Exploring the Key Mobile Traffic Trends for 2022: Is the Pandemic Still Defining the State of Mobile Search?

1 year ago 281
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The stock of mobile postulation was expected to lone support increasing ever since Google started talking astir mobile-first indexing.

Yet the pandemic disrupted this trend, and we kept tying the diminution of mobile to COVID-induced measures. Meaning that erstwhile the measures are lifted, we’ll spot a afloat comeback of mobile.

But it looks similar the caller mean isn’t conscionable astir stricter aerial question and much radical moving from home. So far, mobile postulation doesn’t look similar it’s connected the mode to a afloat return—so the question remains: is desktop truly coming back? Or volition mobile postulation yet marque a comeback?

These questions are the absorption of our latest State of Mobile report. We looked astatine the mobile web and app scenery to analyse year-over-year mobile penetration trends and pinpoint a fewer turning points that volition signifier the mobile scenery successful years to come.

About the State of Mobile Report

Using our ain Semrush .Trends and Open .Trends intel, we managed to analyse the full aboveground of the mobile web:

  • Global mobile postulation patterns implicit the years
  • Key channels that bring successful mobile postulation crossed assorted industries
  • Granular investigation of antithetic industries—from the cardinal postulation procreation strategies to an in-depth exploration of their advertizing tactics.

For the advertizing bit, we leveraged information coming from AdClarity—an app you tin find successful our Semrush App Center

We besides employed different App Center instrumentality called Mobile App Insights to research the mobile app scenery and measure immoderate of the cardinal downloads trends for the past fewer years. 

Altogether, these insights helped america recognize the maturation dynamics crossed the mobile web and app territory to foretell whether mobile volition person a comeback, oregon if we should halt utilizing the “pandemic excuse” to foretell aboriginal mobile patterns.

The State of Mobile Report: Top Highlights 

Below, we’ll uncover the cardinal discoveries from our study to springiness you a sneak peek into the existent authorities of mobile. 

The 2nd fractional of 2021 has been marked by lowering COVID restrictions—people were gradually returning to the offices, aerial question saw immoderate betterment signs, etc.

But this had small to nary interaction connected mobile traffic.

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In March 2022 we spot 30% less mobile surfers than successful May 2021—and the quality betwixt strict measures is drastic betwixt the 2 dates.

2. Strict COVID measures don’t person a adjacent narration with mobile traffic

The information supra suggests determination is nary nonstop correlation betwixt the grade of mobile penetration and the maturation of desktop vs. the pandemic-related restrictions.

But we recovered much proof.

When we compared mobile and desktop postulation shares, we spotted nary nexus betwixt mobile postulation and, let’s say, strict lockdowns.

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As you tin see, successful Australia and Canada, countries with the longest-standing COVID measures, mobile postulation stock is overmuch higher than successful the US wherever we saw a softer instrumentality connected lockdowns. 

This implies that our antecedently taken-for-granted conception that “people turned to desktop arsenic they were forced to enactment astatine home” doesn't dependable precisely right. And our findings lone proved this.

3. The driblet successful mobile seemingly affected the app scenery arsenic well

No study assessing the authorities of mobile would beryllium implicit without an exploration of however things are going connected the Apple Store and Google Play’s side.

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As you tin see, the three-year downloads information reflects a downward inclination crossed iOS. Some of the astir fashionable app categories—Games and Shopping—saw 20% less downloads successful April 2021-March 2022 vs. April 2020-March 2021.

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On the Android side, things look much promising arsenic astir each app class but Games witnessed a YoY emergence successful installs.

4. Direct inactive plays a large relation successful bringing successful mobile traffic

Regardless of the manufacture oregon the year, nonstop postulation was the fig 1 postulation root erstwhile it came to generating mobile traffic.

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This means that marque consciousness campaigns, arsenic good arsenic astute lawsuit loyalty and restitution programs, tin spell a agelong mode if you privation to up your mobile postulation share.

In immoderate instances, however—just look astatine the Healthcare oregon Food & Beverage sectors—search played a comparable relation successful their postulation procreation strategies, truthful you cannot disregard SEO.

5. Pay attraction to the Finance industry’s video advertizing strategies 

As we took a thorough look astatine the industry-by-industry advertizing strategies, 1 assemblage stood retired successful respect to its show trend.

If we typically spot a adjacent necktie betwixt advertisement budgets and performance, the Finance assemblage seemingly recovered a concealed condiment for their video advertisement strategy. 

Finance was the lone marketplace conception that managed to alteration its advertisement dollar counts portion besides increasing the fig of impressions. So it’s worthy taking a person look astatine what they did to interruption the accustomed budget-performance tie.

6. Despite the large hit, mobile inactive dominates the integer sphere

If the pre-pandemic epoch was astir mobile-first approaches and expectations astir the diminution of desktop, we’re present seeing a antithetic trend. 

But it doesn’t mean ‘mobile is dead’—we’re inactive seeing mobile postulation predominate crossed the board.

What does this mean for those who privation to triumph the integer game? Omni-channel is the answer. This implies that you person to connection an impeccable idiosyncratic acquisition for immoderate instrumentality your assemblage is using.

Explore the Full State of Mobile Report and Futureproof Your Digital Strategy 

These highlights are lone scratching the aboveground of each the insights we managed to unwrap passim our report. 

If you privation to spot a much granular look astatine each industry, their advertizing strategies for mobile, and adjacent Apple Search Ads patterns, research the afloat report.

What other is successful there?

  • You’ll find retired the biggest advertisers and publishers attracting the highest mobile postulation shares for each analyzed industry
  • You’ll unwrap the astir trending apps of this year
  • You’ll observe the mean outgo per instal crossed app categories and uncover the downloads inclination from Apple Search Ads