With more people across the country acquiring and using mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, internet usage has evolved to highly favor mobile users. While this trend is felt by all industries, small businesses can benefit most from the change — if they make the necessary changes.
For businesses in relatively smaller towns like Alexandria, MN, web design should reflect the growing trend of mobile device usage. Businesses can no longer overlook the fact that mobile-friendly websites are an essential tool for any company trying to compete in the digital age.
What, exactly, is a mobile-friendly website? Simply put, it is one that is designed and optimized for viewing across a variety of gadgets — including mobile devices. These mobile devices can either be smartphones or tablets. When a company’s web page is optimized for mobile use, it is easier to access and it ranks higher on Google searches. This, in turn, increases site visitors and customers, which results in greater revenues for the business.
More People are Accessing Websites on Mobile Devices
As of 2018, data shows that more than 60% of people who access the internet do so with a mobile device; a number which is set to increase even more in 2019.
Analysts predicted this trend as far back as a decade ago, when smartphones hit the market in a big way. Websites back in 2008 were yet to be optimized for mobile devices, however. But by 2014, with over 48% of internet use happening on smartphones and tablets, websites had to change. These days, businesses that have not yet adapted to this trend run the risk of falling far behind the competition.
With this in mind, know that more and more people will be accessing your company’s website using a mobile device. Also, know that optimizing your site for mobile devices keeps your business toe-to-toe with your competitors.
Online Spending is Dominated by Mobile Device Users
The past holiday season saw a significant rise in online purchases, with retailers seeing 54% of their site visits coming from mobile devices. In the U.S alone, 34% of total online purchase revenue was generated by smartphone users, accounting for more than $100 billion in sales.
Studies have also shown that websites with easy mobile payment systems enjoy more revenue and repeat visitors to their site.
It’s clear that websites optimized for mobile devices are more successful at turning site visits into customers, hence, into tangible revenue. With mobile device usage set to increase further in the next year, this means that companies will see even more, if not most, of their business happening online — across an array of mobile devices.
Google Likes Mobile-Friendly Websites
Beginning 2015, Google realigned its algorithms to prioritize mobile-friendly pages on search results. This means that websites that are mobile-friendly rank higher in online searches from mobile devices.
With more than half of all internet access being done through a smartphone or tablet, this means that more than half of all online queries will come from those mobile devices, as well.
This preference for mobile-friendly websites can be linked to page responsiveness. Page responsiveness is the term used to describe how fast a website loads up, and how fast it responds to user input.
Naturally, mobile-friendly websites load faster on mobile devices, and because mobile devices are now the preferred choice for accessing the internet, mobile-friendly websites become a priority.
To sum, optimizing your company’s website to be mobile-friendly means that you’ll always be present on internet search results, which can ideally lead to bigger sales and wider online presence. EVM Digital has the necessary expertise and experience to offer your company the website you need to succeed in the digital world. Contact us, today, to learn more about our services.