SEO
5
min read
Published on:
December 12, 2024

Differentiate between Desktop and Mobile traffic on Google Analytics

Felix Vanhoo
Technical SEO Expert

The way we use the internet has changed big time with the rise of smartphones and data plans. Mobile internet usage has exploded, even surpassing desktop usage, and it’s reshaping how we interact online. This shift isn’t just a passing trend; it’s something businesses need to get on board with. Keeping an eye on your mobile traffic isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore—it’s crucial if you want to stay ahead. In this article, we’ll chat about why tracking mobile traffic is so important, how to use tools like Google Analytics to do it, and tips for improving the mobile experience for your users. Let’s dive in and make sure your business is ready to meet the needs of your mobile audience!

Why Monitor Mobile Traffic?

Since the arrival of smartphones and the widespread adoption of data plans, mobile internet usage has grown at an incredible rate, with the number of users now surpassing that of desktops, as shown in the following graph:

The emergence of a specific market for mobile users is a reality, and search engines are increasingly favoring sites that offer a pleasant experience on all platforms. Consequently, the loading speed of your website has seen significant improvement over the past few years, due to the “slow” loading some users might experience on their mobile devices. Not all your visitors have the latest smartphones with 4G, and they are likely to abandon a site that takes 2 minutes to load several megabytes.

Google, often a pioneer, has also developed AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which preloads pages directly from the search results page to further speed up mobile browsing and enhance the experience.

For your information, these criteria are important if you want to improve your SEO.

internet mobile and desktop usage overtime
internet mobile and desktop usage

How to Find This Data on Google Analytics?

Google Analytics tracks the device used by your site visitors and can provide this information in the form of a report.

In the “Audience” tab, which groups various characteristics of your traffic, you have the option to separate visitors based on their device.

This data allows you to determine the real impact of your mobile-oriented actions and see if your mobile users have similar interactions and conversion rates as those on desktops.

The data is rarely similar because the experience on a 5-inch touchscreen is not as ergonomic and easy as on a 24-inch computer screen with a keyboard and mouse. However, you can still measure traffic quality and identify any significant disparities. For instance, if mobile traffic stays on your site for only a few seconds compared to 2 minutes for the desktop version, this should alert you.

The closer the values are, the more qualitative your mobile traffic will be considered.

Where to find mobile and desktop traffic in Google analytics
Where to find mobile and desktop traffic in Google analytics

Different Values Require Quick Actions

Mobile traffic can represent between 20% and 60% of a website's traffic, which would be affected by a poor experience.

Only a thorough analysis can reveal or approach an objective explanation that allows you to move forward. We helped one of our clients who complained about a low conversion rate on their mobile site. Through a complete analysis, we determined that the responsive version of their website (adapted to all screen sizes) did not display the “Order” button below 1,000 pixels in width.

Buy mobile traffic with SerpSEO quickly if you notice significant disparities between your desktop and mobile traffic so that our Web Analysts can help you find an objective solution.