Is Your Website Mobile Friendly?

Statistics show time spent on mobile devices in the U.S. has increased to 51% compared to 42% for desktop computers. 

Technology — Watch It, Use It, Grow With It

Transportation companies, newspapers and video stores are just three examples of industries that have seen sweeping changes in how they do business, or don’t do business at all anymore. Companies once considered giants in these fields, such as Blockbuster, have either gone bankrupt or seen a massive loss in their profits. Yet the demand for the type of service they provide is still here. People will always need a ride. They will always want to keep up with political events and watch movies. Since this is the case, what happened? The answer is simple: All three have shifted to mobile app business models. Apps such as Uber offer a more affordable and convenient alternative to taxicabs. News can be found for free on a multitude of websites and social media. The prevalence of digital media has rendered physical media such as DVDs obsolete.

Why It Matters

Is your website mobile friendly? If potential clients are using a mobile device to search for a transportation company, you want your business name to show up in the organic (unpaid) searches. Search engines will penalize you by moving you further down the list of search results if your website is not “optimized” or designed to be viewed on a mobile device. This can cripple your chances of ever being seen by the potential customer. Beyond the visibility, the lack of a quality mobile user experience also can cause frustration.

Engage The User

A conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who visit your website and act, such as requesting a quote, placing an order, or even viewing offers on your website. The more conversions, the more connected you are with a site visitor. Some of the easiest sales can come from a mobile device if the visitor can “buy now.”

Booking Orders Online

One of the most important aspects of a website is the ability for a potential customer to engage your services during the site visit. Consider this: Skinny Ties, a necktie company that began in 1971, recently added eCommerce to its site. That’s the ability to buy ties online. Its sales shot up 378% in the first month! We live in a “now” society where consumer demands have increased due to mobile technology. People want to do everything from their phones, and if you aren’t ready to do business through a mobile device, you will be left behind. Having a mobile friendly website is not an optional consideration anymore.

Check Your Site

Visit your site regularly to make sure everything runs as you intended. Small issues can persist over long periods leaving people frustrated. Have you tried your “contact us” button? Are there links to people no longer with your company? Take the time to test it yourself. A negative user experience hurts your conversion rates and your search rankings. If you’re unsure if your site is considered mobile friendly, you can always use Google’s tool to check.

Other Factors

A mobile-friendly website will have the following characteristics:

• The website loads quickly. Mobile users tend to have slower connections, so load time is crucial.
• It is easy to see the content and navigate the site on a small screen. The user should not have to pan or zoom in to read text. Touch targets (like links or buttons) should be large enough to tap accurately on a small screen.
• No pop-ups hide any of the content.

Smooth Operations provides a broad range of information focused on new ideas and approaches in management, human resources, customer service, marketing, networking and technology. Have something to share or would like covered? You can reach LCT contributing editor and California operator Jim Luff at Jim@LCTmag.com.

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