A Non-Mobile Optimised Site is a Death Wish for your Business

It’s pretty obvious that mobile phone usage is at an all-time high. On the commute to work, in the queue, waiting for an appointment, at home, basically everywhere you will find people with their faces glued to their phones. We’re in the age of instant information and when people want to find out something, they can immediately just through their phones. Two years ago, Google announced that their mobile searches had exceeded those on desktops. Recently it was announced that 57% of web traffic is from mobiles. But surely if you have a great website then it’s fine for mobile usage, right? Wrong. We explain why that is and why without it is a death wish for your business.

What does this mean to your business?

In the age where people want information and want it now, they will more than likely use their mobile phone for it. You may have a fancy website with all the information there, but if it is not mobile optimised, then there’s a good chance that all that time and money used to make a brilliant website could be wasted. A website that is not mobile-optimised will not always appear correctly on smartphones or be touchscreen-friendly.

What exactly is mobile optimisation then?

Mobile optimisation is when a page is designed for viewing on mobile phones. Everyone has different phones, browsers and screen sizes and mobile optimisation looks at all of those factors. It makes sure the pages load quickly for mobile viewing, is easy to navigate and is responsive on a touchscreen.

Your business can compete with a mobile optimised site.

It is said that 55% of people shop through their mobiles. If your site is not mobile optimised, how will you be able to compete with others? 67% of consumers online are more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly site. Without it, you will lose out on business. It only takes about three seconds for someone to realise that the site may be too distorted to navigate before they move onto something else. A 2012 survey by Google said that 61% of people would leave a site if it wasn’t mobile-friendly.

Mobile users are likely to spend more.

We know that 55% of people will use their phones for shopping, but they actually spend more money too. Expensive items are often still bought via desktop, but lots of small, inexpensive items are bought through mobile devices. If your business has lots of different inexpensive items on offer, but your site is not mobile optimised, then you could be missing out on loads of sales.

Google will notice too.

Your SEO efforts might be spot-on, but if your site isn’t optimised for mobile users then Google will rank you below the sites that are. When someone does a search in Google, they expect to find the best sites for them. It wouldn’t be good on Google’s part to show websites that won’t display properly for the user.

Mobile users behave differently than those on a desktop.

While the same person can use a desktop and mobile for the same thing, what is expected and how people react through mobile is different. Mobile users are all about the visual media. Images and short videos can be more powerful than a load of copy as it is this that will keep attention. You obviously still need the right words that contain the exact information that people are looking for, but it needs to come with plenty of visuals. A good example is where you put your social share bar. If users can see it, then they are more likely to share your page rather than trying to find it.

How should my mobile optimised site look?

Because mobile users behave differently, your strategy should be too. This starts with your landing pages. What works on a desktop won’t work for mobile. While desktop landing pages can be grand, you need to simplify this for mobile while still delivering the same information for successful conversion.

Make sure that your site is responsive and easy to navigate. The design and layout should be clear and simple. If your site takes too long to load, then you will lose potential customers. Keep the user from having to click to too many pages before getting to what they are looking for. Keep your headlines to about five words that are straight to the point, making it clear to your audience what they will find. Any call to action should be with an obvious bright-coloured button.

It is absolutely imperative that your business has a website that is mobile optimised. Once you get something set up, you can analyse customer behaviour to see how they are using the site via mobile to make it even better. Without it, your competitors will definitely have a huge advantage.