Website Visiting Habits in the UK

Website Visiting Habits in the UK

The invention of the internet brought about some big changes for society, transforming the way we lived our daily lives. While the internet didn't reach the average household until the 1980's, the official creation of the internet was in the 60's when government researchers utilised them as powerful research and communication tools. That being said, these computers were far larger than the ones we know today at Currys in the UK.

Since then, computer technology has grown rapidly and the digital revolution has changed the way we perform the most basic of tasks, from ordering groceries to finding out what the weather is like that day.

Below, we'll take a look at people's internet usage behaviours in the UK and how this activity has drastically shifted in recent years.

Top websites visited in the UK

According to statistics, the average internet user in the UK spends an average of 2.3 hours per day online. As job roles continue to develop and more and more people become computer literate across the nation, this figure will only continue to rise.

Top websites visited by people in the UK today include:

1. Google

US-based search engine Google is the most frequently visited website in the UK. As the world's most popular search engine, Google enables people to find the websites or information they are looking for on the internet by utilising clever algorithms to filter the relevant information.

Google's algorithms have transformed the way websites are created, in which many are now built around the way Google operates in order to perform well in search results.

2. YouTube

Ranked as not only the second most popular website in the UK but also globally, YouTube is the most popular video sharing platform in the world. Released in 2005, while the site originally began as a video sharing platform, today it's one of the most widely used entertainment platforms globally.

Utilised for listening to music, watching videos and even tv and movies, YouTube has developed into a powerful entertainment tool that now operates on a freemium and subscription model.

Users are able to stream their favourite video content from any place in the world with an internet connection and at any time - transforming the way we consume media.

3. Facebook

With 2.38 billion users, Facebook is the third most popular website in the UK. Facebook originally started out as a social media platform, enabling users to interact virtually, share updates, pictures, video content and chat on Facebook Messenger.

Today, Facebook have become a conglomerate network in which they also own the likes of Instagram; a photo and video sharing app and Tinder; a dating network that has since gone viral across the globe and has transformed the online dating scene.

4. Google UK

Now you may be thinking that Google has already been listed as the top performing website for the UK, but Google has a local site for each country it operates in. While the global search engine function is the most popular as it returns global results, on the Google site in the UK, users find results specific to their location, it's the fourth most popular website with UK internet users.

Google UK helps users to find relevant information that's specific to the area they are in faster than the global site. For example, this could include looking up directions on Google Maps, checking the opening times of a restaurant or finding a phone number for a business.

5. Amazon

As one of the most powerful online shopping platforms in the world, Amazon ranks as the fifth most popular website with UK internet users. Amazon has transformed the purchasing experience of people across the nation, in which it now only takes a few clicks to order relevant products to your door.

The average visiting time for each user on Amazon is over 5 minutes per session, making it one of the best performing websites. As technology continues to develop, the online shopping experience will get even more sophisticated, in which we may even begin to see drones making deliveries to households across the nation.

Internet use for entertainment

The internet has transformed the leisure industry in the UK, in which the gaming and casino sector have benefitted significantly in recent years. Sites like the 888poker site in UK are enabling consumers to access their favourite traditional casino games without even having to leave their home.

The internet has also transformed the way these games can be played, in which many of today's online slots are highly interactive and include an element of video games which make them much more interactive and entertaining than they used to be. In addition, online casino websites provide a greater variety of games compared to brick-and-mortar venues, with a number of signing up bonuses for new users.

Whether internet users are looking for something to do when sick, are searching for more conveniences to balance the busy pace of modern life, or are simply embracing the future of gaming in the 21st century, the online casino sector is booming.

Overall, it's hard to believe how far we've come since the release of the internet to mainstream society in the 80's. While back then the internet may have been used as a necessity, today's users rely on the internet to function in many parts of daily life and would be lost without it.