You might have recently done a search on a business via your mobile device to find it was difficult to navigate and read. Maybe the phone numbers did not work either when you touched on them or the menu bar content was confusing and you had to keep moving your finger or pen around to find what you needed. The statistics out there are scary ranging from only 10 – 30% SMB’s (small to medium businesses) offer mobile friendly websites! This not only affects their brand but also allows for missed sales opportunities as users give up and go to a competitor with an easier site. Frankly I am guilty of this, aren’t you?
So what matters in a setting up that mobile friendly website for maximum optimization?
Mobile experiences matters
Did you know that Google is now penalizing websites that are not mobile friendly?
According to Google all of your SEO efforts will not transpire unless you have a mobile friendly site.
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search.html
Nearly 80% of web traffic is found on mobile devices for everything from browsing for services to buying products and watching videos.
Over half of consumers now make purchases on their mobile phones according to Pew Research Center:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/28/10-facts-about-smartphones/
Have you considered optimizing your website and your email campaigns to mobile? What should you consider if you do? Things to ponder over are content size, responsiveness and messaging.
Content size matters!
Smaller image and text sizing are essential as the viewers screen time is limited. Those businesses that do not have mobile friendly websites can lose interest from a prospect within 3 seconds before the viewer moves onto another page. If they cannot easily and intuitively read the text without having to manipulate the content on their mobile screen you have lost them, period!
What is a responsive mobile site?
Responsiveness means when a viewer interacts with each page and the menu bars, that the experience is the same as it would be on their computer. Such a site automatically will change in size to properly fit the device one is reading content on such as an iPad. Think of a grid image and how these all stack up on a screen with columns and rows. The purpose is to create a positive, intuitive and viewable experience. This goes for sites selling products and services to simply reading the news, an eBook or a good novel on your Kendell or iPad.
Messaging on mobile is different.
Because space is limited on small phone screens remember that so is the amount of time a viewer is looking at your page on their phone. They are most likely multi-tasking with things such as being on the subway during commuter hours or talking to their kids or co-workers over lunch while waiting for their food. Browsing on their phone is a way to not only entertain a viewer but also solve problems to their questions and is often a time you will find your audience doing a Google search with keywords.
Therefore the messaging your business conveys needs to be extremely short, clear and concise. Capturing their attention before they can hop over to another screen or turn the phone over when they are looking into a yummy steaming bowl of Ramen soup that just appeared at their table, can be challenging!
With so much traffic coming from mobile devices, businesses are losing new customer growth, increased customer retention and repeat buyers if they are not set up for mobile. A successful mobile friendly site is designed to look and work the same on all devices and increases not only organic sales growth but also customer retention for repeat customers. Many businesses now are onboarding more than ever before new first time customers via mobile. In the software industry for example, mobile onboarding for SaaS products is the preferred method. Millennials also prefer to research and make purchases for retail products on their smartphones. If you do not have a robust mobile site, the viewer is more likely to bounce off of your page (called the bounce rate) which reduces your SEO rankings on Google. This will in turn push your business name and website link farther down the rabbit hole where nobody can find you! There are lots of tools out there to help build these mobile friendly sites. Digital marketing and web agencies such as Sync Interactive can help navigate for you the best option for your business or review your current set up to determine it it’s performing at the highest level of performance.
Get cracking on mobile today! Sign up for a free evaluation of your current mobile site for advice.