Every time you turn on the television, it seems there is a commercial for a new groundbreaking, game-changing technology for mobile devices. A cell phone that can survive attacks by power tools;
virtual reality attachments that transform your phone into a personal theater; new records in terms of device size and weight—and the list goes on. These mobile trends, when taken together, make it obvious that local SEO in Jacksonville and other areas will continue to become more important over the coming years. As people upgrade to more powerful mobile devices, they will spend more time shopping and searching online with them. But in this post, we want to focus on three rather surprising trends that, in a more specific way, will make it more important than ever that you have an experienced Jacksonville SEO company on your side.
1. Audience Aged 65+ Grows Dramatically
The older a person is, the less likely he is to enthusiastically embrace a new piece of technology and incorporate it into his daily life. But new studies are strongly suggesting that mobile device manufacturers have been successful in making their products so intuitive that even people who are not tech-savvy can master using them. One research project in particular, conducted by the Pew Research Center, concludes that U.S. seniors over the age of 65 have tripled their use of mobile devices to find news over the past four years. That’s an incredible increase, and a logical extension of those findings is that those older Americans are probably performing other Web-based activities on their mobile devices, such as searching for products and services that they need.
These large-scale changes have implications for all online marketers, but particularly for those that cater specifically to older audiences and have so far not found it cost-effective to advertise online. Local retirement homes, medical equipment providers, and other organizations focused on older communities now have a powerful incentive to put more effort into local SEO in Jacksonville.
2. Virtual Reality Ads are Around the Corner
There’s a race going on right now between Google and Facebook. Both companies are hustling to create the technology and policies necessary to successfully introduce advertising to the new landscape of virtual reality. Marketers are very eager to get their messages in front of virtual reality enthusiasts, but both Facebook and Google are smart enough to recognize that a “Wild West” advertising environment that bombards users with unwanted messages will quickly drive those users away and hurt the overall virtual reality industry. Instead, both companies are working quickly but carefully to prepare a balanced way for a Jacksonville SEO company, marketing firm, or large corporation to get VR marketing messages in front of users who are interested in them.
3. Better Batteries
One feature of mobile devices that appears to have lagged behind the rest of the technology is battery life. The best local SEO in Jacksonville doesn’t do any good if mobile users avoid using their phones to access the Internet because they are saving the last ten percent of their battery’s life! This is also one of the most active areas of research, however, and scientists are making progress on several different fronts at once. One front is developing more long-lasting batteries, capable of powering Internet use, video playback, photography, and other activities for longer periods. Another front, however, is finding potential methods for avoiding the use of batteries altogether. Researchers note that there are potential sources of cell phone power all around us, including sunlight, radio waves, and even the heat of our own bodies. The difficulty is capturing the energy from those sources and converting it into usable electricity for our phones. If science can achieve that goal, a Jacksonville SEO company will be able to reach mobile users indefinitely, without worrying about phones shutting off due to insufficient battery life.
At PalmettoSoft, we make it a point to keep our eye on trends like these and others that have the potential to transform how we think about local SEO in Jacksonville. Let us manage your SEO campaign and keep your message in front of mobile users no matter what new technology comes along!
REFERENCE:
Pew Research Center, “Growth in mobile news use driven by older adults,” http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/12/growth-in-mobile-news-use-driven-by-older-adults/. Accessed 7/7/2017.
