It is no longer news that there is a fast increasing number of people who access the internet on a range of devices globally. Many years back, the majority of people who access the internet do so on a desktop computer. This trend is fast changing with the invention of new tablets and smartphone devices.
Several traditional websites, including those designed a few years back, were not usually formatted for good mobile-display, and therefore do not render properly on today’s mobile devices. Although some industries are hurriedly responding by transitioning their websites to formats that are mobile friendly, there are still a host of others that are still unaware of how important this issue is towards the growth of their businesses.
A mobile-friendly website refers to a site whose design enables it to have a proper display on smaller screens such as Android smartphones, iPhones, or other mobile devices. Most standard desktop websites do not function properly on these devices, however mobile-optimized websites adjust to screen sizes that are smaller and formats its interface and content in a mobile-friendly manner.
As an increasing number of visitors access your company’s website through mobile devices, it is necessary to make sure that they have a great experience, regardless of the kind of device they utilize to get there. If your website does not offer a mobile-friendly navigation, or the texts are not large enough or easy to read on mobile devices, or the download speed is extremely slow on mobile devices, or there are no touch-friendly buttons or page elements; your visitors may stop visiting your website and move to a competitor. All of these issues occur when your website is not mobile friendly. Research reveals that 57% of mobile users will neglect your website if it takes above three seconds to load, and about 30% will neglect a purchase transaction if the shopping cart is not mobile optimized.
In April 2015, Google started offering preference to mobile-optimized websites in results of mobile search. Therefore, even if the portion of your target visitors who use mobile devices are extremely small in number, they could still make your online visibility quite significant. Since you don’t know when or where your target visitors will visit your site, it is necessary that you make your website ready to function properly on any device they may be making use of.
In summary, the major advantages of using a mobile-friendly website are that it will increase the number of visitors who come to your site because very many people now use mobile devices to access the internet, and most visitors will be happy to come back if they have a wonderful user experience on your website. The latter refers to a reduction in your bounce rate. As your website gets more traffic with a great user experience on mobile, your website’s ranking will increase on search engines, leading to a better brand engagement and a significant growth in your business.
Now, pick up a mobile device and go to your website. Ask yourself if it is mobile friendly or not. If your answer is in the negative, then it’s high time you optimized your website into a mobile-friendly version and enjoy a wonderful growth in your business!
