Does your target audience have high-speed Internet access?

Do you need to revise your website in line with your target audience’s Internet access speed? New research by Pew Internet and American Life may make some marketers think twice before embellishing their websites with too much bandwidth-munching content.

by Helen Leggatt

According to Pew’s most recent study, over half (55%) of all Americans now have a high-speed Internet connection at home, up from 47% a year ago. Those Internet users can take full advantage of multi-media presentations and graphics/Flash-heavy websites.

However, 10% continue to use a dial-up connection at home.

The cost of broadband access was the reason that most (35%) dial-up users hadn’t upgraded to broadband, with just 14% not doing so due to their geographical location.

The study also revealed that broadband adoption among households with under $20,000 income per annum fell from 28% last year to 25% at the beginning of 2008. No doubt broadband service costs and the economic downturn both have a part to play.

Marketers targeting low-income audiences logging in from home should bear in mind that websites that are heavy with graphics and slow to load will be a turn-off for dial-up users. Users surfing at work more often than not use high-speed connections.

Surprisingly, 19% of dial-up users said they were so happy with their connection that they couldn’t be persuaded to upgrade.

“Beyond price and availability, some non-broadband users simply don’t see the need for having a high-speed connection at home,” said John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of Research at the Pew Internet & American Life project and author of the report (.pdf).