Mobile browsing is on the increase, but that can mean even less time to get a message across due to higher bounce rates and lower sessions and pages per visit.

Monitoring the way that websites are used can be valuable for ensuring the effectiveness of future communications. Research conducted by Code Computerlove gained insight from data gathered over the past 12 months and found that mobile and tablet browsing was universally up. Desktop browsing, on the other hand, continues to fall.

These findings should deliver a strong message to communicators in terms of how they position their content. Making online content mobile-ready is essential. SEO should also remain a top concern with organic search far outstripping other traffic-driving channels; such as paid search and referral. Google accounted for a large proportion of that traffic. Since most people are accessing content online via search referrals, rather than through homepages, the homepage, as a whole, is far less relevant than it once was.

Code Computerlove’s Keir Gibson, head of search and media, says, "The increasing popularity of mobile and tablet devices, coupled with browsers that offer users the ability to search straight from the address bar, means that organic search traffic has increased for almost all of our clients, while direct traffic has slowed down. This only drives home the importance of ensuring your site is appearing in search by considering SEO in your site build and consistently producing engaging, great content.”

While Facebook remains the top social channel for referrals, engagement is still relatively low. Gibson adds, "It’s also interesting to note that social channels account for such a small portion of traffic considering the amount that brands tend to invest in this area. Social channels are great for building awareness, but its lower conversion rates indicate that brands should be focussed on maximising the potential of converting channels first.”

Communicators should carefully consider what message they’re trying to get across and choose their channels accordingly.