Mobile device usage is on an astronomical rise. Nothing compares to the convenience of having an entire library’s worth of information in your back pocket.

I would know. As a newly independent twenty-something who has just moved to the Capital Region, I’m more often than not browsing the internet on my iPhone in lieu of the extra step it takes to get out my laptop. The convenience factor is huge for me as I can access news back home, find the nearest ATM, or search the best place in town for an oil change virtually anywhere.

A major frustration for mobile users like me, is that many websites still have not adjusted their content for the new mobile reality. If a site is challenging to navigate on my phone, I’m likely to ditch it altogether in search of more easily accessible information. Time is precious for the mobile-user and it only takes seconds to lose a visitor.

Tracking device usage with Google Analytics can prevent your site from being a casualty of today’s mobile world. The device tracking feature allows Google Analytics users to view the volume of mobile users, tablet users, and desktop users to a website. It also shows bounce rate, average pages per session, and the duration of the visit for each platform, which can be useful in determining if your site is a successful resource.

For example, If you’re seeing an influx of mobile users to your website, it could be a good idea to invest in creating a responsive website, allowing the high volume of mobile users an easily accessible web page for information. If you’re finding high viewership on tablets, you could pay more attention to formatting your website for smaller screens in addition to larger monitors. You could also focus on ways to increase conversion to other areas of your site, as more tablet and desktop users are likely to click-through for information.

These are only some of the ways Google Analytics can be beneficial to building a better website. Learn more in the white paper Ten Things You Didn’t Know Google Analytics Could Do, or drop us a line at [email protected] for help applying what you learn from your website’s analytics.

-Ashley Quimby