Originally posted here at USSCOSpeaks.com
It is not surprising that mobile searches have grown four times since 2010 (Google Mobile Optimization Webinar, 2011).
Take a look around at all the devices that have been released out into the marketplace. Between tablets, WIFI connected music players, and phones, everyone can be connected online 24/7. This means that wherever your customers are, they have the option to do business with you. Believe the data, your customers are exercising that option daily. This year, more people will use their mobile phones to get online, rather than using their PCs (Gartner, 2010). By 2015, there will be more than one mobile device for every person on earth (Cisco, 2011). Still think it’s going away?
What this means for businesses is that if you aren’t optimizing the mobile experience, then you’re likely losing customers. A bad user experience is an outdated website that makes your customers pinch, zoom, and navigate across your site. According to Google in 2012, 61% of your customers say that they will quickly move to another site if they don’t see what they are looking for right away on a mobile site. A good user experience is a fixed mobile stylized site that quickly and easily allows customers to navigate to the right pages with only a few thumb taps. In the same study, 67% of customers say a mobile-friendly site makes them more likely to buy a product or use a service.
Okay, so you agree with the data and believe that you need to take action to take advantage of this opportunity. What’s the next step? It’s important to first understand what makes a great mobile experience. Below is a quick list of mobile site best practices, according to Google…
- Keep it Quick
- Simply Navigation
- Be Thumb-Friendly
- Design for Visibility
- Make it Accessible
- Make it Easy to Convert
- Make it Local
- Make it Seamless
- Use Mobile Site Redirects
- Listen, Learn and Iterate
You can also download Google’s Mobile Site Best Practices PDF here.
Once you’ve outlined your mobile site structure and decided how you want your customers to interact with you, it’s time to build your mobile site. There are both free options and paid options. Free services such as DudaMobile allow you to enter your URL and it pulls information off your website. It’s not perfect so be prepared to spend some time customizing and changing what pages you wish to show up. You might also want to explore bMobilized, a similar service. Of course, you can also work with a mobile developer to build a mobile friendly or responsive website. Responsive website refers to a website that automatically renders to the device and screen resolution.
Regardless of the direction you choose, hopefully you’ve learned about some of the major benefits of being mobile accessible to your customers online.