As of December 2016, mobile phone ownership surpassed the 1.5 billion mark, with users exceeding time spent on desktop computers. As people around the globe continue to gain access to smartphones, it will drive demand for online advertising. Already poised to claim 49% of market share, ads on mobile phones certainly aren’t going away anytime soon. Flurry Analytics conducted a study earlier this year showing 58% growth in mobile phone use, year after year. That equals big dollars being spent on advertising, with mobile ads set to overtake television advertising by 2020.

More companies will start optimizing their website content to be mobile friendly, if they haven’t done so already, leading to increased exposure from advertisers looking to get the attention of a reader. When considering the upcoming growth in the online advertising market compared to traditional forms of customer outreach, it’s important for any small business owner to understand how they can take advantage of these opportunities.

Mobile phone use will continue to grow through 2020

Utilizing your marketing knowledge and resources, there are simple steps you can take to optimize your Web presence in 2017. Short-term ad campaigns can draw traffic to your website, but you need to be sure that the content you’re offering is enticing to the reader and pulls them in so that you have opportunities to make sales.

Below I have included a checklist which you can follow to make sure your business is prepared for the upcoming new year.

SEO Checklist:

• Review the content on your website and make sure it is up to date and accurate.
• Remove any expired promotional offers and add new ones if they apply.
• Make sure you have an integrated blog with frequent posts. This helps to continue driving traffic to your website.
• If you haven’t done so already, make your social media accounts accessible from the main business website. Also, use them on a weekly basis.
• Track your online inventory and make sure it matches real stock levels.
• Search what your competitors are doing. This might provide insight to industry trends and any promotional offers that are available. Look for ways to make yourself unique from them and more attractive to potential customers.

Following these steps will help you to get ahead of the competition in 2017. Be sure to also check out our previous series on SEO, PPC, and Content Management strategies!

-Mitchell S