Mobile or desktop traffic: detailed analysis

There are many differences between mobile and desktop traffic. We suggest you understand all the advantages of each type and choose the right one for your campaign.

Any traffic in affiliate marketing requires affiliates to provide high-quality sources and choose the right offer for maximum profit in the network. In other words, choosing the right traffic is key to successful conversions and the final result.

The affiliate has two traffic options: desktop and mobile. The first type comes from users of PC and laptops, the second covers smartphones and tablets (sometimes they are assigned to two categories at once due to similar characteristics).

Why is the traffic issue so relevant?

According to the statistics of the SimilarWeb, traffic volumes in 2019 for the top 100 sites increased by 8% compared to 2018, and by 12% more than in 2017, which is an average of 223 billion visits per month.

What to choose: desktop or mobile?

The best option in affiliate marketing is to monetize the website in both directions. Therefore, in order to retain users as much as possible and turn them into leads, you need to adapt the landing page to two types of devices at once.

But first, let’s figure out what works best in our campaign:

Mobile traffic

1. The almost complete absence of ad blockers in the browser
2. There’s a lot of new platforms (smartphones, tablets, smartwatches).
3. It offers a wider coverage and a time frame for the campaign. In other words, one has the ability to attract an audience at any time, since the smartphone has already become an integral part of a person.
4. Increase conversions: mobile advertising can take up from 50-80% of the user’s screen in contrast to the PC, so mobile covers a great number of traffic and CTR becomes higher.
5. The wide selection of offers: there are no restrictions in launching campaigns because one can use access to mobile apps, pin submit features and so on.
6. Mobile carrier targeting is available.
7. The number of ads in mobile search is limited.
8. The conversion rate will vary depending on the type of connection (wifi, mobile Internet).

According to mobile traffic research, there is an 18.5% increase in traffic in 2019 compared to 2018, while the desktop has fallen by about 3%. Obviously, this is influenced by the availability of smartphones for all segments of the population.

In terms of traffic consumption, North America and Western Europe are the leaders. In average, one smartphone accounts for about 8.5 GB per month

from a mobile phone is reduced by 58% in comparison with the PC.

Where can one buy mobile traffic?

1. PUSH-notifications
2. In-app notifications
3. Social networks (FB, Instagram)
4. Messengers (TG, Viber, FB messenger)
5. Advertising networks
6. Teaser networks
7. Traffic exchanges
8. SMS

What verticals work for mobile traffic?

Among the leading verticals are:

• Adult and dating
• Gambling
• Wap click affiliate programs
• Apps for shopping (Rozetka, Amazon, Lamoda, Ozon) and travel (buying tickets, hotels)
• Mobile CPA networks

Desktop traffic

Despite the fact that the volume of desktop traffic is lower, we can not throw it off the accounts, because the number of PC devices on the market takes the lion’s share:

1. It’s suitable for business-related campaigns: traffic volumes increase during working hours, so verticals associated with the business niche will produce better results.
2. In contrast to mobile devices, PCs are not so sensitive to the speed of the Internet: the connection delays don’t affect the conversion that much.
3. The desktop is more trustworthy than mobile (for users of 55+).
4. The ability to create a long registration form and long reads on the landing pages. You can allow the user to thoughtfully consider the product or service.

Conclusion

Mobile and desktop traffic have many differences: in the way of processing, conversions, and cost. Although at the moment mobile traffic is rapidly replacing desktop, you need to take this into account when forming a strategy; however, don’t try to avoid the PC. Your strategy has to be based only on clear data: the number of conversions, the ratio of two types of traffic specifically for your product, the return on investment in mobile and desktop, and so on. In addition, don’t forget to analyze your strategies on time.