Report: Less than Half of Today’s Content Leads to Engagement

According to findings from the “Content Engagement Report” published by BrightEdge, there is a major disparity between the content that exists on today’s web and the content that drives traffic, conversions, and revenue (engagement).

The data shows while engagement rates vary across industries, they are overall between 33 percent and 50 percent. When looking at the rates, the numbers vary significantly depending on whether consumers were accessing content from a mobile device or desktop. For example, in the B2B technology industry, there was a 53 percent engagement rate among desktop users. This rate fell to 26 percent when consumers were on a mobile device.

However, researchers expect this trend to shift over time. “With mobile usage on the rise, consumers expect higher quality and more types of content to be available on their smartphones,” wrote the authors of the report.

Currently, one-quarter of mobile sites are typically misconfigured, which results in an average smartphone traffic loss of 68 percent.

The Lack of Mobile Responsiveness

Not all marketers are interested in creating mobile-responsive websites, particularly in the small business sector, according to research. A survey published by Clutch in April 2015 found that only 56 percent of small businesses have mobile-friendly websites. Furthermore, 10 percent said they do not have plans to create a mobile-responsive design.

Between 35 and 40 percent of website visits come from mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Google released an algorithm in Spring 2015 to ensure that mobile-friendly sites receive a boost in rankings in mobile search results. Those neglecting the mobile experience could realize a drop in content performance as the way users access the web continues to evolve.