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YMCA Websites - Still Going Mobile!

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 01/27/2016

Pouring through the Google Analytics to identify website traffic trends from 2015 for the YMCA family...

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Mobile Devices Drive 66 Percent Of Email Open

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

Mobile Devices Drive 66 Percent Of Email Opens 

Like it or not, we are going mobile!  

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Does Advertising Work?

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

"People ask me all the time, "Does advertising work?" These are smart people, people who would never dream of asking an engineer, "Does engineering work?" or asking a doctor, "Does medicine work?" Josh Weltman - Seducing Strangers - How to Get People to Buy What You're Selling 

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“Mobilegeddon” is Not What You Think

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

Regardless of what you have read, “Mobilegeddon”, Google’s new search algorithm, is not going to put millions of companies out of business this week.

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Google Is Serious About Search Results and Mobile

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

As April 21th looms on the horizon, many companies are racing to make their websites mobile friendly in advance of Google's well publicized change to how websites will be ranked in their search results.

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Digital Marketing for Millennials Begins with Mobile Marketing.

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

"The very best marketing comes from observing consumer behavior and inserting your message into their behavior."

Households that only have cell phones grew by 70% in the last four years.

Information from GfK MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer continues to shed light on the behavior of the American consumer.

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If Your Website Isn't Mobile Friendly, Google Will Punish You

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

 

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Y You Need A Responsive Website - Not An App

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015
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Goodbye Menu Navigation

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015

"Ok, grab a clean sheet of paper and let's write down everything we want in our new demo website."

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Y Mobile and Why It Matters

Posted by: Jeff Davis - 11/26/2015
“The very best marketing comes from observing consumer behavior and inserting your message into their behavior.”

Recently I reviewed the Google analytics for 22 YMCA web sites to identify consumer traffic trends for 2014.  Research from eMarketer indicates that consumers continue to move their web access device of choice to mobile (smartphones and tablets).  “ Combining online and mobile devices, however, eMarketer expects US adults to spend 5 hours 46 minutes with digital media daily this year, increasing digital’s lead over television to well over 1 hour per day.  That increase is almost exclusively attributable to mobile .

I wanted to see the impact, if any, on the traffic to YMCA websites. Many businesses are now reporting that more than 50% of their site traffic is coming from mobile devices.  It makes sense, smartphones have outsold computers since the 4th quarter of 2011 .  

These analytics covered 2.1 million web sessions from January 1st to November 23rd, 2014.  

We Are Going Mobile


  • During the first six months of 2014, mobile traffic represented 46.2% of all traffic to these YMCA websites.
  • From July 1st to November 23rd, mobile traffic represented 49.4% of all traffic, an increase of 7%.  Clearly consumers are increasing their use of mobile devices to access YMCA websites.
  • Seven of the 22 web sites already generate more than 50% of their traffic from mobile devices.
  • Based on current trends, it appears that mobile traffic will account for more than 50% of all YMCA traffic by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
Does It Matter?

What does this change in traffic mean to the “average” YMCA, if anything? This analysis includes a cross section of YMCA sites: 14 traditional web sites and 8 responsive design (mobile friendly) websites.

Mobile traffic for responsive design websites increasingly represents a larger portion of total site traffic.  Mobile traffic in responsive design sites is 46.7% of all traffic versus 45.8% of non-responsive sites. When consumers have a more engaging experience, they will visit more often and stay longer.

This may be a small difference, but the real difference comes from looking at the variances in bounce rates.

 
Bounce Rates
   
January - June
Traditional
Responsive
Variance
Smartphones
53.40%
46.70%
14%
Tablets
44.70%
37.90%
18%
       
July - November 23rd
Traditional
Responsive
 
Smartphones
54.40%
47.68%
14%
Tablets
44.44%
39.57%
12%


Clearly the bounce rates are lower for responsive design sites. Responsive (mobile friendly) design leads visitors more easily to the content they are seeking.  

Your website is your digital storefront and for many member prospects it is their first impression of your organization.  Upgrading your website to responsive design (or at least offering a mobile site) is no longer an option. Consumer behavior now dictates it.
To learn how to convert your YMCA site to mobile responsive, contact your digital partners at Thrive.

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