Mobile technology has continuously been a part of everyday life for more than a decade. Unfortunately, not everyone considers the use of a smartphone when it comes to website development.
In today’s market, you might as well walk and hand money over to your competitors. That’s what a lack of a mobile-friendly site is essentially doing.
Although app use is a vital element for many businesses, it’s not the only aspect of mobile readiness. By not having a site that can adhere to smartphones and tablets, you’re alienating a vast portion of your audience. This will surely play a part in losing out on revenue.
Here are some of the most prominent points that prove a mobile-friendly website is crucial to succeed.
If you want to keep the company relevant, you need to pay attention the points I’m laying out.
Desktop vs Mobile Users
In 2016, mobile users surpassed desktop in Internet traffic. Today, just over 51% of all Internet users browse websites from a smartphone. This means that more than half of those people visiting your site are doing so from mobile technology.
Why is this important? Because having a basic site simply does not look well when viewed on a small screen. It’s more difficult to use and requires visitors to zoom into content in order to read it.
The experience results in a poor opinion from the visitor, who may not come back to your site later.
Users Spending More Time on Mobile Devices
In the United States, people spent five hours per day using mobile devices by the end of 2016. This is a significant increase from what it was in 2015.
Instead of marketing to people who sit at home or in an office at a desktop computer, mobile opens many doors. For one thing, people check websites when they’re standing in line at the grocery store or sitting in the park.
Anywhere there is an Internet connection, you can easily assume smartphone users are accessing websites.
Online Sales from Mobile Expected to Rise
According to statistics, mobile commerce will make up about 45% of total online sales in the United States by 2020. This boils down to more than $280 billion dollars. This is because users find it convenient to shop on the spot regardless of where they are.
Given the current rate of growth, it won’t be long until smartphone users make up the majority of all online income.
I’m not talking about decades, here. We’re looking within the next five years or so.
You May Be Losing Half of Your Visitors
As many as 53% of users will abandon a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load from a mobile device. This means you’re essentially cutting your income in half from those who use smartphones.
Mobile-friendly website design relies on speed and layout. If the images are too large or if there are elements like Flash, they will reduce the speed of your site.
These elements are what drive users to the competition.
Using Google to Search for Businesses
More searches are performed on Google from mobile technology than desktops in the United States. This includes business information, product details, reviews and more.
This goes to show why it’s vital to have a mobile site ready and optimized for SEO. Think of it like an interactive phone book in the palm of a consumer’s hand.
Even in a local environment, your walk in customers are going to find you through sites like Google. Because of this, you need to make sure your site is ready for hand-held units.
And local SEO is a growing necessity you cannot do without.
Regular Shoppers Use Smartphones
About 60% of smartphone users in the United States make purchases at least once per month. As many as one in five will do so globally on a daily basis. This aspect alone should be enough to focus your attention on mobile-friendly site design.
If you don’t have a responsive site, imagine what a 20% increase in daily sales would do for your company. The return on investment for even a small business could theoretically pay for itself within days from a properly designed mobile site.
Millennials Do More Digitally
Millennials are the next generational wave of consumers. This is important to remember because it’s also the most technologically advanced generation.
Technology is so important to these individuals as more than 48% of millennial mothers digitally research a product before buying from a store in person.
Consider how the generation grew up. Since the early 2000s, Internet and mobile technology exponentially grew. This creates a layer of comfort and familiarity for smartphones that other generations simply do not have for the most part.
The Mobile First Index
Google is shifting search results to rank according to a mobile-first index. This doesn’t mean that desktops are no longer considered, but it does mean a mobile-friendly website will be given priority in the very near future.
Which means you should consider incorporating SEO for Google Mobile-First Indexing.
What does this mean for your website? It means that sites without mobile-friendly design and layout will be ranked lower.
For some, it may mean a drastic drop in organic search traffic. If the site is ready for smartphones and tablets, then it may also mean a considerable improvement in search rank.
Word of Mouth is Powerful
About 57% of customers won’t recommend a business if it has a poor mobile design. Given the power of social media, these recommendations can play a significant role in brand reputation and recognition.
Consider how powerful influencer marketing is today. Social media celebrities connect with consumers on a very deep level. If these influencers have a negative experience with your site, they can easily send their followers to a competitor.
Business to Business is Also Affected
What about those businesses who market to other businesses? Nearly half of the research for B2B opportunities happens on a mobile device while the individual is at work.
Even when a computer is available, the majority will still use smartphones and tablets for Internet research.
Without a mobile-friendly layout, your website could be causing problems when it comes to other companies trusting your brand. The end result is a good chance those companies will take their lucrative contracts elsewhere to be fulfilled.
