As the internet matures and Americans become more attached to our mobile devices, those of us marketing to them will have to get serious about mobile traffic.

My Wake Up Call

At the end of 2011, I went through the stats for all the websites I manage or own.  The amount of traffic from mobile devices at least doubled from January 2011 to December 2011.  It doubled in one year!!

On the newer sites or general information websites, mobile traffic averaged around 18-20%.  Older and niche specific websites saw on average of 25-30% was mobile traffic. No matter how you look at it, That’s a lot of traffic (and growing).  A lot of potential business just from the mobile world.

For brick and mortar type of businesses, the number one source of their internet/mobile traffic was Google Places. With social media coming in second.

On average, 13% of all my traffic came from a social media profile.  (Facebook, twitter, G+, etc…)  That percentage rose when it came from a mobile device.  (example:someone on their iPad, clicking a link in twitter or other platform).

With that much traffic coming from mobile devices, you will see a lot more websites convert over to the WordPress platform.  Starting in 2012, most reputable theme makers will adapt what’s call “Responsive Web Design”.  Meaning their WordPress theme will adapt to the mobile device.  I use Genesis Themes on all my WordPress sites and they are already converting their theme library to RWD.

Final Answer

Unless you want to alienate over a quarter of your sites visitors, I would start to take mobile traffic very seriously.  Make your website more user friendly and adaptable.  Make sure your website(s) is connected to your most popular social platforms and you are keeping everything fresh and original.

Keeping everything connected and fresh, will make the search engines happy and help drive more potential customers to your business.

Need help with this?  Give me a call and let’s talk.

Mark Anthony

But like most mainstream news, it was really a non-news item generated by (yawn) yet another Microsoft attempt at seeming to be relevant to the show or to the world of consumer electronics.  The last time Microsoft was relevant to anything related to consumer electronics was the introduction of Windows XP..  Even that launch went like any other Microsoft launch. It bombed with bugs and software issues.

And Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer, making the final keynote presentation of the company’s 12 year string, was pretty much a bore.  Trying to be upbeat about nothing exciting (yea, Windows 8!!) and the trying not to highlight the fact that the big news of CES the last 5 years has been about Apple, not Microsoft.  Even Bill Gates, giving his last keynote speech three years ago, had to admit that Apple and the iPhone was the big item of the show.  (Apple does not attend or exhibit at CES).

At least this year, his Microsoft powered devices  didn’t crash as in previous years.

The big question on everyone’s mind was not what impact this will have on the show, but what will replace all the floor space Microsoft usually takes up??  It was if Microsoft had already packed up and left…  They are still here, but certainly not missed…

Bad Timing

This announcement and the direction consumer electronics is going, shows another failure in Microsoft’s ability to be important.  Bill Gates always tried to copy his arch nemesis, Steve Jobs by wanting to release new products at their own events or on their own time frame.  Thinking they could carry the event on the fact that it’s Microsoft.  It had to be important.  Instead of having the product ship -ready in time for the International CES – A trade show visited by retailer buyers and news media from around the world.

Let me explain it better.  Imagine if General Motors decided to show up at the annual Detroit Car Show with last year’s models.  Saying they weren’t ready for the show and wanted instead, to release them next month at their own show.  What do you think would happen to their sales?  To their reviews from the car magazines??    No bailout could save them.

Now that Microsoft is closing up their tent at CES shows they misread the market again.  This is the best time for them to be here.  Microsoft has always been about applications, software and auxiliary services.  Just what the CES and its marketplace is maturing into.

Most of the news-makers at this year’s show has been about applications, integration and service/support. Not products.  Microsoft’s cash cow has always been forcing the market to accept its applications, its software and its support.  Gates didn’t become a billionaire on hardware.  This is the perfect time to be Microsoft and be at CES – if only they had a plan and a CEO who had less ego and more brains.

Next year, it will be “Microsoft who??”

Oh well, the show must go on and it will until January 13…