Each year brings a new set of trends in the Internet world and 2017 is no different. Many of the trends this year is an upward trajectory of the previous year’s but there are a few surprises that businesses will want to adopt. Here is a short list of various worldwide Internet trends of 2017 to stay updated on.
How Digital Advertising and Search is Growing
Google and Facebook is continuing to grow as advertising platforms. Google grew 20% in revenue between 2015 and 2016 while Facebook jumped 62% in revenue during the same time period. This means that companies that want to stay competitive need to invest into these two channels.
Voice search is continuing to grow. Whether it’s apps like Cortana on mobile devices or stand alone devices like the Amazon Echo, more people are using voice search to interact with the Internet. Companies that rely on search engine optimization (SEO) will need to focus on making sure that they are optimizing for voice. Around 20% of searches in 2016 were done via voice and the number is predicted to continue growing.
Trends on Communicating with Internet Users
More than 25 percent of Americans own a wearable. These gadgets sync with smart phones which is significant to companies that have developed an app. Companies will want to make sure that their apps interact with users on the wearables seamlessly and effectively. It’s predicted that the adoption of wearables will continue to grow worldwide.
Messenger apps like Facebook’s are becoming a viable medium for businesses. It is a great way to resolve customer support issues as well as an effective channel for marketing messages. Many businesses are using the live chat function but giving customers the ability to communicate with businesses from a single interface they’re already on is more efficient.
Over 250 million users are using some kind of ad blocking software while they are browsing the Internet. This makes it very important for companies to invest in content marketing and advertising to reach their target audience. It’s also becoming more important to evaluate which ad networks and websites have the ability to bypass ad blocking technology.
How Users are Consuming Content
Multimedia streaming is continuing to grow. More users are using streaming services like Netflix and Spotify instead of purchasing videos and music. Live streaming platforms like Twitch and Youtube are also becoming more popular. Brands that want to stay relevant will want to be part of the streaming movement.
More companies are opting to go with cloud hosting for faster service. It protects businesses and organizations from relying on a single server in the case that the server goes down. Cloud hosting draws resources from multiple servers across multiple locations. In addition to cloud hosting, more companies are opting to subscribe to CDN services. That’s why hosting options like Siteground are becoming the go to solution for eCommerce websites that need to serve mobile users.
This are just a few worldwide Internet trends to pay attention to in 2017. For more information on emerging trends, following authoritative digital marketing blogs, leading tech publications, and Internet conferences is highly recommended.