Online competition is more fierce than ever. Every business owner needs to look at what they are doing that works, and at what isn’t working. You can’t afford to be left behind in your marketing. Old school websites are not likely to be optimized for the needs of today’s mobile audience.
What does it mean to optimize for mobile and why is that important to your business?
The simple answer is, over 50% of the people on the internet are using their mobile devices over desktop computers. Up to 70% of people prefer their cell phones to read emails alone! In short, if you aren’t reading this on your phone, chances are the person next to you is. Don’t you want your digital marketing to look the way it is supposed to look on any screen your target audience is using?
What is optimization?
Optimizing by definition is to make the best or most effective use of something. Have you tried looking at a website on your phone and it doesn’t make much sense since half the page is not visible? That page has not been optimized for mobile use.
Each page of your website needs to be checked for computer, tablet, and cell phone. Your website should be responsive and reformat content and displays to make them easier to read on your device. It’s a very important feature, and necessary that your website fluctuates based on the size of a screen each user is using. When your content does not automatically adjust, parts of your content will not be visible. This makes for a poor user experience and often results in your audience leaving your site for your competitors. This is different from a mobile-friendly website, which will look ok, but just shrink the content to accommodate a smaller screen. But, it is still difficult to read on the smaller screen. This is not what you or your audience wants.
What we are most concerned with is the user experience!
A well-designed website is attractive, and easy to navigate allowing the customer to find what they need without difficulty. However, since we already mentioned the number of people using cell phones over the larger screen of a computer, this alone makes it more challenging to find what you need on a small screen. When your audience cannot find what they need on your site, they will “bounce” to another site that has a more pleasant journey.
A difficult journey will ultimately send your audience away from your website and on to your competition.
Search engines also like mobile-optimized content. When your website doesn’t automatically adjust for the screen it is on, search engines can tell and reflect this negatively in your rankings. This is just one example of what tanks a ranking on google. Just like it is in your best interest to know all the current tax laws so you don’t lose money on taxes, it is in your best interest to know (or hire someone who knows) search engine rankings and what brings you up in the rankings, as well as what lowers your rank.
A final thought: Your audience is most likely to be searching for your product or service while out of the house. Given the choice between you and your competitor, being able to find what they are looking for quickly and easily will be the determining factor if they visit your store or your competition.