Ten Things We Learned About The Internet In 2011

So, 2011 may now be nothing more than a distant memory for most of us, but they say you've got to know where you've come from to know where you're going, so how much better off is our internet knowledge base than it was 12 months ago?

In a bid to see how the online market has progressed over the course of the last year, here's our step-by-step guide to the changes and improvements to the most important communication tool in the world...

1 There are now 555 million websites in existence - that's 300 million more than at the start of 2011! The astonishing growth of the internet shows no sign of stopping, with just short of 100 million .com addresses in usage and just shy of 87 million country specific URLs being utilised.

2 Facebook usage grew by a third over the course of the year, hitting 800 million thanks to an additional 200 million sign-ups. With so many companies now making better usage of the product, this was the year that many 40 and 50-somethings finally gave in and signed up to be a part of the community.

3 A notable shift in how people use facebook is becoming apparent. The rise of smart phones saw 350 million of the 800 million users accessing the site in the palm of their hand rather than atop their desk. The customised mobile version of the site is now capable of mimicking almost everything the web version can do when users get their hands on the smartest of the smart phones.

4 Backing up this last fact, the number of mobile handsets distributed worldwide with a built-in web browser was 85%, ensuring that even the developing nations and their general population have the potential to reach the internet on the move.

5 Despite this being the year that IE6 was given its last rites, Internet Explorer continues to dominate market share, enjoying 39% of all global browsing activity. However, Google Chrome and Firefox won't be too disheartened with their own take up of 28% and 25% over the past year (even though Chrome has hugely leapfrogged Firefox in the space of 12 months). With those figures leaving just 8% for other browsers, it's clear that there's a triumvirate dominating the minds of web developers like Devto when constructing new builds.

6 In the crazy online world, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Poor Rebecca Black's hopes of pop stardom were dashed when the world ridiculed her breakthrough single 'Friday', but the amazing nature of viral communication ensured that her video ultimately became YouTube's most watched video of the year - perfect for generating advertising revenue! If anyone has a dreadful single waiting to be recorded, this could be your year...

7 The estimated return per £1 of email marketing spend is £44.25, showing the value of adding a CRM and email distribution package to your website. Just as long as the guys at the Direct Marketers Association are to be believed, of course. There's no reason to assume they'd have a vested interest in massaging such figures...

8 If you do choose to use email, there are certainly customers waiting to receive it. The number of people with email accounts worldwide grew from 1.88 billion in 2010 to 3.146 billion in 2011. The population of the planet is estimated at around 6.8 billion, so similar growth in 2012 should ensure that more than half the people in the world have access to an email account.

9 Asia is squeezing Europe's share of internet usage. Asian browsing accounted for 44% of web traffic in 2011, as opposed to our continent's 23%. The former enjoyed a 2% increase over the course of the year, costing the latter 1% of their segment. However, that's not to say that the market is contracting in Europe - anything but. 1.97 billion people logged on worldwide in 2010, 2.1 billion doing likewise in 2011.

10 Devto offer very good value web development. From just £350+VAT, we can propel your company into this vastly exciting and potentially lucrative marketplace. Compared to the cost of the most expensive domain name purchase in 2011 - the acquisition of social.com for $2.6 million, we're practically giving away our service!