A Yeti is Hard to Find. What About Your Website?

What Makes a Website Mobile-Friendly?

The Yeti is a mystical creature, and they are rarely seen by humans. Some people even claim they don’t exist. Don’t let those people say the same thing about your website.

In April of last year, Google made a huge change in what they display on SERPSs (Search Engine Results Pages). Essentially, if you’re site isn’t optimized for mobile, Google won’t show it on mobile search results. That’s not that big of a deal though, right? I mean you’re still going to get all that traffic from desktops and notebooks, and that’s most people anyway, isn’t it? Not exactly. It’s time to check your numbers – mobile searches online account for AT LEAST 30% of searches, and according to some sources (Google), much more than that. In fact, Google claims that in 2015 more searches were performed on mobile than desktop. Think of all the potential traffic and conversions you’re missing out on by not having a responsive website. Managing two separate sites, one for mobile and one for desktop, is certainly an option. But doing double duty creates more difficulties than it’s worth – the real solution is to employ responsive design.

Of course this begs the question: What makes a website mobile-friendly? It starts with responsive design, the idea that a website should be optimized for viewing and user experience on any type of device. It negates the need for separate designs for desktop and mobile and allows for an immersive user experience regardless of their choice of device. Let’s dig deeper though – what individual aspects and features make a website enjoyable and easy to use on mobile?

First, it needs to be “intuitive” – easy to use – for visitors to the site. The experience should be logical and directed. It should drive people towards conversions, completing tasks that further engage them with your business. A good example of a conversion on your website would be a contact form submission or a call generated from a click on a mobile device. They should know what to do right when they arrive at your site. It’s always a good idea to outline the steps they’ll have to take between arriving at your site and completing a desire action to ensure that it’s simple and logical.

Next, ensure that the experience is consistent across all platforms. A user on their smartphone should be able to complete the intended tasks with the same efficiency that a desktop user can. This is exactly what we mean by “responsive design.” The design simply adjusts based on screen size and presents the visitor a usable interface. Responsive design typically increases mobile conversions by more than 50%, so it’s clearly the route you need to take.

Finally, don’t limit or constrain the experience mobile users will get on your website. There shouldn’t be limits placed on your mobile site – like we already said, all the same tasks and events should be easily completed there. This may mean rethinking content strategy, but it’s worth it in the long run.  

Building a mobile-friendly website isn’t an option that you can think about and come back to later. 80% of internet users own a smartphone, and that number seems to be growing by the minute. Tablets are one of the most popular devices available; their adoption outpaces nearly every other internet-capable device that’s come to market. Mobile internet isn’t just the future, it’s right now.

Take a look at a few more convincing stats relating to the rise of mobile browsing:

• 70% of mobile searches lead to an action taken within the hour, compared to about a week for desktop searches
• 67% of consumers are willing to make a purchase from a mobile-friendly website
• According to Google, 61% of users won’t return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing, 40% will go to a competitor’s site
• Access to content is rated as important by 91% of mobile users
• 57% of internet users won’t recommend your business if they had a poor experience on your mobile site
• 88% of users who use a mobile device to search for a local business call or go to that business within 24 hours

Having a website that’s responsive will give your business a big boost. It ensures that you’re on par or better than the competition when it comes to the effectiveness of your website.