Introduction

Website Statistics: The internet landscape is constantly evolving, and understanding the dynamics of website development and browser usage is crucial for businesses and individuals alike. In 2024, the web design and development industry has grown significantly, driven by increased demand for innovative and responsive web solutions. Major browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge dominate the market, each offering unique features that cater to diverse user needs.

This article delves into the latest statistics, market shares, and technological trends in the web development and browser domains, providing valuable insights to help you navigate the digital world effectively.

Key statistics about mobile device usage and responsive design importance

Web design service companies have experienced significant growth over the past few years, driven by the expanding use of the Internet. As online operations have become more widespread, businesses and consumers have increasingly recognized the importance of maintaining an online presence, leading to robust demand for web design services and boosting the industry’s profit. The rise in broadband connections and online business activities further spotlight this trend, making web design a vital component of modern commerce and communication. This solid foundation suggests the industry has been thriving despite facing some economic turbulence related to global events and shifting financial climates. Over the past few years, web design companies have navigated a dynamic landscape marked by both opportunities and challenges. Strong economic conditions have typically favored the industry, with rising disposable incomes and low unemployment rates encouraging both consumers and businesses to invest in professional web design. Despite this, the sector also faced hurdles such as high inflation, which made cost increases necessary and pushed some customers towards cheaper substitutes such as website templates and in-house production, causing a slump in revenue in 2022. Despite these obstacles, the industry has demonstrated resilience against rising interest rates and economic uncertainties by focusing on enhancing user experience and accessibility. Overall, revenue for web design service companies is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 2.2% during the current period, reaching $43.5 billion in 2024. This includes a 2.2% jump in revenue in that year. Looking ahead, web design companies will continue to do well, as the strong performance of the US economy will likely support ongoing demand for web design services, bolstered by higher consumer spending and increased corporate profit. On top of this, government investment, especially at the state and local levels, will provide further revenue streams as public agencies seek to upgrade their web presence. Innovation remains key, with a particular emphasis on designing for mobile devices as more activities shift to on-the-go platforms. Companies that can effectively adapt to these trends and invest in new technologies will likely capture a significant market share, fostering an environment where entry remains feasible yet competitive. Overall, revenue for web design service providers is forecast to swell at a CAGR of 1.9% during the outlook period, reaching $47.7 billion in 2029.

The Web Design Services industry has faced mixed operating conditions over the past few years. Businesses and government sectors have spent more on web design services as users have become more reliant on online activities, including social media and online shopping. Steady growth in the number of businesses operating in Australia has benefited companies providing web design services, as their largest market is small-to-medium enterprises. Demand from online shopping has expanded rapidly, encouraging businesses, especially retailers, to upgrade websites to provide seamless customer experiences online and at bricks-and-mortar stores. While many consumers continue to enjoy the convenience of online shopping, some consumers have returned to shopping at the traditional bricks-and-mortar stores since pandemic-related restrictions were removed in October 2022, hampering online shopping demand and industry revenue. Still, heavy reliance on the internet has benefited web design service providers. Overall, industry revenue is expected to dip by an annualised 0.2% over the five years through 2024-25, to $1.4 billion. Competition against international web design service providers has intensified. Overseas developers have advantages in providing competitive prices, encouraging clients to use offshore web development teams to reduce costs. This trend has subdued revenue for local providers. Nonetheless, greater smartphone penetration and online usage have supported sales. The heightened need for superior website designs with enhanced user experience, including fast-loading and easily navigable websites, has propped up demand. Technological advancements, like using AI and machine learning for efficiencies, have helped web design service providers to improve profitability. Revenue is anticipated to edge upwards by 1.1% in 2024-25 as digitalisation trends encourage users to spend more on web design services. The Web Design Services industry’s outlook is positive. Consistent growth in internet subscribers and the number of businesses will benefit web designers as clients spend more to improve their online presence. Demand from cloud hosting and data processing services is set to expand business opportunities for web designers. Even so, downstream clients like large corporations may continue to exert pressure on local providers as they seek to move services in-house or offshore. Revenue is forecast to climb at an annualised 4.5% through the end of 2029-30, totalling $1.8 billion.

