Recently carried out research has shown that an increasing number of internet users are now aged over 65 years old. The report was carried out by Nielsen and found that the number of internet users aged 65 and over has increased by an impressive 55% in just the last five years. This brings the total amount of over 65 year olds that regularly use the internet to a massive 17.5 million. Not only have more users of this age group been found to be using the internet more, but they have also been found to be spending longer online. This research is of great importance to online businesses as it highlights an important online audience that they can now work to target effectively.
It was also found that the online activities carried out by internet users in this age group are highly similar to those carried out by other age groups. The checking of emails, paying of bills, the visiting of social networking websites, reading the news, sharing photos and shopping were all found to be the main reasons why these users access the internet regularly.
Google is the most popular search engine in the world so it is fitting that it is actually Google that was found to be the most visited website by internet users over the age of 65 in November 2009. This is useful information for those that have high rankings in the Google search results and those that are trying to gain high rankings through a search engine optimisation campaign. When carrying out a search engine optimisation campaign, the target audience must be considered carefully and targeted effectively. Those over 65 years old may fit into your target audience and due to the increase in their internet usage, should be considered within your SEO campaign too when trying to obtain high rankings in Google.
Social networking websites are also a popular choice for this age group when online and once again, social networking websites also play an important role in search engine optimisation so this can be significant information for business owners. When updating your social networking profiles for your business, keep in mind your audience of this age group and this may help you to develop even more followers, loyalty and trust through your social networking efforts. Some businesses cater quite exclusively for more mature consumers, so they should carefully consider the implications of these research findings.
When carrying out a search engine optimisation campaign, it is important to monitor the behaviour and details of internet users so that you can work effectively with them. Having a knowledge and understanding of who is using the internet and how, you can then target the appropriate audience for your business more effectively through your SEO campaign.
We at SEO Consult can help you to target your audience effectively through the use of ethical and successful SEO techniques. We monitor all research carried out in search so that we can advise our clients effectively on important issues such as who is using the internet, how they are using it and how this can affect their internet marketing methods.
