Google the term 'mobile-friendly website,' and you will get about 446,000,000 results on Google - in fact, Google will even give you the option to run a quick test to see if your website is mobile-friendly or not. So with all the hype surrounding the term, you might be wondering...well, what does that even mean? And I do need a mobile-friendly site?
The quick answer? Yes, you do.
The more nuanced and longer, answer is that you need a mobile-friendly website simply because that is where the future of the web design is heading. Desktops are becoming less used, and with the increased usage of smartphones, this is the new wave of connectivity that you must be a part of.
Still, don't believe us? Here are a few reasons why mobile-friendly websites are so important.
Mobile-friendly websites boost your sales and conversions because there is an ease of accessibility that surrounds this website design. Knowing that a website is mobile-friendly allows users to interact and engage with your brand across devices, without being annoyed or inconvenienced. This increased accessibility is key to creating long-term loyalty and customer retention, so it is crucial to invest in it early on.
With more and more customers logging on from a variety of different devices and phones, it is essential that your website can meet these new customer demands and that the customer journey can be accessed at any point, from any device.
Whether you are trying to capture new demographics or retain existing customer segments, a key part of that process is to establish credibility and trust. Customers must know that they can access your brand at any time, and they must also be assured that this business is reliable, credible, and trust-worthy. Especially in a landscape where customers are inundated with messages, promotions, and advertisements - how do you really stand out?
A mobile-friendly website is one of the strongest ways to accomplish this sense of trust-building that you want to have with your targeted customers. It demonstrates to new and old customers that you are flexible, adaptive, and meeting customer demands by innovating your product offerings to match and exceed customer expectations. It makes the customer journey seamless and provides a sense of authenticity and trust to the customer journey.
The biggest reason for having a mobile-friendly website lies in its potential to increase overall sales and conversions. Allowing users to have a seamless mobile experience is incredibly important in a hyper-competitive digital landscape. Since there is no need to maintain different versions of the website for different devices, and it can really make the extra difference in boosting overall revenue.
Think about the mobile user experience and compare it to the desktop user experience - what are the differences in customer journey that might cause them to abandon a mobile sale? And are they easily able to find your site to begin with? Google's algorithm prioritises mobile-friendly websites, and in order to keep your SEO ranking high, a mobile-friendly website is crucial.
Ultimately, a mobile-friendly website is a strong investment that can show real returns when deployed correctly. Whether you look at it from a long-term perspective or short-term, mobile-friendly sites are clearly the future of web design, and brands that invest in these innovations early on are the ones that see the most success in the long-run.