Previously, building a website which looked good on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet and smartphone would’ve been expensive and time-consuming. However, there are more options than ever for businesses to create mobile-friendly websites, and there are plenty of reasons to do so.
Believe it or not, many businesses believe their local customers, who may have found out about the business through word of mouth, are unlikely to use a smartphone or tablet. They might not expect potential customers to use the internet to search for local businesses, and carry on using only traditional offline marketing techniques to reach new customers.
But over the last few years, trusted research organisations have proven that smartphone ownership is increasing, as is accessing business information online and using a mobile device.
Importantly, Google’s recent changes mean it’s more likely to show websites which are mobile-friendly to people who are searching online using their mobile. So if your website isn’t good for mobile visitors, you might not show up in search results.
This growing trend shows the need for a mobile-friendly business website is greater than ever. Building a mobile-friendly website doesn’t have to be difficult, but there are some important elements to consider.
Some businesses choose to have two different websites: a full, desktop version and a stripped-back mobile version. People can automatically be sent to the mobile version if they visit your website address from a mobile device and get a complete, mobile-friendly experience. However, this can be expensive and difficult for a local business to get right – plus having to update two websites, rather than one, can be time-consuming.
A better option is a responsive website. This is a fairly recent development in website technology but gives every visitor the best experience, no matter whether they’re viewing your website on laptop, mobile or any device. A responsive website design automatically rearranges itself to suit the device the person is using, so it looks right and works effectively. Many websites, including our own service and those you can build yourself, are now made responsive as standard.
Here are four key benefits of a responsive site…
Just as with any printed marketing materials, it’s important to consider what information your website needs to communicate and what you want the user to do after viewing it. People are often looking at websites on a mobile to find out key information straight away, especially if they’re on-the-go and keen to buy as soon as possible.
You can see this in the top three things that people want when they’re looking at business websites using a mobile device
This suggests these people are on the move and ready to buy, so making sure the information they want to see is clearly displayed on every page of your website makes it at easy as possible for them (and encourages them to get in touch with you).
Research shows that people are increasingly using their mobile devices to access the internet, both at home and on the move. This gives you an ideal opportunity, as a local business, to capture their attention and custom with a responsive, attractive website. Without a responsive website, mobile users visiting your site will quickly leave for another business who is able to give them the right information in the right format.
You can read more about similar topics here;
Have you enjoyed this article? Share it with your colleagues on social media...
