Remember when “mobile-first” was the golden rule? Tips

Here’s a stat that floored me:

94% of ChatGPT referrals come from desktop. (source: BrightEdge)

Perplexity, Bing, Gemini? All over 90% desktop too.

Think about it. When you’re doing deep research, comparing products, or trying to actually learn something…do you whip out your phone? Or do you sit down at your computer?

Desktop users aren’t scrollers. They’re researchers. They click. They read. They convert.

Mobile AI users? They want a quick answer, then stay in-app.

The implications:

• If you’ve been obsessing over mobile UX, your site might be invisible to AI referrals

• Desktop experience suddenly matters again

• Detailed, long-form content could crush snackable stuff

Mobile-first made sense when Google ruled. But AI search is a desktop-first world.

Are you seeing the same in your referral traffic?

OP: Matt Diggity/LinkedIn

Seriously, I didn't understand that from very beginning! I've got a e-commerce web-site and it has 60% of mobile users and 40% of desktop users. So what?
100% of sales are going from desktop users!

Wait, this hits hard, I just checked my analytics after reading this, and felt like an idiot.
I’ve been sweating over mobile load speed, shrinking tap targets, making sure everything looks slick on a 6-inch screen… meanwhile, my real buyers aren’t even on mobile.

Yes, mobile-first is still key—focus on fast load speed, responsive design, easy navigation, and Core Web Vitals to stay competitive in 2025.