Getting Caught in the Web

Good news if you advertise on the Web: People are online more than ever

The average amount of time that U.S. adults spend online per week has doubled since 2001, says a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive. And that’s great news if you’re an online advertiser.

The poll says U.S. adults spend 14 hours per week online, up from seven. That growth is fairly recent. The average number of Internet hours grew slowly between 2001 and 2006, the poll says, but took off in 2007 and increased even more rapidly in 2008.

Amazingly, the U.S. doesn’t lead the world in the amount of leisure time spent online. That distinction goes to China, whose populace on average spends 44% of its leisure time on the Internet, according to TNS Global. The company placed the U.S. in fifth place worldwide, with 30% of Americans’ leisure time spent online. For a more detailed view of how the different countries stack up against each other in terms of Web usage, eMarketer offers a snazzy graph.

Home, home on the ’net
At-home Internet usage experienced an even higher surge in the U.S., according to the Center for the Digital Future. This annual survey found that American Internet users spent an average of 15.3 hours per week online in 2007, compared with about nine hours the year before. You can see how the rise in hours breaks down for yourself.

A strong spot in a weak economy
This is great news for those who run online businesses. More users online translates to more potential sales, especially considering how online shopping has become increasingly popular over the years. In fact, according to online data tracking site ComScore, U.S. commerce conducted over the Internet totaled $214.4 billion in 2008, a 7% increase versus the previous year, and Internet retail sales grew 6% to $130.1 billion.

Those numbers are expected to continue to grow, despite the current recession. According to projections from Forrester Research, U.S. online retail sales are expected to rise to $156 billion this year. And as users increase the number of hours they spend online, they also increase the amount they spend while there.

The bottom line for online advertisers is that your customers are out there—now more than ever. All signs indicate that 2009 will be a big year for online sales, so be sure that you’re ready to meet the demand. Write strong, precise ads, make sure those ads are specific to your keywords, call out your advantages (free shipping, etc.), and employ all of the strategies that can help make your ads stand out to users.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst