You’ve got 3 seconds max to keep your audience on your website. 3 seconds is not a lot of time to make an impression right? So you want to make sure nothing slows you down in getting your message to a new user on your website. This is especially true for mobile users who want answers fast. Websites that are optimised for mobile will keep your audience’s attention and ensuring you don’t miss out on leads or sales. Read on to find out why optimising a website for mobile is so vital in this day and age.
Why Your Website Should be Optimised For Mobile
It’s great for search engines and your customers, here’s why.
Mobile Traffic Is Massive
As of November 2021, 80.69% of the world’s population own a smartphone. That’s 6.378 billion people! And in the UK, Brits in 2020 were on average spending 4 hours and 2 minutes online per day, with over two thirds (71%) of this time being spent online on their smartphone. This amounts to almost 3 hours on a smartphone each day, a 30% increase from 2019.
So, it’s unsurprising that mobile traffic to websites is huge and something all businesses should seek to capture. Optimising a site for mobile just makes sense when a large amount of traffic comes from these device types. Even more so if your business is focused on B2C.
Mobile Users Interact With Websites Differently
Another reason to optimise for mobile specifically is the factor that mobile users utilise sites differently than on desktop. They are still the same people, but the use of a different device has been shown to impact habits.
Mobile users tend to view content quicker as scrolling is an easier process. Using a strong visual hierarchy with colour, headers and images will make it easier for mobile users to find the right information. While we are talking about imagery, mobile users tend to be much more visual than desktop use. An emphasis on images and videos on mobile will keep users engaged for longer.
Furthermore, the physical limitations of a mobile mean users need to interact differently on these devices. Buttons, menus and links all need to be easily clickable. Elements such as autoplay videos and music should be limited to reduce mobile data usage. There are countless design and functionality changes that should be made to allow mobile users to interact with your site.
Phone Users Buy More
More than half (55.4%) of internet users use their mobile phones to purchase products online. Plus, almost six out of every ten shoppers say that being able to purchase products on mobile devices is a key factor when it comes to choosing brands or retailers to buy from. With these stats, it’s clear eCommerce retailers should invest in optimising their website for mobile. The slicker and quicker the process, the better for consumers. Not to mention, the bottom line of making more sales.
Google Rewards Sites That Are Optimised for Mobile
It’s a ranking factor! As an SEO, that’s all I need to know. But, let’s break it down a little to what specifically about mobile is a ranking factor.
- Responsive sites. Google will rank sites more favourably if they feature responsive elements to change device types.
- Mobile Designed Elements. As mentioned above, mobile users interact with sites differently, so elements should be optimised for mobile. Search engines can spot when some elements are not optimised. Elements that are too close together and text too small are two examples that are commonly flagged as issues.
- Speed is very important – One of the most important mobile ranking factors is site speed. This is true for desktops too, but mobile sites are frequently slower than their counterparts. Rectifying speed issues can boost your rankings immeasurably.
Websites Optimised For Mobile Have A Better UX
User experience is a factor that brings together all the above elements. When you optimise your site for mobile from a UX perspective, you create additional benefits. Mobile UX encompasses many things, including:
- Making the checkout process quicker and smoother. This boosts sales on eCommerce sites.
- Ensuring elements work, the visuals are pleasing and the site is easy to navigate on mobile. This will ensure users can interact with your site correctly and easily.
- Reducing loading times without compromising on branding. A faster site is created by combining technical SEO techniques, web development as well as UX. The faster a site is the more likely the customer will stay for longer. The longer they stay the more inclined they are to either purchase your products or engage your services.
- Creating a site that is more accessible. Enabling more users to interact with your site creates a larger potential audience.
All of these create a great user experience for your mobile customers, but more vitally, they signal to search engines that your site is optimised for mobile.
Technical SEO Strategy
Optimising your site for mobile is vital for any business looking to compete in the modern marketplace. If you need help to develop your technical SEO strategy, including optimising your website for mobile, I can provide guidance. I operate a transparent and reliable consultancy service that can keep you focused on your SEO strategy and grow your business. If you need a more hands-on approach or don’t have time to implement changes yourself, I also offer a full suite of SEO deployment services. Get in touch to find out more, or visit my SEO services information page.