Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?

Mobile internet usage is increasing dramatically.  According to Google, more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers.  With this rising number of mobile device users, it’s extremely important that your website is mobile friendly.
 
Many businesses have two websites, one developed specifically for desktop users and the other for mobile users, but with the development of Responsive Web Design, you only maintain one website that can be accessed across mobile devices and computers.  Responsive web design allows the web designer to create a web page that “responds to” or resizes itself depending on the type of device it is being viewed through, whether an oversized desktop computer, a laptop, a 10-inch tablet, or a 4-inch smartphone screen.

Benefits of a Responsive Web Design:

• Google strongly recommends responsive web design, favoring mobile-friendly sites when ranking search results on mobile devices.  Google finds it easy to find, index and organize content from a single website than from two sites, and therefore boosting SEO rankings.

• Responsive websites load faster since they only use one URL and the same HTML code across all devices.

• With responsive web design, you only need one website for all devices, which eliminates the cost of maintaining two different websites and separate SEO campaigns for each.

• When there is just one website and URL, it's much easier for users to share, engage and interact with the content on the site as compared to a site that has different pages for mobile and desktop users.

• Responsive websites have lower bounce rates because content and functionality is not compromised when viewed on different devices.  If a website isn't functioning on a mobile device, users get frustrated and leave.

• A responsive design offers users a positive experience.  Users don't have to fool around with zooming and shrinking the text or images on the screen.  Instead, all of the content automatically adjusts to the device’s screen size. This makes it easier and more convenient for users to read and navigate on your site.   A mobile responsive website is easier to navigate, fill out forms, make reservations, make a purchase, view images or videos, and a linked phone number on the website will connect without dialing when using a mobile phone.

• A responsive design has the ability to increase mobile user conversion rates.  With many people doing online shopping from a mobile device, if a user has to do more work than needed to complete a conversion, it's less likely they will make a purchase.  According to Google's Think Insights on Mobile, whenever someone arrives on your mobile website and is frustrated, or doesn't see the content that they are searching for immediately, there's a 61% chance they will leave and go to another website. However, whenever a user has a positive experience with your mobile website, that individual will be 67% more likely to buy a product or use a service.

• With a responsive web design, your site is designed to look similar on different devices.  Although, the content and images slightly simplify or scale down, the elements and appearances are basically the same on all devices.

• A responsive site gives you a competitive advantage showing that you know what it takes to meet the needs of the consumers.   48% of users stated to Google that when a site doesn’t function on their mobile device, it makes them feel that the company doesn’t want their business.