When you run your own home business online, the common users activities online are very important to know for directing your “ship” to the right direction. Pew Research Center just published a report about the most popular internet activities that might help you understand exactly that.

This research company is following the users online behavioral characteristics since 2002 and that really great to track trends and changes in the consumers habits over the years. Here is the report’s findings graph:

As you see, the most common activities online are using the email and using search engines with a stable consistence usage for the last 9 years. Other popular activities are getting the news online (76%), shopping online (71%). The biggest breakthrough over the last decade is using social networks with 65% today after it was just 11% 5-6 years ago.

Analysis and Implications:

1. The biggest source of traffic online are search engines and it doesn’t look it is going to change. Using SEO and/or PPC are the most viable and necessary part of any marketing strategy.

2. Email remained one of the most popular activities online even after the big break from social networks. Integrating email marketing tactics like creating a newsletter are also significant.

3. People like to find the news online. Combining updates and news on your sites and blogs can improve your popularity tremendously. A good example for this growing online activity you can see on Yahoo personalized news.

4. Although it didn’t advanced in the last few years, shopping online is still pretty popular. Trying to sell products along other income sources on your online business, can increase your revenue.

5. You don’t have to be a math genius to understand what is the most growing activity just by looking at the graph. Social networking is hot, hot, hot and i predict it will become the third most popular activity on the internet within couple of years.

Note: The report also elaborated who are the users that engaged in these activities divided by gender, ethnicity, age, education and household income. I didn’t referred to these data because i don’t think it’s effective- Each online business has its own certain audience, which you should analyze yourself!