campaigns are supplemented with a sufficient level of mobile adaptation. However, the real opportunity is now there for those marketers who want to go one step further and appreciate mobile devices as the new pivotal foundation from which all operations from selling to customer service should now be focused towards.

In order to attract the most visitors, or stand the best chance of converting target audiences, the reality is that the mobile dimension of all marketing campaigns needs to be concentrated on and primarily optimised. In order for this aim to be fully realised, SEO experts need to be prepared to integrate mobile-optimised adaptations of all the components essential to their marketing campaigns: apps, the site, customer service, data, promotions and sales.

What type of browsing are users doing on their mobile devices?

Recent research conducted by the Online Publishers Association revealed some interesting information about the landscape of mobile internet browsing at present. The study indicated that:

• Over 99% of mobile-users access the internet on their phones to find out information about things or access content on subject-related material.
• Around 62% utilise the devices to look at their emails
• Nearly 42% use their mobile phones to access or utilise apps
• 15% use their devices to purchase goods
• Just over 63% of users simply access internet on their phone because it is their primary source for doing so.

Tectonic shift will represent a business-to-business shift

The information above clearly illustrates that mobile internet usage has evolved to so much more than playing games, searching through Facebook and killing time on the train. Instead, it conveys the reality of an already established doctrine; that digital assets of a branded company must be available to service customers and its business counterparts around the clock and not only during working hours.

In an international market where foreign deals can often be lucrative, you need to ensure your marketing extends around the clock and there are logistical means to convert traffic into paying customers between midnight to midday.  Recent figures compiled by the IDG Global Mobile Survey 2014 describing the phone usage of business executives indicates the importance of companies having all their digital assets available around the clock, in order to acquire regular business from around the globe.

• Over 90% of business directors and chief execs utilise their personal phones to conduct business.
• Nearly 80% of researchers in companies use their mobiles in order to evaluate their industry and study products
• Almost 95% of business executives will buy other companies products online using
• 92% of executives own a smartphone used for business.
• 77% of executives use their smartphone to research a product or service for their business.
• 93% of executives will purchase that product via the Internet
• The majority of executives will conduct research on potential clients and other products during the night time.

The figures suggest that as mobile marketing rises in importance, so will the need to have readily available digital assets and companies will need to keep their conversion facilities optimised at all times in order to maximise their chances of establishing business-to-business relationships with clients across the globe.

Conclusion – Get ahead of the curb and go all out with your mobile marketing

Within all marketing mediums, where it is customer servicing, customer targeting, promoting, sales, social media utilisation or business-to-business contact, the increasingly apparent reality is that mobile devices are ascending to the forefront of browsing and contacting. The speed and quality of how well a company formulates and instigates measures to optimise their mobile presence is of paramount importance to putting them ahead of their competitors at present until it becomes a universal requirement to successes for all businesses.

Those who decide to disregard the shift in tectonics and simply carry on looking at mobile marketing as merely a secondary aspect of their campaigns could find themselves falling rapidly behind in the space of a few years because digital interaction via these mediums is integral to capitalising on their new-found supremacy in the browsing landscape.

Around the clock audience engagement. Higher levels of online purchases. Larger return on investment. Brand expansion. Greater business-to-business interaction. These are all realities that are viably attainable for all SEO workers who are looking to capitalise on technologies latest historic shift in the new mobile era.