Ever since the iPhone burst onto the scene over 10 years ago, the Internet has become increasingly mobile. It started with simple mobile versions of websites that were slightly easier to read on the smaller screens. A short time after, the Android entered the market and flip phones were quickly becoming replaced by their smart-phone counterparts. As mobile web experiences have improved and screen sizes have become larger, mobile web browsing became the most popular way to browse the Internet. More than that, your mobile visitors are more likely to engage with your site and buy your products or services to visitors utilizing a desktop.
As you can see, it is no longer “just a good idea” to have a mobilized website. It is an absolute necessity!
The increase in smartphones
In 2018, around 77% of American’s now own a smartphone and the vast majority have just become the proud owner of a smartphone in the last few years. But, smartphones have a lot more worth than being a device for scrolling through Instagram or playing games. Nearly 70% of consumers between 18 and 39 are using their smartphones to research products prior to buying them. Currently, 53% of paid search clicks are done on a mobile device as well. With such astounding numbers, that is STILL GROWING, it is clear that mobile optimization has never been more important for your business than it is right now.
Mobile web searches are dominating
Approximately a year and a half ago, mobile web searches exceeded searches on a desktop. This translates to mean that any search your business comes up in on Google is most likely being made from a mobile device. If your website is tricky to read, navigate, and utilize, potential customers are more likely to swipe away and head back to the search results rather than to figure out how to use a website still living in the year 2008. The bottom line is that if your purpose is to give your customers a positive experience, you not only need to make sure your website is mobilized, but you need to consider your mobile experience first.
Mobile device Google rankings
In 2016, Google took a stand where they began to favor websites that are mobile-friendly in their search results. Mobile is now what truly matters when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. However, currently, there are separate search results for both mobile and desktop devices. In order to stay on top of your 2018 mobile ranking, you can’t simply include less information on your mobile site and let your desktop site function as your main site. Your mobile site should allow your visitors access to everything that they can on your desktop site. However, this does not mean that they should be the exact same. On a mobile site, it is common to use different keywords that are typically used on mobile devices and companies that take advantage of this can completely streamline their Google rankings for both desktop and mobile. In addition, making your business address and phone number easily available and clickable is a massive advantage for mobile users.
Now the question that we have all been waiting for…
How can you meet Google’s standards for a mobile-friendly website? Fortunately, Google made the answer to what sounds like a difficult question fairly easy. Check out their “mobile-friendly test” to make sure the features on your site are mobile ready. Beyond simply having a standard mobile site, this tool will tell you if any elements on your site do not work correctly on mobile.
The most crucial thing to keep in mind when looking to improve your SEO rankings is to stay up-to-date. Google is constantly changing and testing brand new ways to improve the search experience for users. If you are not always on top of these changes, you can easily find yourself falling behind the competition. Also, Patience is key. Many other marketers and startups automatically want their SEO results to happen overnight. However, getting the proper organic search can take time. If you are correctly optimizing images, including the keywords in your content, and working to build extremely trustworthy links to your site, you WILL see results in the long run.
Go mobile-responsive
Desktops, tablets, and mobile devices have varying screens; it is easy to see why mobile-responsive websites have become such a sought-after design. This will make sure that the information on the site is looking absolutely stellar no matter what kind of device the visitor is on. When mobile-responsive sites first made their huge debut, businesses were quick to make the adoption, and it doesn’t take much to understand why. Dedicated mobile sites were designed with the intention that users could quickly access important information on their small screens. Now that the screens are getting larger and larger, this is not as big of an issue. Responsive sites are much more desirable and allow to an experience that is similar to what a visitor would get on an actual desktop computer.
To answer another question, yes, having a mobile site is crucial for even a business-to-business company these days. If you want anyone to take your business seriously, it is a must. For mobile users looking for an unbelievable web experience, responsive websites are a massive plus. Not only will they allow your website to look killer on a mobile device, but they will look elite on larger tablets as well.
Even though they look flawless on every device and have become the standard in web development, many businesses still do not have responsive websites. If your site is not mobile responsive, it is a great investment to make in 2018 even if you already have what you would consider being a great mobile site.
Reach your customers anywhere
Despite some far-fetched claims that “apps are out,” consumers are not ready to get rid of them anytime soon. Regardless of the huge growth in mobile web browsing, 90% of media on mobile devices is consumed through apps. This means that if you want to reach their customers where they are at, having the social presence of running advertisements on mobile apps such as Instagram can be a phenomenal way to reach an audience. Both LinkedIn and Facebook have pinpoint targeting that allows you to make mobile advertisements as effective as
possible. Not only is there a rise in consumers moving to mobile devices, but mobile advertisements cost approximately 25% less than desktop advertisements, but at the same time boost a 40% higher click-through-rate. As if you needed even more of a reason to start shifting your focus toward mobile devices…
To keep it simple, in 2018, mobile is no longer the latest trend –it’s the standard. If your business is not prepared for the mobile customer, you are only holding yourself back and it is only going to continue to decline. Mobile devices are taking over in a huge way and if you are not thinking about mobile before your desktop site, then you are out of touch with your customers. With features like Venmo and Apple Pay, it is not even taboo to pay for your coffee at Starbucks without even removing your wallet. Mobile is here to stay and businesses that have kept up to date with mobile optimization are the ones that will reap the benefits.
