ComScore’s latest Digital Market Overview discovered that more than 40 million people in the UK browsed the internet using their PC in February – showing that while mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones are increasingly popular, the PC is still a major channel.

The report also showed that almost 36 million users watched video content in February.

Out of YouTube’s various partner channels, VEVO was the most popular.

There was a marked increase in the use of mobile platforms for accessing social networking sites, including sharing site Pinterest – which in February experienced a 454% hike, from the previous month, in unique visitors via both mobile browsers and apps.

This shows that video content can work towards successfully drawing readers to, or supplementing, existing written content.

These statistics further highlight the fact that, strategically, it is important for businesses to optimise for a range of platforms – taking into account users accessing a site’s content from both home computers and mobile devices.

As devices are increasingly able to allow users to comfortably access the Internet while on the move, content on a site should be made mobile ready to avoid alienating large segments of the audience.

Earlier in the year, the head of corporate communication and social media at Asda, Dominic Burch, insisted that content should be accessible to smartphone users.

The importance of relevant and top quality content was also recently highlighted by the CEO and founder of Seattle-based SEO agency AudienceBloom.

Writing in the Huffington Post, Jayson DeMers dispelled the myth that people don’t read online content, insisting that everyone does; they just do it differently from other forms of day-to-day reading.

He explained that everything is read differently – listings on menus, social network feeds, emails, novels, magazine articles, and newspapers – and that sites neglecting to provide quality content run the risk of slashing the number of people reaching their site.

Richard Bell

Richard has a First in English Literature and Creative Writing, and has experience writing fiction and short stories (which he has published both online and in magazines).