Whether you own a blog or a store-based website, you probably know just how vital it is to add the right content, implement search engine optimization and have a design that is attractive to customers and very easy to use. What you might not have thought about or put any time into would be how mobile-friendly your site happens to be. The truth of the matter is that you should have a mobile-friendly website in order to attract more customers who might be using their smartphone, tablets or other mobile devices. It can help to bring in a completely different crowd than you’re used to, and it can also help to expand the possibilities for your normal computer users.
When you read through these five basic reasons for why your site should be mobile-friendly, you’re definitely going to want to join the bandwagon as millions of other sites online join with you. It doesn’t really matter if you own a blog that makes no money whatsoever or you earn your entire salary off of your site, so long as people can visit and use the site when they are on the go and using their mobile devices along the way.
1. More People Are Using Mobile Devices Than Ever Before
Sure, cellphones have been around for a while now, but people have never used their phones as much and as often to surf the web as people are doing nowadays. Millions of people are using their phones, tablets and other mobile devices when they’re on the go. Some people are even giving up their huge computers to just use their smartphones or tablets for Internet use. Because of this, you may be missing out on people who could otherwise be visiting your website.
2. The New Google Updates
Google has recently changed the way that you search when using your smartphone or tablet. Starting in April 2015, they are ranking sites according to how mobile-friendly the particular site happens to be. This means that if there is a lot of zooming and panning needed on your site to view content, you may not rank as well as other sites when people search for you. This change in how Google is allowing people to search can greatly impact how users find you when searching on mobile devices. If your site ranks well because of its mobile-friendly look, you may notice that people are more easily able to find you and visit your site in general.
3. Your Visitors Need to Have a Great Experience
There is probably nothing more annoying for a mobile user than finally getting onto your site and having to scroll out, pan with their fingers and try to get around frustrating links that are just not working for them. Your website visitors need to have an incredibly positive experience when visiting your site, and they will not be able to attain this if your website is not at all mobile-friendly for them. Your site needs to be designed in a way that enables visitors to quickly and effortlessly find content without having to get around your site’s design or template.
4. Responsive Website Design is Great for All Devices
The term responsive website design refers to a design your site uses that responds to any type of device that is being used to view it. This could be a laptop, large computer screen, tiny smartphone or even an enormous television in someone’s living room. When you have a mobile-friendly website, it is going to respond and adapt to just about any screen a person may be using. What this means for you is more flexibility for the future. As screens grow and shrink in size, you know that your website is always going to fit the bill.
5. Mobile Sites are Great for Visitors with Busy Lives
It’s no surprise that we all live very busy and hectic lives. Whether you’re working full-time, going to school or just are out and away from the computer a lot, you may use solely your mobile device to find sites, nearby stores, activities, blogs and the like. Just like everyone else out there, you may find yourself searching for nearby stores or locals who own blogs while you’re on a mobile device. Because of this, you need to have a website that can be easily used when people are on the go. This will actually help to bring in a lot more customers and visitors you might not have had otherwise.
There are so many advantages to having a mobile-friendly website that people are going to want to visit. Not only is Google changing the way that they are ranking sites searched for on mobile devices, but people just generally want to have a site that adapts to any type of device they are using. Some people may want to view your site when scrolling through their smartphone and others may be trying to view sites using their television at home. Your site needs to respond accordingly to the types of screens being used out there and look great while doing it. This will allow your visitors to feel confident in viewing your site and reading all of the content you have on there.
If you are confused as to how you can begin implementing mobile-friendly aspects into your site, there are professional companies that can help you accomplish this. Responsive website design is the biggest thing to hit the Internet nowadays and most sites out there are utilizing it for themselves. When your users are able to visit your site from all varieties of devices, you will find that you get more visitors and are able to become more successful on the worldwide web. As the world begins to change and more people are using mobile devices for Internet use, so should your site change and the way that it can be viewed on just about any type of device.