Smartphones are everywhere. Sometimes we love them and sometimes we don’t, but for now they’re here to stay and there are a few reasons you need to make sure your site is optimized to effectively capture this expanding audience.
1. Increase in Mobile Site Traffic
15-25 percent of customers' visitors are now using a mobile device to find them online and browse their site. These numbers are up drastically over the last two years, and in most cases, websites are seeing a 40-60 percent increase in mobile traffic.
2. Increase in Mobile Site Page Views and Session Duration
Non mobile sites have lower average session rates vs their desktop alternatives. I know what you're thinking, “People just won’t stay engaged as long on a mobile device because it’s a mobile device”. I agree, but it doesn’t explain an interesting trend we are seeing. Non-mobile friendly sites are trending down on both page sessions and average session duration when compared against previous years. This trend leads us to believe visitors are less likely to engage with a desktop site on a mobile device like in years past.
3. Increase Conversions
We are seeing a steady increase in mobile site transactions. For many of our customers that sell online this is one of the largest areas of growth over the last three years. We are seeing higher conversion rates on mobile ready sites vs desktop sites when viewed from a mobile device. We certainly expect to see this trend continue as more people shop via their mobile phones.
4. Google’s Search Algorithm
Google will soon be making another tweak to their search ranking algorithms and this one could be a doozie. Next month when this update is introduced, Google will adjust search rankings from mobile devices on whether or not the site is mobile friendly.
What does this mean?
Let’s say you have a website that ranks outstanding for a certain keyword and that keyword drives good traffic to your site for both desktop and mobile users. Currently, you only have a desktop site. When the algorithm adjustment takes place, instead of ranking highly for that keyword via mobile search, your website will be bypassed by other sites that are mobile ready. So, when competing for mobile traffic against other sites with mobile websites, your website will be at a severe disadvantage.
Why would Google do this?
While I can’t give a definitive answer on why Google would do something, it appears Google is seeing the same trends discussed in points 1-3. They see mobile users aren’t engaging in non-mobile websites but are engaging in mobile friendly sites. To help drive user experience, Google will start dinging sites without mobile consideration.
So should your site be mobile friendly? Before you say “No I don’t browse the internet or purchase online from my smartphone”, what does your website traffic is say. Look at your Google Analytics. If you have any questions give us a call.