Mobile devices are taking over. Yes, mobile device usage is growing every year and there is a chance your business is not taking advantage.
Your website is core to your online presence. That’s why a mobile-friendly website is the difference between taking advantage of modern trends and getting left behind.
In this blog, we’ll cover the reason you’re in business to need a mobile-friendly website to fully take advantage of its online presence. We provide website design services and all our clients are equipped with a mobile-friendly, fully custom design from the start. Keep reading to find out why.
Table of Contents
Mobile device usage
Almost 82 percent of Americans own a smartphone and that figure is constantly growing. The simplest reason your small business needs a mobile-friendly website is because mobile devices are more commonly used.
Design trends
In the world of web design, trends are constantly changing. To follow the most recent website trends, you’ll need a mobile-friendly design. Staying on top of web design trends will help you position your business as an innovator.
Today, web design trends favor simplicity and ease of use on all screen sizes. And customers are making purchasing decisions based on your website’s general look and feel. If your website doesn’t provide an easy to use user experience then potential customers could be lost.
You can download our website style guide to learn more about the types of website styles and how your business can take advantage.
Mobile-first indexing
The next reason mobile-friendly web design is vital for your small business is related to the Google Search algorithm. Google Search is the most common and reliable way for local small businesses to get leads from interested customers.
Your brand’s place on Google Search depends on many factors, including your content and credibility. But a mobile unfriendly website could be harming your business. Starting in 2016, Google started implementing a policy of mobile-first indexing for its algorithms. Today, all of Google’s indexing follows a mobile-first policy.
In other words, when Google reads your website, it uses a mobile phone. If there are critical errors in your website’s mobile usability, this directly harms your search engine rankings. Your business could risk being invisible to potential customers on Google Search if you don’t address your mobile web design.
How to fix mobile usability issues
If you think you might have mobile-friendliness errors in your website you can use a free website auditor to check. This tool takes a look at the technical health of your website, otherwise known as your core web vitals. You will likely need an experienced web developer to improve your core web vitals. But a healthy website will mean more visibility from customers on Google Search.
The impact could be major for your digital marketing strategy.
How to check the Google index
If you think you might have mobile usability issues on your website it is going to be important to check the Google index. If your mobile usability issues are severe, the page in question might be invisible in Google Search.
Thankfully, checking the Google index is as easy as using Google’s own platform. Just type site: followed by the URL in question into the Google Search box and press enter. The result will be the exact amount of pages indexed for that URL.
Mobile marketing
Without a mobile friendly website, your business will miss out on the opportunity for mobile marketing. If you’re looking for creative ways to reach new customers, a website that isn’t mobile friendly could be holding you back.
Mobile first social media platforms
For example, is your target audience using mobile-first social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat? Some social media platforms are exclusively used in a mobile app. If you think this is an opportunity to reach new customers then a mobile-friendly website is a must.
SMS marketing
SMS marketing is a key component of mobile marketing that involves sending SMS text messages to customers. This is another key opportunity to reach new customers with creative content to capture their attention. However, without a mobile-friendly website, SMS marketing is going to be difficult.
We’ve discussed the prominence of mobile devices. Nearly all Americans own and use a smartphone. A carefully crafted SMS marketing message has the potential to reach a huge audience of people. If there is no mobile-friendly website to direct their attention too, then no SMS marketing campaign can succeed.
Again, mobile device usage rates are sharply increasing. This means that nearly all digital marketing channels involve an element of mobile marketing. Data shows social media, search engine and email users are all using mobile devices more.
Take advantage of mobile marketing with a mobile-friendly website