Mobile accounts for approximately half of web traffic worldwide. In the last quarter of 2024, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 62.54 percent of global website traffic. Mobiles and smartphones consistently hoovered around the 50 percent mark since the beginning of 2017, before surpassing it in 2020. Mobile traffic Due to low infrastructure and financial restraints, many emerging digital markets skipped the desktop internet phase entirely and moved straight onto mobile internet via smartphone and tablet devices. India is a prime example of a market with a significant mobile-first online population. Other countries with a significant share of mobile internet traffic include Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. In most African markets, mobile accounts for more than half of the web traffic. By contrast, mobile only makes up around 45.49 percent of online traffic in the United States. Mobile usage The most popular mobile internet activities worldwide include watching movies or videos online, e-mail usage and accessing social media. Apps are a very popular way to watch video on the go and the most-downloaded entertainment apps in the Apple App Store are Netflix, Tencent Video and Amazon Prime Video.

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The presence of business in the digital space is a must now. Indeed, there’s hardly any company, be it a small startup or an international corporation, that wouldn’t be available online. For this, the company may use one of two options — to develop an app or a website, or both.

In the case of a limited budget, business owners often have to make a choice. Thus, considering that mobile traffic bypassed the desktop’s in 2016 and continues to grow, it becomes obvious that the business should become accessible and convenient for smartphone users. But what is better a responsive website or a mobile application?

Entrepreneurs often turn to development companies to ask this question. Lacking sufficient knowledge, they hope to get answers to their questions from people with experience in this field. So, we decided to compile a guide that will give you clear and understandable information.

Mobile app

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Let's look at the stats. It will help you understand why a mobile app may be the obvious choice for your client.

In 2019, smartphone users installed about 204 billion(!) applications on their devices. On average, this is more than 26 applications per inhabitant of the planet Earth. And if this is not enough evidence, here’s one more point. The expected revenue of mobile applications will be $189 billion in 2020.

It sounds impressive, but this does not mean that a mobile application is something indispensable for every business. Not at all. Let's go through the pros and cons of a mobile application and try to understand when it is needed.

Pros

• A new level of interaction. Mobile applications are a more convenient method of interaction. They load and process content faster. One more useful feature is notifications. Perhaps, applications are the best way to inform users about new updates, promotions, and other news (who will read long letters in the mail?).
• Personalized targeting. Mobile applications are ideal for products or services that need to be used on an ongoing basis. The options like creating accounts, entering profile information, etc., make applications more personalized than websites. All this allows the business to target their audience more accurately without wasting money.
• Offline usage. That’s another major advantage. Applications can provide users with access to content without an internet connection.

Cons

• Development costs. In order to reach the maximum audience with a mobile app, it is necessary to cover two main operating systems — iOS and Android. Development for each OS can be too expensive for small business owners and they will have to make difficult choices. The way out of this situation is cross-platform development. Why? Because there’s no need to guess which platform targets prefer using — iOS or Android. Instead, you create just one app that runs seamlessly on both platforms.

• Maintenance. The application is a technical product that needs constant support. Upgrades should be carried out in a timely manner. Often, users need to personally update applications by downloading a new version, which is annoying. Regular bug-fixing for various devices (smartphones, tablets) and different operating systems might be a real problem. Plus, any update should be confirmed by the store where the application is placed.

• Suitable for businesses that provide interactive and personalized content (refers to all lifestyle and healthcare solutions), require regular app usage (for instance, to-do lists), rely on visual interaction and so on. For games, like Angry Birds, creating an app is also a wise choice.

Website

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In order to be convenient for users of mobile devices, a website should be responsive. We want to make an emphasis on this since it is critically important. Most of the traffic on the Internet comes from mobile devices, so your website should be adaptable, or in other words, mobile-friendly. If a mobile user needs to zoom in all the necessary elements and text to see something, they will immediately quit your website.

On the other hand, a responsive website has the following benefits.

Pros

• Maintenance. Maintaining a website is less costly. When compared to applications where the user mu...