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Are you getting the recognition you deserve?
Lazy Web Design is epidemic! A business website's job is to bring new customers to your store or provide customers with the information they need to do business with you. Too often business web designs sacrifice usability for glitz and in many cases prevent customers from being able to find them. The last time you came on a website with a Flash intro, did you hit the back button and keep searching for the information you needed? But, it gets worse. Search engines like Google and AOL do the same thing. Unless they find relevent content, they may ignore your site completely.
Lazy Web Design costs you business! More than 25% of Americans have broadband Internet access which means their computer is always connected and over 50% of consumers use the Internet to purchase everything from pizza to plumbing. It isn't a big step from ordering books online to expecting to find a local contractor without pulling out the phone book. Whether it is finding a new Italian Restaurant, researching cars, or getting directions to the closest garden center, more consumers look online first and use the phone book as a last resort.
A recent Nielsen/NetRatings report indicates online access is still growing fast. For the first time, the number of Internet consumers using high speed connections, exceeded the number of dial-up users. In these homes, the computer is always connected and available. So, how many potential customers are we talking about? This same report indicates over 100 million Americans have Internet access.
So, if your website isn't bringing in customers, it isn't because they aren't trying to find you.
Following is the Nielsen press release:
U.S. Broadband Connections Reach Critical Mass, Crossing 50 Percent Mark for Web Surfers, According to Nielsen//NetRatings Wednesday August 18, 9:30 am ET Young Adults and Kids Boast Highest Broadband Penetration; Seniors Still Log-on via Narrowband NEW YORK, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nielsen//NetRatings (Nasdaq: NTRT - News), the global standard for Internet audience measurement and analysis, reported that broadband connections for the first time reached 51 percent of the American online population at-home during the month of July, as compared to 38 percent last July (see Table 1).
Sixty-three million Web users connected to the Internet via broadband during July 2004 as compared to 61.3 million accessing the Internet through narrowband. Overall growth for broadband connections rose 47 percent year-over-year, while narrowband dropped 13 percent annually.
"Despite a plateau in the growth of U.S. Internet access, we've seen continued high double-digit growth in users' broadband access," said Marc Ryan, senior director and analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings. "We expect to see this aggressive growth rate continue through next year when the majority of Internet users will be accessing the Internet via a broadband connection."
Table 1. Broadband vs. Narrowband Connections (U.S., At-Home)
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Connection Speed Jul-03 Jul-04
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Broadband 38% 51%
Narrowband 62% 49%
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Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, July 2004
Note: Broadband connections include ISDN, cable modems and DSL; narrowband connections include modem speeds from 14.4K through 56K.
U.S. Online Demographics
Broadband penetration rated highest among those between ages two through 34 years as compared to those 35 years and older. The 18 to 20 age group possessed the highest penetration of broadband surfers at 59 percent, followed by kids at 58 percent, 25 to 34 year olds at 55 percent, and teens and 21 to 24 year olds both at 53 percent (see Table 2). In comparison, seniors between the ages of 65 to 99 years have the lowest penetration of broadband connections at 34 percent.
Table 2. Broadband vs. Narrowband Connections by Age Group
(U.S., At-Home)
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Age Group Narrowband % Broadband %
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18 To 20 41% 59%
2 To 11 42% 58%
25 To 34 45% 55%
12 To 17 47% 53%
21 To 24 47% 53%
35 To 49 49% 51%
50 To 54 51% 49%
55 To 64 54% 46%
65 To 99 66% 34%
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Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, July 2004
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