Every day, business owners like yourself must rush to keep up with the latest technological advancements that may contribute to the growth of your business. From social media platforms that allow you to market your products and services in new and exciting ways to smartphone apps that increase your company’s productivity, technology and business are now tied to together in many ways. One such example is the importance of upgrading your existing website to ensure mobile users can view it easily. No matter the nature of your business, there are several reasons why having a mobile-friendly website is a must.
1. There Are More Smartphone Users Than Ever
Smartphones are evolving and more people than ever are using them to search for businesses when they are on the go. In fact, a March 2015 report by comScore revealed that the Google search app is the fourth most-popular for smartphone owners and that this is due to consumers searching out what they need when they are outside of the home. Additionally, the report noted that nearly 200 million people now own smartphones, which should prompt you to seriously consider the impact of having a mobile-friendly website for your business.
2. Improved User Experience
Few things travel more rapidly online than a business’ reputation, and if you have a website is that difficult or clumsy for mobile users to access, they are likely to tell others. If they decide to take their complaints to social media, this could seriously damage your business. Ensuring that your customers have a positive user experience each time they access your site will increase their overall happiness, and when they share that with others online, this can help drive new customers to your website.
When websites are optimized for mobile platforms, they load faster, have one-touch buttons that allow users to make purchases quickly and securely, and include text and photos that are easier to view on mobile devices. This makes them simpler to use no matter where the customer is accessing your site from. When prospective clients can navigate your website easily, they are more likely to be pleased and make a purchase.
3. Competition Is Fierce
If your business website is not optimized for mobile viewers, chances are your competitions has the jump on you, and this could mean a loss of customers for you. Today’s mobile users prefer sites that load quickly, do not crash their phones, and do not eat up a lot of their data as they view it, and if the competition’s site can do all this for your existing customers, they may migrate there instead.
Looking into the mobile capabilities of your competition is an effective way to gauge how you need to optimize your own website. Consider what they offer their mobile customers and how you can do the same or, even better, give them something even more efficient. If you need new ideas about what to offer your mobile customers, tech guru and CEO of DocuSign Keith Krach writes weekly about technology as it relates to business and how it can help improve the bond between business owners and their customers.
4. Mobile Optimization May Lower Bounce Rates
If you want to raise your Google rankings and improve your chances of making more conversions each time customers visit your website, mobilize optimization may help you do so. This is especially important in terms of your site’s bounce rate, which is one factor Google uses to rank your site. A bounce rate is the percentage of individuals who visit your website and then click away without visiting any of the other pages within your site. The higher the bounce rate, the fewer the people browsing your products, services, FAQ page, and conversion pages to answer a call to action.
While there is no sure-fire procedure for fixing a high bounce rate, there are a few things you can look at to ensure that visitors remain on your site for a longer period of time. Firstly, consider how quickly your page loads. Do users have to wait more than a few seconds for all the content to appear? Is your landing page correctly formatted and easy to read, with colors and fonts that are easy on the eyes? These factors can affect how users interact with your website and may improve bounce rates over time.
5. Marketing Solutions Increase
When you optimize your business website for mobile users, the way you market your products and services may become more innovative as well. Many website design packages include widgets that are designed to be included on a mobile site, such as one-touch buttons that take your viewers to social media pages where they can connect with your business and share their experiences regarding your products with others. This can help you create a marketing network that may expand far beyond anything a traditional campaign might accomplish.
The impact of today’s technology requires you, as a business owner, to keep up with innovations that can help keep your company relevant. Optimizing your website for mobile users is one way to stay ahead of the pack, keep your customers satisfied, and support growth the future growth of your enterprise.