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With the ever-increasing use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the Internet is changing every day. More and more customers are turning to mobile devices to access company information, making mobile-friendly websites mandatory rather than the option that they were 10 years ago.

Desktop traffic has steadily decreased over the last decade as customers turn to their mobile devices for their internet needs. Recent studies have shown that more than 50% of online traffic now comes from mobile devices or apps. This statistic varies based on industries, but on average, businesses see anywhere from 25-60% of their online traffic coming from mobile devices.

If your site is difficult to navigate or doesn’t display well on a mobile device, research has shown that people will simply not visit the site in favor of one that provides a better mobile experience. Google reported that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a site they had difficulty accessing from their mobile device, and 40% of users end up visiting a competitor’s website instead.

Outside of user experience, as of 2015, Google implemented policies that cause non-mobile-friendly websites to appear lower in search engine results. Here at Charley Grey, we know how important a mobile-friendly website is to a company’s success, and we are here to help you make the most of your company’s website.

What Is a Mobile-Friendly Website?

Before you can figure out whether or not your company’s website is mobile-friendly, it’s important to understand exactly what that means. A mobile-friendly website is one that correctly displays on handheld devices such as smartphones or tablets. These websites, known as “responsive web design,” will respond to any type of screen, automatically formatting to the device on which the site is being viewed.

As more and more people access online information from their mobile devices, it is necessary to make sure visitors to your site have an easy experience navigating it. Some features of mobile-friendly websites include bigger text that fits the screen, easy-to-follow navigation, larger touch-friendly buttons, and faster download speed. If you’re still wondering why you should care how your company’s website looks on mobile devices, we are here to walk you through the importance and benefits of a mobile-friendly site.

Positive Ranking Signal

In 2015, Google announced that they would be expanding their “use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” When it comes to search engine optimization, we are all at the beck and call of Google. Anyone who operates a website knows how important ranking signals are. Ranking signals determine where your site will fall in Google’s search engine results. No one wants to be on page 8 of search results, as the chances of a web user navigating that far into search results are slim.

Out of all the factors Google looks at when deciding how to rank your website, mobile usability is the third most important factor. A recent case study for the shoe company Offspring showed that employing responsive web design for their site increased their search engine ranking by 77.59%. If you want to show up on the first page of Google search results, you simply must build a responsive webpage. In today’s day and age, if you want people to find your company’s website, it must be mobile-friendly.

Improved User Experience

Have you ever had a friend send you a link via text or email and when you try to open the link on your phone the website is absolutely unorganized? We’ve all been there before, and we’ve all made the decision to never visit the site again.

Studies have shown that if a user can’t easily navigate and read a site from their mobile device, they will abandon the page in favor of a competitor’s site that is more compatible with their mobile device. When a mobile site fulfills a customer’s needs, trust and accountability is formed between that customer and the business whose site they’re visiting, causing them to be more likely to return. By using mobile-friendly elements on your site, such as a “sticky” header (one that stays in place while scrolling) or a large site search bar, you can make your site easier to use on mobile devices. This encourages visitors to return and ultimately generates more sales.

Faster Download and Website Load Speed

In an age of instant gratification, the speed of your website is paramount. With mobile devices whose processing speed just keeps getting faster and faster, mobile-friendly websites are becoming more and more crucial to a business’s success.

If your website is only designed to function well on a desktop, it will take longer to load on a mobile device, causing mobile users to lose interest and navigate away from your site. Research into this has demonstrated that mobile website users will abandon a page if they have to wait more than 6-10 seconds for it to load. A mobile-ready site loads quickly on smartphones and tablets because the code of the site is structured to be compatible with such devices. If you want to keep mobile visitors on your site long enough to actually buy something, you need to make sure the site will load within 6-10 seconds!

Charley Grey Services

If you’re concerned that you are not tech-savvy enough to design a mobile-friendly site for your company, fear not! Here at Charley Grey, we design, build, and then manage high-performing websites for businesses. If you’re interested in maintaining a more mobile-friendly website, visit our website to learn more about our services.