A Mobile friendly Website Design is More Important than Ever…
In the UK there are 23 million smart phone users over the age of 13, an increase of over 50% year on year.*
57% of customers said they would not recommend a business with a poor mobile experience, while 40% said they would switch to a competitor offering a better one, according to a 2011 study by Compuware.
Mobile users typically search locally and immediate intent. In its study “Understanding the Mobile Movement,” Google found:
- 77% of smart phone users engage in mobile search.
- Nearly 90% of those mobile searches led to action within a day.
- 53% led to a purchase – either in-store or online. Google’s study further found that 60% of mobile
- 1 out of every 5 searches on a mobile is for a local business.
What Does this Mean for You?
When a prospective client lands on your website from a Google search on their mobile phone it’s highly likely they are looking for your products, services or experience at that precise moment. They are likely to be in the area and want to either call in, book an appointment or purchase from you.
The downside to this is when they are directed to your site and it is not optimised for mobile it will not display properly. In fact, any websites built with Flash will not display at all on iPhones or iPads. 35.1 million iPhones were sold in Q2 2012 alone and they will just show a blank screen.
If users cannot easily find the information they are looking for they will simply click back to the search engine and go to your competitor’s website.
Mobile browsers want fast results with ease of navigation. They are not looking to read all your content on your website in the same way that a regular computer user will. They are dynamic, they are on the move and they want to know what you have, how to find you and how to contact you right now!
What does a mobile friendly website design look like?
Let’s first discuss what a mobile site actually isn’t. Undertaking mobile website development does not mean getting a smaller version of your site. A mobile site, as pictured above has different functionality and is developed to meet those specific needs.
It should have 4 or 5 tabs only in the centre of the screen that provides simple navigation for the user and presents the most relevant information to them.
For example a mobile friendly website could have:
- Click to Call
- Location Map
- About Us
- Menu
- Specials
The benefit of this is that if the user is mobile then they don’t have to copy your phone number down they can simply tap the screen to instigate a call, they can be directed to a map of your location so they can find you and see any special offers that you have which could be tailored to mobile users.
70% of businesses globally are not capitalising on mobile marketing (source econsultancy) which leaves businesses that embrace the convergence of social, mobile and local search poised to enjoy the most success.
To find out exactly how we can help you win the lion’s share of your local and highly targeted mobile search users, complete the contact form below for a free consultation.
[mobilefriendly]*Source: comScore MobiLens, UK, Age 13+, January 2011 vs 2012
Read more: