Smart Phone Impact on Web Analytics

Leveraging web analytics for better ROI is about to get more challenging. As more online “searchers” opt for their smart phones vs. their computers, web analysts will have to redefine some common analytic metrics and how they are evaluated.

Mobile phone sales recently overtook PC sales. In fact, the number of mobile phones sold every hour is 6 times more than all computers combined. Nearly one-quarter of mobile phones on the market today are “smart phones,” and approximately 100 million smart phones are now shipped and sold quarterly (Albanesuis, 2011).

Needless to say, smart phones have become our mini-portable computers. They are transforming how we (smart phone owners) conduct searches on the Internet. In fact, 57% of smart phone searchers conduct searches everyday on their phones (Pham, 2012).

The movement toward smart phone web surfing has profound implications for web analytics. How so?

Users interact with their smart phones differently than how they interact with their computers, including how they search for and view websites. Users are less patient on smart phones, probably because searches made on smart phones are often “on the go” and not made sitting at a desk. In fact, 35% intentionally have their smartphones with them to compare prices and find product info while on the go (Pham, 2012). Since most smart phone web visits are made while shopping, in the car, on vacation, or during another “lifestyle” event, users don’t waste much time browsing a site.

What does this mean for web analytics?

Let’s look at “bounce rate” as an example. A bounce occurs when a web site visitor views only a single page on a website, then leaves. The bounce rate is calculated by dividing single page visits by entry pages. According to Matt Quinn at Inc. Magazine, “as a rule of thumb, a 50% bounce rate is average. If you surpass 60%, you should be concerned. If you're in excess of 80%, you've got a major problem.”

But the bounce rate on a smart phone search is vastly different. It’s much higher.

You can’t use the same metrics you’d use when analyzing website visits made on a computer. According to Christian Gurney at Torsion Mobile, the mobile bounce rate can be as much as 20% higher than the non-mobile bounce rate.

So when you analyze a website, you need to look at computer visits apart from smart phone visits. The bounce rates will be radically different. A smart marketer will also convince management to invest in a mobile site which has simpler navigation paths and clean, efficient designs for fast downloads.

SearchEngineWatch.com offers some best practices for mobile site design, navigation, and functionality. They recommend a mobile site accessible (don’t use plug-ins), fast (load in 5 seconds), orderly and brief, legible (without zooming), and thumb-friendly (large content), and form-simple. Finally, a mobile site should be “action compelling” enough to convince the user to take action whether than be watch a video or sign-up for something (Schottmuller, 2012).

If proper attention is addressed to best optimize a mobile site, the bounce rate can be reigned-in. Even so, it may never be the same as a computer site.

The smart phone revolution has broad implications for web analytics. A smart marketer will take time to understand how to analyze sites differently when browsed on from a computer than a smart phone.

Sources:

Albanesius, Chloe. "Smartphone Shipments Surpass PCs for First Time. What's Next?" PCMAG. N.p., 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2379665,00.asp>.

Gurney, Christian. "Torsion Mobile." Using Google Analytics to Understand Smartphone User Behavior. N.p., 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://torsionmobile.com/2011/08/19/using-google-analytics-to-understand-smartphone-user-behavior/>.

Pham, Dai. "Google Mobile Ads Blog." Smartphones Have Large Impact on US Searching and Shopping Behavior -. N.p., 16 May 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://googlemobileads.blogspot.com/2012/05/smartphones-have-large-impact-on-us.html>.

Quinn, Matt. "How to Reduce Your Website's Bounce Rate." Inc.com. N.p., 31 Jan. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.inc.com/guides/2011/01/how-to-reduce-your-website-bounce-rate.html>.

Schottmuller, Angie. "Mobile Landing Page Optimization - 10 Best Practices for Success." Search Engine Watch. N.p., 3 July 2012. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2188662/Mobile-Landing-Page-Optimization-10-Best-Practices-for-Success>.