In the fast-paced world we live in today, it’s no surprise that more and more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet. It’s really no surprise as smartphones proved more than a convenient way for people to access the Internet, among other things of course. That said, if someone is interested in NFL picks against the spread, for example, they do a quick search on their smartphone.
As a matter of fact, studies have shown that there are around 6.567 billion active smartphone users in the world today. What this means for businesses is that if they want to remain relevant and stay ahead of the competition, they need to make sure that their website is mobile-friendly.
A mobile-friendly website is one that is designed to be easily accessed and used on a mobile device. This means that the website’s layout, content, and navigation are all optimized for various screen sizes. With that in mind, here are a few reasons why having a mobile-friendly website is important.
What are the benefits of having a mobile-friendly website?
For some time now, mobile Internet traffic has surpassed that of the desktop as the number of smartphone users continues to grow. This trend is only going to continue to gain momentum, which is why it’s so important for businesses to have a mobile-friendly website.
Some of the benefits of having a mobile-friendly website include:
- Increased traffic – By making your website mobile-friendly, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience and increase your traffic.
- Improved user experience – Mobile-friendly websites are designed to provide users with a better experience by being easy to use and navigate on smaller screens.
- Higher conversion rates – A positive user experience can lead to higher conversion rates as users are more likely to take action on a website that they enjoy using.
- Increased search engine ranking – Search engines like Google gives preference in its search results to websites that are mobile-friendly, so you’ll be more likely to rank higher if your website is optimized for mobile. This has been ongoing since Google released their mobile-first indexing update for their algorithm.
How do mobile users differ from desktop users?
Mobile users are typically looking for quick, easily digestible content, whereas desktop users are more likely to be looking for detailed information. For that purposes, mobile users are likely to use some of the common smartphone features like voice search, for example.
Mobile users are also more likely to be using their devices on the go, which means they may not have the time or patience to wade through long blocks of text. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your mobile content is concise and to the point, as well as properly optimized to appeal to smartphone users.
Another key difference is that mobile users are more likely to be using their devices for social media and communication purposes. This means that they’re looking for content that is shareable and engaging. Desktop users, on the other hand, are more likely to be researching a specific topic or product and are therefore looking for more in-depth information.
How do you cater to both mobile and desktop users?
When it comes to website design, you need to make sure that your site is responsive. This means that it will adjust its layout and content according to the device it’s being viewed on.
So, if you want to cater to both mobile and desktop users, you need to make sure that your site is responsive. This means that it will adjust its layout and content according to the device it’s being viewed on.
Now, there are a few ways you can go about making your site responsive. One way is to use responsive website design. This is a more common and cheaper option as responsive design manages to adjust website content to any device and any screen size.
Another way is to use adaptive website design that uses templates for specific devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets etc. and their screen size. This is a more technical approach and it requires some coding knowledge. The main reason is that you need a specific version of your website for each device your visitors may be using. Ad adaptive design will, therefore, load appropriate template when user device is detected.
Both options are equally viable although adaptive design tends to be more stable and reliable. However, that also means it’s more expensive to implement. Both adaptive and responsive design will make your website mobile-friendly enough. Which approach you should opt for depends on your audiences needs and preferences, as well as how picky they are about their browsing experience.
Mobile internet usage has overtaken desktop usage, so it’s more important than ever for businesses to have a mobile-friendly website. Furthermore, search engines like Google provide more visibility to mobile-friendly websites while those that aren’t mobile-friendly usually get penalized. Therefore, the choice is obvious and your website won’t be of any use to you if it’s not optimized for mobile devices.