As we enter 2024, the Internet shows no signs of slowing down, with websites still playing an increasingly crucial role in our lives in every area.
At the same time, the digital dimension continues to undergo dynamic transformations and reshapes the meaning in the lives of people and businesses alike - from the use of mobile applications, through the enormous volume of websites, the evolution of online commerce to the constantly evolving field of search engines and artificial intelligence: the Internet is a source of knowledge and a tool to stay updated.
Data published in datareportal shows that a total of 5.35 billion people worldwide used the Internet at the beginning of 2024, a figure equivalent to 66.2 percent of the entire world population.
Lori Moore/Omer HaCohen
On the occasion of the European Union's Safer Internet Day, which takes place today, Laurie Moore, research director at Elementor, the developer of the world's leading platform for building open source websites, provides a comprehensive and professional overview of trends, statistics and trends in the Internet world for 2024 (and a look back at 2023 from an article published in Forbes magazine) and offers important insights into the ever-evolving internet landscape and what lies ahead for us.
Whether you are a networker, entrepreneur or just curious about the online world, this information will provide valuable insights and a foundation for navigating the digital future.
The entry level is dropping, but maintenance is still poor
1.13 billion websites exist, but only 455 million are active.
A figure that emphasizes more than anything the continuous growth in the online presence.
In 2024, the number is expected to grow to about 1.25 billion websites, a number that reflects constant growth, where only about 455 million will be actively maintained.
A new website pops up every three seconds.
With the rapid pace of digital expansion, a new website is created approximately every three seconds, a figure that signifies the continued growth and diversity of online content.
In 2024 with the entry of AI capabilities into the field of building websites and creating images and content this record is expected to be broken with the expectation that a new website will be created every 2.8 seconds
Most businesses in the world are already digital
This year, approximately 48% of businesses plan to invest in website development and website performance optimization, recognizing their importance for success.
In 2023 this figure stood at 43%, highlighting the crucial role of websites in business growth and the growing need for well-performing websites to attract and retain customers.
71% of businesses in the world have an online presence.
The impact of the corona epidemic has of course accelerated the trend that demonstrates the vital role of digital transformation in the world.
The trend is expected to continue this year as well with an expected increase to 74%.
28% of all business activity and transactions in the world take place on the Internet.
A trend that emphasizes the increasing dependence on the Internet for commercial interactions, when according to estimates this will only increase in the coming year with a jump to 32% of the activity.
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CTR is still low
The average click-through rate (CTR) improves slightly.
A figure that measures the effectiveness of calls to action, stood at 4.23% in all industries in 2023 and is expected to improve slightly this year to 4.25%.
This index highlights the significance of investing in calls to action and the need to improve the conversion rate strategy on websites.
With or without contact, 78% of web creators are proud of their work.
From a survey carried out by Elementor among over 1000 network creators, it appears that 78% of them feel great pride in their career choice.
It also emerged that 96% believe that the field of creating the network will continue to grow in the next 3 years and there is something to look forward to.
Search engines still rule the web
Google will remain the most popular website this year as well, with over 92 billion visitors per month.
In 2023, the estimated number of monthly visitors to Google was 85.1 billion and 93% of the global Internet traffic came from Google, thereby consolidating its position as the main and leading search engine in the world, the one with an unquestionable influence on the design of the online surfing experience.
YouTube comes in second place with an estimated over 37 billion monthly visitors, confirming its position as a leading video sharing platform.
WordPress still dominates the website market
Despite the many innovations and competition in the industry, WordPress was and still is the most popular and leading content management system (CMS) in the world, when this year it powered 43.2% of the websites on the Internet.
This widespread adoption highlights its user-friendly interface and flexibility, making it a preferred choice among Web-Creators and users alike.
From the Israeli angle, we can mention the company Elementor, which this year became the most popular plugin in WordPress, ranking first in the system.
It should be noted that as of today almost 10% of the Internet is built using Elementor, which develops the world's leading platform for building open source websites.
So what can we expect?
The trends that stood out in 2023 are only intensifying this year and allow a glimpse of the dynamic and constantly expanding digital landscape.
These trends illustrate for businesses, small and large, why it is essential to invest in a high-quality, well-designed, user-friendly and functional website.
From the data it can be learned that it is important to specialize in SEO and the optimization of the site for search engines, the creation of quality and interesting content contributes to attracting and retaining surfers, the correct use of social networks can expand the exposure of the site, the introduction of AI tools can significantly improve the process of building the site and analyzing data and developing a digital strategy Effectively contribute to online success.
Lori Moore is a Research Director at Elementor
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