By Chris Manley, CEO, Engenius
You need a mobile website — sounds like old news. This would have been a headline five years ago, when the trend was to have a completely separate “mobile site” that was radically different from your “full site.”
Do you remember the experience of going to a watered-down mobile site, not finding what you needed, and having to click on the “go to full site” button at the bottom? That full site was a nightmare to navigate on your small smartphone screen — often leaving you frustrated and unable to find what you were looking for in the first place.
So, what’s the deal now? Have websites gotten easier to view? Only some of them. Businesses are getting smarter about not needing two separate sites for mobile and desktop. And that’s a good thing since more than 69 percent of people’s daily media time is spent on a smartphone, and the majority of people will not recommend a business if it is not easy to view on mobile.
But many small businesses are still not prepared — and it is vital now more than ever.
A 2017 study showed that 17 percent of small-business websites were still not optimized for mobile.
Why does this matter?
- Google Doesn’t Show Nonmobile Sites
Beginning in November 2016, Google stopped including nonmobile websites in its mobile search results. That’s big for two reasons: First, Google powers 96 percent of mobile traffic (NetMarketShare). Second, mobile traffic is more than 52 percent of all internet traffic (Statista). - Customers Leave Poor Mobile Experiences
Ever been on a website that didn’t perform well or was confusing on your phone? If you quickly clicked away, you’re not alone. About 80 percent of users are in the same camp (Ironpaper). - Revenue is Driven By Mobile
Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar store or you sell online, mobile is key in commerce. Thirty-five percent of U.S. eCommerce revenue is from mobile devices (Statista) and is expected to be nearly 54 percent by 2021. Likewise, 88 percent of people who search for a business on mobile either call or go to that business within a day (SocialMediaToday).
Let’s put all of this into context. Say you’re a single-store retailer selling high-end clothing. I’m new to Greenville and need some spring clothes. I search on my phone for retailers. First, if your site isn’t truly mobile ready, your store doesn’t even show up in Google’s search results.
Second, if your site isn’t designed with mobile users in mind, I’m going to leave within seconds. Finally, if I do go to your site, I need to be impressed by what I see. It is very likely I’m going into some store in the next 24 hours, and if you want it to be yours, you’ll make the most of my mobile experience, impress me, and make it easy for me to use.
It’s easy to think that your business’s longtime reputation or word-of-mouth marketing will keep customers flowing through the door. Those days are long past. If you want to continue thriving in the years ahead, you must adjust to how people in 2018 are doing business.
Chris Manley is the CEO of Engenius, a marketing firm specializing in helping businesses navigate digital marketing through strategic web design, search optimization, and digital advertising. You can contact him at chris@engeniusweb.com or by visiting www.engeniusweb.com.
