Predictions of mobile overtaking desktop for search started the moment mobile search hit the mainstream.
Today, those predictions are a reality and getting your website mobile friendly is more important than ever. In the past, mobile friendly was more of a suggestion to be cutting edge, but today, it’s a requirement to stay competitive.
If you’re still on the fence about making the switch to a mobile or responsive design, consider all the benefits and what your audience prefers. You’ll easily see why making the change is the best decision for your website.
Improve Search Rank
If you haven’t already heard about Google’s mobile algorithm, Google added in a mobile component to its search algorithms in April 2015 to rank mobile friendly sites higher when users search on a mobile device. While some sites didn’t see much of a change, others saw their traffic either rise or drop, depending on how many of their users preferred mobile.
Google’s updating the mobile aspect again in May 2016. Google promises websites that are already mobile friendly won’t be affected, but others could see a negative impact following the update. Why take the chance? Google’s going mobile and just getting your website mobile friendly could boost your rank.
Reduce Bounce Rate
A high bounce rate doesn’t help your site rank well. It’s also an indication that your site isn’t impressing visitors, either with the design and/or your content. There are nearly 2 billion mobile users and over 1.7 billion desktop users. As you can see, mobile has overtaken desktop. With more users preferring mobile, especially for comparison shopping in stores or browsing while on the go, it’s vital to make sure your site provides an optimal experience.
No one wants to have to zoom in and out just to see the text on their screen. In fact, many users leave sites if they’re not mobile friendly. As your bounce rate rises, not only does your search rank start to fall, but you’re missing out on important conversions.
Improve Conversion Rate
Whether you’re selling products, building newsletter signups or trying to get customers to contact you about services, a high conversion rate is always the goal. A mobile optimised site sees as much as 160% increase in conversions. One study even shows UK retailers are missing out on £6.6 billion by not getting their websites mobile friendly.
If you’re targeting millennials, mobile is even more important. A poor mobile experience could leave at least 48% of your UK millennial audience dissatisfied with your business and that number jumps to 54% globally. A better experience leads to a higher conversion rate and skipping out on mobile could send customers straight to your mobile friendly competition.
Reach Your Audience Everywhere
Your audience is on a mixture of different screen sizes. You never know when someone may visit from a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The top two devices used to search online are desktops/laptops at 91% and smartphones at 80%. If your website isn’t optimised for these screen sizes, you’re missing out on a large portion of your audience.
UK users spend two hours daily on average using their smartphones, which is twice as long as other devices. The reason for the increase is the ability to showroom shop, browse sites no matter where they are and quickly make purchases with a few taps of their finger.
Even if you have a brick and mortar store, a mobile optimised site allows visitors to check out products or the store itself before visiting and 43% of UK users have used their phones for just this purpose. If you want to reach your audience everywhere they are, getting your website mobile friendly is a must.
Mobile’s The Present And Future
The days of thinking mobile is just a passing fad are long over. Mobile is here to stay and now is the time to adapt. A responsive design gives you the best of both worlds – a mobile friendly site and a desktop friendly site. You can ensure your visitors are receiving an optimised version of your site, no matter what their screen size.
Ready to make the change to a mobile friendly site and reap the benefits? Contact Darren at StuartMedia today to get started.
Image: Josh Felise
