Only 34% of websites use a serif typeface for body copy.

Two thirds of the websites we surveyed used sans-serif fonts for body copy.

the most popular font sizes ranged from 18 to 29 pixels, with 18 to 20 pixels and 24 to 26 pixels being the most popular choices.

What’s the worst thing about the Oregonian‘s strategy? For me, it’s the singular focus on pageview growth as a measurement of performance.

I would much rather that the Oregonian and other papers focused on something approaching engagement metrics instead of pageviews, whether it’s through the kind of approach that Forbes takes — in which returning visitors are seen as 10 times as valuable as first-time readers — or some other measurement that shows whether reporters are building long-term relationships with their audience.

people will go to great lengths to avoid reading.

even the best content can’t undo the effects of poor design and graphics that essentially say “don’t read me.” Good design isn’t everything, and it certainly doesn’t negate the need to create strong wording. However, bad design can negate even the strongest wording in its entirety

Market-research outfit eMarketer projected that Facebook will account for 21.7 percent of the global mobile ad market in 2014, up from 17.5 percent in 2013 and just 5.4 percent in 2012. Google still commands the lion’s share of the sector, with eMarketer pegging it for a 46.8 percent share in 2014, and attributing its drop from nearly 50 percent in 2013 to the social network’s growth. eMarketer also predicted a modest gain for Twitter, to 2.6 percent in 2014, from 2.4 percent in 2013 and 1.5 percent in 2012. For the sector as a whole, eMarketer projected that mobile advertising will jump 75.1 percent in 2014, to $31.45 billion, accounting for nearly one-quarter of total worldwide digital ad spending.

In 2012, only 11 percent of Facebook’s net ad revenues worldwide came from mobile, and last year, that figure jumped to 45.1 percent. In 2014, eMarketer estimates that mobile will account for 63.4 percent of Facebook’s net digital ad revenues. Mobile accounted for 23.1 percent of Google’s net ad revenues worldwide in 2013, and eMarketer estimates this share will increase to 33.8 percent this year.

Fewer people are seeing Facebook posts from brands, businesses and celebrities, the social network has acknowledged. 

It recently made tweaks to its algorithm that push updates from Facebook Pages—the presences maintained by organizations and businesses—lower in the news feed and show fewer posts to users.

Each day, there are an average of 1,500 stories the company can show in someone’s news feed, and Facebook said in December that as a result of the increased competition for post views, many pages will likely see a decline in organic reach.

National Geographic has a wealth of information about Bengal tigers, but if the knowledge graph provides just enough information for the searcher, will he or she click on the National Geographic result?

There is currently no “opt out” option for Knowledge Graph. But I would argue that if the knowledge graph result will be showing anyway, wouldn’t you want your brand and your link in it instead of Wikipedia or a competitor as the source? At least if your website is present in the Knowledge Graph, your site may receive clicks via the link to more information in the Knowledge Graph result. Another approach to consider is to fight fire with fire: beat the Knowledge Graph altogether. How? Currently, one type of content that is not appearing in Knowledge Graph yet is video. However, video content, when well-optimized, often realizes more clicks than text entries.  A 2011 study by AimClear demonstrated that video can receive as much as 41 percent more clicks in organic search over text results.

In 2013, 19 percent of Google’s ad revenue came from mobile search ads, and it’s expected to rise to 30 percent over the next 3 years, according to eMarketer.

the company projects that mobile devices will account for 50 percent of all paid search clicks on Google in the United States by December 2015. Last year in the US, the share of paid search clicks from mobile devices rose from 21.8 percent in January to 34.2 percent in December. Paid search clicks from smartphones almost doubled throughout 2013.

In the US, conversion rates on tablets rose above desktop for the first time. Smartphone conversion rate still lags at 4.4% compared to 5.3 percent on desktop and 5.5 percent on tablets.

57 percent use Facebook to coordinate social plans at least once a week; and 62 percent use Facebook to post about what they’re doing, where they are, and/or who they’re with.

It’s a matter of culture and how they consume. They publish everything to the world. They like to share, are open to share, and want to share. They want people to know what they’re doing. They don’t think about privacy and are more transparent.

A recent Pew Research study found that while millennials are more lax on their privacy, they are less trusting of others than previous generations.

Why are they known as Gen C? Because they thrive on Connection, Community, Creation and Curation; they’re engaged and they want their voices to be heard. They’re not a generation in the traditional sense – about 65% of Gen C are under 35, but regardless of how old they are, they’re the sort of mavens who shape opinion and lead thought. Put simply, Gen C isn’t a quirk of when or where you were born; it’s a way of life.

59% say the internet is their main source of entertainment and 38% turn to their phone first when they want to be entertained, with 66% spending the same amount of time or more time watching online videos compared to TV. They haven’t abandoned traditional TV viewing altogether, but they have augmented it with shares, ‘likes’, +1s, comments and retweets, all of which add to the first screen viewing experience.

The act of creating has become second nature to Gen C, but they’re selective, only adding something when they think it’s relevant and they can have an impact. Eighty-three percent of Gen C have posted a picture they took but only 42% post pictures every week, while 65% have uploaded a video they created, but only 25% upload videos every week.