Depending on the business you run, this could cost thousands of dollars annually, if not more.
Local Shopping is Influenced
Local search is an important aspect for any business. This is because things like Google have long surpassed using a traditional phone book.
In fact, about three out of five shoppers are more likely to contact a business if it has a mobile-optimized website.
Depending on the search term, engines like Google base results according to a person’s geographic location. The reach for mobile engagement is far beyond what some business owners believe. And 50% of mobile visitors will visit the locations they search within one day.
Quick Mobile Search Results
Optimizing the site for mobile searches is quite effective in terms of turn around. A website that isn’t optimized for mobile-first isn’t going to appear well in the results page.
This means you’re handing the competition quick traffic and sales. Consider how nearly half of consumers search on mobile devices daily and what that could mean for your business.
Smaller Screens Rule
When it comes to viewing websites, the smaller screen size owns the majority of activity. The resolution of 360×640 makes up more than 21% of all website traffic.
This is three times more than the common 1920×1080 desktop monitors.
Now, ask yourself if your website can be viewed properly at such as small screen size. For many people, this makes links and buttons extremely difficult to tap if it’s not mobile-friendly.
Although most of these phones have a type of pinch-to-zoom built-in, it’s all about delivering a good customer experience. Making people take additional steps works against your site.
Smartphones Over Desktop Internet
About one-third of smartphone users who have desktop or laptop computers prefer to use their mobile-devices for Internet access. For many people, the smartphone is their only method for Internet access.
The primary factor to this is the term, “mobile.” Instead of sitting at a desk to browse, consumers can do so whether they’re watching TV or relaxing in the front yard.
With hand-held technology being as advanced as it is, most situations can be handled without a laptop when it comes to mobility.
Avoiding Bad Experiences On-Site
Mobile technology requires a modification of what kind of programming is used. For instance, elements like Flash are not supported by most devices.
As many as 46% of users accessing a website that is non-responsive report problems while trying to use it. Whether it’s a crash or poor navigation, you need to avoid a negative experience.
Every visitor to your website should have a positive experience regardless of what device they’re using. Otherwise, you’ll alienate specific groups and hurt your chances of sales or leads. This is achieved by testing the environment on multiple devices.
Readable Mobile Content to Boost Sales
About 47% of consumers will see up to five pieces of content from a company before talking to a salesman. This is part of the research process for many people and often includes things like reviews.
If a user is unable to read your content, he or she may not even consider your business. This prompts two very important facts: creating blog content and making sure people can read it on any device.
It does no good to have amazing content if it doesn’t appear well on mobile devices.
Assists in Closing Leads
Because of the mobile-first index, it’s vital to strive for a good search result placement. Search engine leads have a close rate nearly 14 times higher than other methods such as cold-calls or mail.
In essence, the mobile-friendly website performs better than most forms of traditional marketing for most industries. Does your business send or use flyers to attract business?
Imagine what an optimized website can do within Google.
Higher Conversion Rates than Desktop Computing
Conversion rates for mobile users are 64% higher than desktops. This means a considerable number of people are more apt to purchase or otherwise interact with a business through mobile technology than computer systems.
By simply offering a responsive design, you can broaden the scope of customers engaging with your business. That’s the beautiful thing about responsive design; it will adapt to suit the needs of the user.
This means you can engage virtually anyone interested in buying your products or services.
Nearly Three-Quarters of Marketers Can’t Be Wrong
More than 70% of marketers believe mobile marketing is the future. This includes a variety of things like apps, social apps and even direct SMS text messages.
Part of this marketing should also include making sure the website is optimized for mobile devices.
Unfortunately, not all mobile marketing teams pay enough attention to the website. As demonstrated by the stats above, the lack of mobile-readiness somewhat diminishes a good strategy.
You need to go beyond social media and SMS texts and think of your website as the cornerstone of all your online activity. It’s the digital representation of your business and needs to appear professional.
Getting the Edge Over Competition
In 2015, it was found that just under 12% of the top 100 sites analyzed used responsive design. This means not all of your competition is adhering to the shift in device use when browsing online for a store.
By implementing responsive design today, you could easily get the edge over much of your competition. Think about all of the numbers above and realize that mobile-friendliness is in the best interest of the business.
A quick change of your layout and you could vastly increase online engagement and sales.
Mobile Use Is Not a Trend
Don’t think of mobile technology as a trend. It shows no signs of slowing down and continues to grow year-over-year. This means it has surpassed the term of “trend” and has become more of a way of life.
The longer you wait to implement responsive design, the more money you will lose. Keep your website relevant with the market and deliver a good experience for both desktop and mobile Internet browsers.