In March 2020, consumer behaviour in the UK changed overnight. We went from hearing accusatory stories about the death of the high street and the worries of online security to being plunged into a digitally focused world, whether we were ready or not. Children found themselves homeschooled via online lessons, and working from home became the norm rather than a perk more commonly seen in tech jobs.
Businesses up and down the country saw their dependence on their website shoot through the roof, whether or not it was set up to handle the increases in traffic. Times of uncertainty and panic are not generally the most popular moments for large business investments, which meant many websites received only the updates deemed strictly necessary to keep them running.
“Google is judging your website by its mobile version”
Two years later and although life has definitely changed, things are still uncertain. And yet, the available technology continues to evolve. 56% of internet consumption is done via mobile (up from 52% in 2020) according to Broadband Search and as of July 2019, Google switched its index to mobile first which means Google is judging your website by its mobile version over your desktop. Google also rolled out the long-anticipated Experience Update in the summer of 2021. No longer would websites simply be required to ‘be fast’, a host of new metrics were incorporated into Google’s ever evolving organic algorithm with the overarching goal of improving Experience across the internet.
Not only that, but customer behaviour is changing too: according to Google Consumer Insights, the global pandemic saw a notable shift in the technology we’re using for online shopping. Whilst 53% of purchases are made via a website on mobile, 42% are made via an app.
How can businesses keep up with these evolving trends and make sure their websites are configured to support customer trends? For many, this means building from scratch, and using technology and frameworks that can help future-proof the set up.
Whether you’re upgrading your website to keep it search engine and data compliant, investing in a new app or migrating to a new CMS, it’s always a significant business investment which is why it’s imperative you’ve got as much data behind your decisions as possible.