Most people do very little without the aid of a smartphone these days, and shopping and searching for solutions to problems online are two of the most frequent user activities.
What this means for your business, is that it is absolutely essential to have a fully mobile responsive website for your guests and potential customers to visit.
If visitors are landing on your website with their smartphones and the pages are taking a long time to load, or loading incorrectly, then they are likely to bounce from your site pretty quickly. There is no longer any room for patiently waiting. People want what they are looking for, and they want it now!
These instant bounce rates are not likely to land you any return customers, and they are also quite detrimental to your search engine rankings.
What is a Mobile Responsive Website?
A mobile optimized website is one that is compatible with any device your potential customers may be using. This means that whether your site is being accessed via smartphones, tablets, laptops, or desktops, the user experience will be the same.
Web pages will load just as quickly and functionally on a hand-held device as they do on a home computer.
A responsive website design simply means that it automatically adjusts to the user’s viewport.
How does a Mobile Responsive Website Work?
There are a few aspects to creating a mobile friendly website that may be challenging without web design training and experience.
Some of the elements the make a site mobile responsive, are:
- Fluid grids
- Media queries
- Imaging
Fluid Grids
This refers to the ability of your website to automatically scale to the device it is being accessed with. This means all the elements on your web page will adapt to the size of the screen and adjust in relation to one another.
Media Queries
Media queries implement CSS coding to allow data collection from visitors to your site, and adjust to the individual browser.
Imaging
Responsive imaging is also crucial, you don’t want the images on your website to appear distorted or unavailable on mobile devices.
Why is a Mobile Optimized Website So Important?
For one thing, without a mobile responsive website design you are doing your business a disservice, and likely missing out on a lot of new business.
Here are 7of the most compelling reasons to have a mobile optimized website.
1. More People Use Mobile for Shopping and Searching
You have likely noticed that a large portion of the population have their eyes on a mobile screen from sunup to sundown.
The trend for mobile applications and internet usage is expanding every day, so it only makes sense to ensure your website is compatible and optimized for mobile users, to take full advantage of your online reach.
2. Easier Development
Making your existing website mobile responsive is much easier than creating a separate mobile application to go with your current website.
Professional assistance is available for making your existing website mobile optimized, or for constructing a mobile responsive site from scratch.
3. Mobile User Behavior
It is crucial for a website to be mobile optimized to adapt to mobile user behavior. People use mobile devices differently than a laptop or desktop.
Mobile devices are typically used in short bursts while the user is waiting in line or has a little downtime. This means mobile friendly sites must load quickly, have minimal text, simplified menus, and basic forms with a prominent Call-to-Action.
Again, slow-loading pages are not going to keep visitors engaged.
4. More Purchasing Power
Not only do mobile users behave different in their searching and browsing methods, they also tend to be more active buyers.
Research has shown that people using mobile devices tend to make larger and more frequent purchases than their laptop and desktop counterparts. A quick and functional check out process encourages online purchasing.
5. Improved SEO
Simply put, google favors mobile responsive websites. Since 2015, mobile optimization has been a factor in google algorithms, boosting your search engine rankings.
Any good web design and development company knows the importance of a mobile friendly design, placing considerable emphasis on mobile responsivity being a top priority.
6. Social Media Marketing
People are constantly sharing all kinds of posts, articles, information, and images on their mobile devices.
Social media share buttons are typically built right in a mobile device’s browser, making mobile devices and social media accounts automatically linked.
7. Enhanced User Experience
The first impression you make on visitors to your website makes all the difference. If your site is not mobile responsive, expect high bounce rates and very little repeat business.
To provide your visitors with a consistently positive and beneficial experience, a mobile optimized website is the way to go.