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Did you know that more people use a mobile device to browse the Internet than a computer? Or that most users will wait only three seconds for a mobile page to load before leaving the site? These are just a couple of reasons why mobile web optimization has become such a crucial part of website design in the last few years.
What exactly is mobile web optimization?
Having a website that’s optimized for mobile means having a site that reformats itself for different mobile devices so that each unique user has the best UX possible. With a fully optimized design, users will have a seamless experience while navigating your site, resulting in higher conversions and more sales.
Why do I need it?
In short, mobile web optimization ultimately means more customers. More than half of all Internet traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets, and this number can be even higher for many sites depending on the nature of the business. Without proper optimization, you dramatically increase your risk of users clicking away from your site and not returning. There is a risk with mobile that isn’t as prevalent with the desktop user experience – users are likely to leave your site quickly due to inconvenience or poor design. For example, one 2014 report found that 57 percent of mobile users would abandon a site if it took more than three seconds to load. While clicking away is certainly a risk with desktop browsing as well, the difficulty of navigating menus, pop-ups, and audio-visual content on a small mobile device make it more challenging to convert clicks into customers without proper mobile web optimization.
Improved user experience
Mobile web optimization enhances the user experience and thereby increases the likelihood of a visitor returning to your site. The more easily someone can navigate the pages of your website, the more time they are going to spend on that website browsing content. If visitors spend more time on your site, it increases your chances of converting visitors into customers.
One way this is achieved is through quicker website loading times. Websites that aren’t optimized for mobile will take much longer to render fully. As stated earlier, most users will leave after three seconds if a page hasn’t fully loaded on mobile. Therefore, faster loading will help you ensure that your potential customers stay on your site and engage with your content.
Another example of beneficial optimization details is the change to interactive elements on your website. Text and calls to action need to be made more prominent than on a desktop site because users are browsing and clicking using their fingers rather than a computer mouse’s precise point. Drop-down menus would also do well to be adapted so that users can quickly scroll through options and select one. Hard-to-read text or buttons so small that they result in mis-clicks, detract from the user experience and thereby increase your bounce rate. This hurts your SEO as well as your customer retention rate, which should emphasize the importance of full optimization.
Improved SEO
As established above, having a website that isn’t optimized for mobile will result in a higher bounce rate. This is a bigger problem than it might initially seem because higher bounce rates will hurt your overall SEO. When users frequently click out of your site, it lowers your website ranking on Google, a crucial tool for attracting users. Bounce rates aside, Google’s mobile-friendly algorithm also automatically boosts mobile search rankings for sites that are optimized for mobile devices, so having a responsive design will help your SEO regardless of user activity. Ranking well in Google search results is a crucial part of getting clicks and turning those clicks into customers, so mobile optimization is a powerful tool for earning new business.
If you lack a web team to help you properly optimize your website for mobile, we at IDG would love to help you make the most of your mobile browsing capabilities. Give us a call at (714) 221-4377 today to get started.
