Dentists without mobile-ready dental websites take heed: the latest Ericsson Mobility Report reveals that approximately 40% of all phones sold in the 3rd quarter were smartphones.

Data traffic doubled between quarter 3 of 2011 and quarter 3 of 2012, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 50% between 2012 and 2018.

Ericsson’s research shows that online video is the biggest contributor to mobile traffic volumes, constituting 25% of total smartphone traffic and 40% of total tablet traffic, meaning that users are looking for entertainment and more video-related content.

However, a Nielsen Norman Group Report found that mobile users face severe usability problems in attempting to get things done on today’s websites, whether dedicated mobile sites or traditional desktop-optimized sites that are rendered through a mobile browser.

It would seem that dentists aren’t the only business demographic that are lacking in mobile-ready websites.

But as mobile use continues to grow, it will create opportunities for dental practices to stay more connected with dental patients than they ever did in the past and having a mobile-friendly dental website will continue to gain importance as more and more people carry the Internet around with them in their pockets and purses.

Jakob Nielsen, of the Nielsen Norman Group, thinks the increase in mobile data usage is because when people sometimes have time to kill, instead of calling a friend, or picking up a magazine, they use their smart phones to check out what’s happening on the web and read email. One smart phone user said: “I tend to look at a lot more marketing material on my phone. It’s because at home I wouldn’t sit and give them the time. But if I’m on the move and have the spare time, I do it.” (Nielson’s Alertbox)

Think about what that can mean for a mobile newsletter or ways of booking a dental appointment without having to call a dental practice.

Media experts see a future where businesses have actually three types of websites: one for smart phones, one for tablets and one for the large screen. With smart phones being the main way users run their everyday life, from choosing where to eat, messaging their dry cleaner and booking appointments.

Even doctors are becoming more mobile with physician adoption of mobile devices for professional purposes doubling since 2011, according to a Taking the Pulse U.S. 2012 survey. They have found advantages to being a web-portable doctor.

Douglas Gilstrap, Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy at Ericsson, says: “Expectations of mobile-network quality have been elevated by the availability of smartphones and tablets that have changed the way we use the Internet. Mobility is becoming an increasingly significant part of our daily lives; we always have devices within arm’s reach, allowing us instant access to information, entertainment and social interaction.”

If your dental website isn’t currently mobile-friendly, what is your main reason for resisting the growing mobile trend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. For a short video on what kind of mobile marketing you need . . . check out this link: http://internetdentalalliance.com/dentist-mobile-marketing.htm

For more on this story see: Ericsson Mobility Report Shows Rapid Smartphone Uptake and Doubling of Mobile Data Traffic