A decade ago, it was already apparent that any business, no matter the size, should have an online presence. More and more people were online, and use of old tools like phone books were going by the wayside. If you didn’t at the very least have a website, you were going to get left behind. Having a website is a no-brainer now, but these days there’s another must-have that’s become apparent: not just a website, but a website optimized for mobile use.
Smartphones are in the pockets of millions of people, and with data plans getting more creative and wifi hot spots popping up everywhere, they are being used more often, and for more reasons. Surfing the web, social media, reading, and yes, shopping, are all done with the little device that’s always by your side. That means that the first point of contact many potential clients will have with your business will be by using their mobile device. If your website doesn’t look or work right, then you risk losing that customer. Here’s a rundown of the benefits of having a website that’s optimized for mobile devices.
Mobile Devices are Everywhere
Seemingly everyone has a mobile device. You can find them in every household, in every neighborhood, in every town. The people using these devices are almost certainly using them to access the Internet. Some estimates place the number of Internet users who access through their phones at 80%. As a business owner, this means that you are certainly missing out if your website is not designed with these people in mind.
People Surf Differently When Using Mobile
While it’s the same people who are accessing the web using mobile and desktop, they use them in different ways. This means that users may be using both a desktop and a phone interchangeably during the sales process. Mobile devices do not have the processing power that desktops and laptops do, so sites can take longer to load, which might make you think that they should be more text-focused. This isn’t the case, however. With mobile devices, users like to view video, pictures, and use social media. Your mobile optimized website needs to take advantage of this tendency by catering to their need for this media content. Auto-play videos, social media icons, and other easy ways for them to share your content are vital. They used to say that word of mouth was the best advertising. In this day and age, word of mouth means sharing your content. If you can get users to share your content with their friends and family members, you can go a long way to being successful.
Web Traffic is Largely Mobile-Based
It is estimated that around half of web traffic is from mobile users. That number is only going to rise as smartphones become more powerful and more affordable. As that percentage rises, your site needs to meet that demand.
Mobile Users Like to Spend
Mobile users like to buy things. Users are more likely to make small purchases on their devices than they are to make large ones on their desktops. That means if you have a low cost product between $10-$15, then your site needs to be able to capture those users who will be likely to buy it when they visit using their phone.
Mobile Devices Are Social
So much of what users do on their mobile devices involves social media. Users should be able to easily transition from your website to your social media content, so it can be consumed and shared. Your site has to be easy to consume no matter what platform is being used.
Promote Your Brand
There are many businesses that haven’t caught on to the fact that their website needs to be optimized. That means yours can stand out from the crowd by having a well-designed, responsive, and mobile optimized site that is easy to use and easy on the eyes. It’s a great way to get a leg up on the competition.
Google Loves It
So much of marketing your business on the Internet is getting your site to show up at the top of Internet search rankings, and there’s no more important ranking than Google. Google wants the Internet to be as easy to use as possible, and therefore gives preference to sites that are more responsive, easy to use, and yes, optimized for mobile. That means that optimizing your site for mobile usage is an inexpensive and easy to way to help give your business a bump in the rankings.
If it was not obvious before, then hopefully you get the picture now. Optimizing your website for mobile isn’t a nice feature anymore, it is an absolute necessity.
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