In 2019, 52.2 percent of worldwide Internet traffic came from mobile devices, showing that it has tripled since 2013.
The days where we would have to wait to get home in order to browse the web on our huge desktops are long gone. We can now shop, book holidays and watch funny dog videos, anywhere and any time on our mobiles.
As a website owner, you need to be well aware of this and what your customers expect when browsing the internet.
But that’s not all you need to know. There are other benefits to being mobile accessible.
In this article, we’ll give you 6 reasons why your website must have a mobile-friendly design and the downfalls that can occur if it doesn’t.
Read on for more information!
1. Google Punishes Websites Which Are Not Mobile Friendly
This might come as a bit of a shock to you if you’re not up to date with SEO practices, but it’s true.
To understand this, we need to be clear about what Google’s main purpose is? When somebody types a search query into Google, it aims to deliver the most relevant results in order to answer it.
To determine which websites are shown, Google first had to rank them. It does this by using it’s famous ‘algorithm’. In March 2020, Google updated its algorithm to rank mobile-friendly pages first.
The algorithm is believed to have over 200 ranking factors that determine where your website will appear in search results.
SEO specialists are in a never-ending battle to crack the algorithm, which is updated often. Even though Google doesn’t reveal all of the ranking factors, it does reveal some and being mobile-friendly is one of the biggest.
Simply put, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, there’s a slim chance it will ever appear on the first page of a Google search result.
2. Customers Can Contact You More Easily
With the roll-out of 5G and restaurants, cafes, banks, and more offering free wi-fi to customers, we’ve never had more access to the Internet.
It seems that wherever we go, we’ll be able to get online with no issues. This means that we’re starting to use any free time, such as our lunch hour, to pay bills, book hotels, and more.
By having a mobile-friendly website design, more of your customers can acquire your contact details and opening hours, whilst at work or running errands.
This will give you a higher customer satisfaction rating.
3. It’s an Enjoyable Experience
If you’ve ever tried to browse a website on a smartphone that is not mobile-friendly, you’ll know just how painful and frustrating it is.
You cannot read the content, you cannot click on what you want to and you end up getting so angry that you click off and never visit it again.
Don’t let any of your customers have this experience.
Websites with a mobile design are purposely easy to navigate because they have to be. Due to the screen being a fraction of the size of a desktop, there is no room for wasted content.
Everything has to be easy to find and easy to see. This also makes it simpler for customers to order products or sign up for newsletters. The less hassle it is for them, the better for you.
4. You’ll Have Increased Visibility
The whole purpose of having a website is to reach an online audience.
One great thing about responsive mobile sites is that they are simple for users to share on social media. This is fantastic as it’s pretty much free advertising.
5. People Buy More on Mobiles
Yes, you read that right.
Studies show that mobile users buy more than people who mostly use desktops. It’s unclear exactly why this is but there are several theories.
One is that mobile users are more focused on what they want. They don’t tend to want to browse as you would on a desktop, they simply want to log on, order, and then continue going about their day.
Another is that relevant information is more easily accessible to them. Things such as product reviews and ratings are visible and they can compare brands quickly.
This allows them to make well-informed decisions and to stop second-guessing themselves.
6. Advertising on Mobile Is Less Interfering
Long gone are the days where we would patiently wait several minutes for our computers to turn on.
It’s estimated that 40% of users click off a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. This shows that internet users want and expect information as quickly as possible.
But users also want a hassle-free experience.
Things such as pop-up ads, not only get in the way and worsen the user’s experience, they slow the page down.
Also, if the ads are too prominent or appear every time the user clicks on a different page, it’s fair to assume they will abandon the website completely.
The good news is, this is more likely to happen on desktops.
Mobile ads tend to be small and hassle-free. Users can normally navigate around them with ease and may not even notice them at all.
Reasons You Need a Mobile-Friendly Design for Your Website
We hope you have very much enjoyed reading our article and have discovered why having a mobile-friendly design is important, as well as understanding the huge array of benefits it has.
For more information on technology, plus, business products and services, feel free to check out more articles on our website.
This post was last modified on July 21, 2021 10:10 AM