By a show of hands, how many of you are reading this article from a hand held device? If you are, you’re not alone! One-quarter of global web searches are conducted on some sort of mobile device by over a billion users worldwide!
We all know that the invention of mobile devices has forever changed the landscape of how basically everything is done! The invention of the first iPhone in 2008 changed the face of the mobile space forever. Apple’s iPhone popularised applications with millions of consumers and helped make touchscreen interfaces the norm. In our hands we now have a computer, calculator, camera, notepad and calendar. We can check the weather, watch tv, play games and search the web, just to name a few of the activities that our devices allow us to do with the click of a button.
The average person unlocks his or her smartphone 110 times each day. Out of those 110 times a person is looking at their phone, how many times do think they are accessing the web? In a recent study on communications use, it was shown that in the USA alone, people are on their mobile devices for 87 hours a month! That’s a lot of time to be able to have someone looking at your website.
OK, so we know that people use their phones A LOT, and all the time. How does this relate to having a mobile friendly web design for your company? Well, traditional websites, even those developed just a few short years ago, were not intended for use on mobile devices. While some industries have been quick to convert their company websites to mobile-friendly formats, many companies are still not aware that this is an important issue which can affect the bottom-line of their businesses. Here are a few reasons why it is so important for your company’s website to be mobile friendly
- Mobile Users are Different
Mobile users have different objectives than desktop users. Mobile users typically want their information in quick, easy to read doses. If you calculate the above usage of people opening up their phones 110 times a day and 87 hours of usage a month, that’s roughly 1.5 minutes of usage each time someone opens their phone. That does not give someone a lot of time to digest the information that they see. Which takes us right into reducing your Bounce Rate.
- Reduce Your Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is how long visitors stay on your website. Content that looks great on a desktop might be unreadable on a mobile device. Visitors won’t stay on your site if they have to pinch and zoom or squint at illegible type, or worse yet if it runs flash or anything that requires add-ons to display in a browser. If your website isn’t mobile friendly your bounce rate on mobile devices is going to be extremely high. By providing mobile visitors with an appropriate and intuitive user experience you will obviously engage visitors longer and drive more of them to purchase or enquire about what your site has to offer.
- Increased Conversions
Desktop websites in mobile browsers are ineffective and confusing for mobile shoppers. As stated above, mobile shoppers have little patience for an unmanageable website and one-third of them will leave a transaction if the site isn’t optimized for mobile. To make the most of your mobile website, you should have your call-to-actions clear and easy to click on. They should also be one of the first things visitors see. 80% of mobile shoppers are impulse-driven, and are more likely to purchase from and interact with a brand that offers an engaging mobile experience. Statistics also show that mobile users spend more money per purchase than customers do on desktop websites.
These are just a few reasons that show the importance of converting your website to be able to be viewed by a mobile device. Mobile web browsing isn’t slowing down anytime soon, so it is important for your company to stay up with the times.
Here is a quick way to check if your site is mobile compatible: Pick up your smartphone and go to your website. Ask yourself these questions:
- Does it load in less than three seconds?
- Does it draw your eye to your key selling points or message?
- Is the content easy to read?
- Is it easy to navigate?
- Is it easy to recognize and activate the call to action?
- Does it provide a good user experience?
- Is it a website you would spend time if it was not your own?
If you answered “No” to any of these questions, then it might be time to consider making some changes to convert your site to a mobile-friendly format sooner rather than later. This will help with attracting traffic and sales you might have been missing out on.
Written by Kim Ganir
