Inspired by Google’s recently issued search trends of 2014 – http://www.google.com/trends/topcharts?hl=en#date=2014&geo= – here is a snapshot of some important trends and web statistics for anyone using the web to promote their business.
Responsive vs fixed width websites
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The number of responsive web designs in the top 100 Alexa most popular websites has increased to nearly 90%. Where the big brands go, the rest of us invariably follow!
Source: http://codeitdown.com/responsive-web-design-2014-stats-trends/#more-1514
Search engine market share in the UK
Google still maintains its market dominance, although Microsoft’s Bing is growing in popularity.
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Source: http://statcounter.com/
Web browsers
Google’s Chrome is currently the most popular web browser, with Firefox being the next most popular. Internet Explorer is still hanging in there although this is more down to inertia and familiarity than users making an active choice.
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Source: http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php
Content management systems
Content management systems enable website owners and personnel to update and manage the content of their website without needing any technical skills or paying someone to do it for them.
Here are the most popular systems, based on Alexa’s top 1 million highest traffic websites:
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Most of our recent websites are built using WordPress which enables us to deliver fresh modern looking websites which load quickly and help with Search Engine Optimisation.
Source: http://www.datanyze.com/market-share/
e-commerce platforms
If you need an online shop then these are the most popular platforms based on Alexa’s top 1 million highest traffic websites:
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The market here is more diverse with bigger brands often opting for Magento which is highly configurable but also needs the assistance of specialist developers. We’re big fans of Prestashop which is a powerful e-commerce platform and has an active community of developers who provide free and commercial plugins plus advice through forums. Woo Commerce is a free plugin for WordPress and is a good choice for bolting on an online shop to an existing WordPress website.
Source: http://www.datanyze.com/market-share/
Most popular social media sites
The figures demonstrate how social media has become an important part of our business and social lives helping us keep in touch with friends and promote our businesses or other activities. In the UK alone, Facebook has over 31 million users with about 1.2 billion worldwide (http://www.statista.com/statistics/271349/facebook-users-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/).
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Source: http://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/
Good business decisions are usually based on a mix of good quality data and gut feeling. Hopefully some of the information we have provided will help shape your decision making in 2015.
