Here’s why you need a mobile-friendly website

We’ve all heard tech-geeks reiterate the importance of having a fully-functional, fast-loading and well-designed website. They also stress the need to optimise it for mobile use.

But, sadly, we don’t do the second! We see it as more work and additional expenses against an already tight budget. Contrary to this belief, your business will only gain by opting for a responsive website.

If you’re toying with the idea of mobile-optimisation, here’s what you must read. There is a list of reasons on why your business must have a mobile-friendly website.

That’s Where Your Customers Are

A few decades ago, a desktop computer was the only means to access the internet. Thus, a large number of people depended on desktop devices for their internet needs. The figure has changed drastically in recent times owing to the convenience a mobile affords. Today, a smartphone is the preferred option for internet usage among people across different age groups. To add, they are available at different price points, making it an affordable to all. Smartphones are put to multiple uses – to make calls, send messages, listen to music, watch movies or surf the web.

This means that more than half of your web traffic comprises mobile users. According to Hostingtribunal.com 52.2% of worldwide traffic comes from mobile devices! That is a total of 2.268 Billion mobile internet users worldwide. And, we needn’t explain how crucial it is to increase web traffic. The formula is simple: The more the traffic, higher the conversions. Thus, it goes without saying that you need to target these mobile users by making mobile browsing hassle-free.

Mobile Users Buy More

It is a fact. Desktop devices bind people to a particular place. It is not the case with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. You can make purchases from wherever you want, whenever you want. You can buy something on the move, maybe on your way to work; you won’t have to put it off for when you reach home and have access to a desktop. If your site takes too long to load or is difficult to navigate, your customers might leave the site and go to a competitor.

Mobile-friendly sites help businesses capitalise on impulsive shoppers. The purchases could be small, but they are frequent.

It’s All About Google

Having a mobile-friendly site has become the standard primarily because of Google. Mobile responsiveness is one of the deciding factors for Google SERP rankings. Google determines its search engine rankings based on how sites adapt to and perform on mobile formats. You cannot disregard Google since it is the most important search engine out there. If your site performs badly, there are chances you will be pushed down in the Google rankings. Your target should be to feature on first page of the search results in order to increase web traffic.

Enhance Your Customer Experience

It is rightly said that the customer is king and so guaranteeing a pleasant experience is key. Users are likely to face problems when viewing a website designed for desktops with larger screens.

They are too big to fit a mobile screen; thus, you might be unable to see the complete screen at a glance requiring you to scroll in all directions. You could end up clicking links and opening unnecessary tabs which can be annoying. Customers complain of missing information, disorganised layouts and failure to load plugins and flash elements.

Mobile-unfriendly sites also have slow load times. The possible reasons are an outdated theme or heavy files. The fast-paced nature of our modern lives has made customers very impatient. So, with a slow loading website you run the risk of losing customers to competitors. You must not ruin your first impression with an unresponsive site. Mobile-optimised websites are designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. You won’t have to pinch and zoom the site to view it. Experts do away with old designs, incompatible flash elements and annoying pop ups, ensuring your pages load faster. Buttons and text are resized; thus you no longer need to zoom or pinch a page to view them.

Capitalise on Social Media

It is imperative for all businesses to have a strong social media presence, whether they operate offline or online. Social media activities make up more than 90% of the internet usage. Not only this, mobile devices have become the primary medium for social networking. This is where the referrals come from.

If your business wants to leverage social media marketing to increase traffic and conversation rate, your site has to be responsive. If it isn’t, you will be wasting the money you spend on social media marketing. A flawless website design will boost the click-through rate.

You can Save And Make Money

Unlike what most website owners believe, making your site mobile-friendly is an advantageous decision money-wise. It involves just a few tweaks and not a complete overhaul and so shouldn’t cost you too much. Also, considering its benefits, it proves a fruitful investment in the long run.

Mobile friendly sites ensure a consistent design and experience across devices. They are search engine optimised. This allows your site to feature among the top results on search engines. A higher search engine ranking is the secret to a higher profit potential. You will note a surge in your sales.

One also needs to bear in mind that an unresponsive site entails higher maintenance and design costs; that’s more money spent. Build your Brand

A mobile-friendly site allows you to gain an edge over your competition. Customers value and remember a good shopping or browsing experience. Sites that do not adapt to mobile devices look outdated and are extremely cumbersome. Great mobile sites build brand credibility and will have your customers coming back for me.

Having a responsive site will not only ensure you rank high on Google, but will also increase web traffic, guarantee a better user experience and grow sales. If you hadn’t considered about mobile website optimisation, now might be the right time to do something about it.

Don’t know where to start? xedricity.com is your one-stop solution for web development services. We can help design mobile-friendly sites with fast load times. An intuitive user interface prioritises ease-of-use and a lag-free interaction. Our seamless designs adapt to different mobile devices. Above all, at xedricity.com we create dynamic pages that tell the story of your business.