In our last article we looked at how to design a website by using a pre-designed theme from your content management system and customizing it to suit your own needs. In this article we briefly touched on ensuring your site is mobile enabled, for both tablets and smart phones, so we thought we’d take this a step further to explain why you need a mobile website.
There was some research recently done which provides some interesting insight into not only search but how people use different devices to help them make their purchasing decisions.
While we all know how important it is to not only have a website, but also have it found online, did you know it is also very important to have your website display on various screen sizes?
This is because most people tend to use more than 1 device to search and view websites. As you can see in this image:
People who have only a PC (whether that is a desktop or laptop device) only perform an average of 5 searches per week, while those with a PC, smartphone and table perform 21 and more searches per week.
What are they Searching for?
There are many things people search for online and if your website isn’t mobile ready they may not get this information which means they may chose not to do business with you and instead will go to your competition.
Some of the most popular things searched for include driving directions, business hours, address, phone number, prices, reviews and coupons, promotions or discounts.
That doesn’t mean that you need to have all these items available on your website, but when you display your site’s mobile version you should at least include address, phone number and business hours. Further, in the mobile version your phone number should be clickable so that if someone is viewing your site on their smart phone they can click the number and call you.
On some mobile versions you can also embed a small map so that people can get driving directions to your site, or link to a map with your address so they may get driving directions.
Who is Searching?
Another reason to have a mobile version of your site now is because the younger generations – those under 30, tend to search only on a mobile device- whether that is a smart phone or tablet:
As you can see in the above graphic, a large percentage of searchers are male and are heavy searchers.
What Does This Tell Us?
This tells us that your site MUST be mobile enabled. Having a mobile version of the site is no longer an option but an necessity. Further, the site must be optimized not only for the smaller smart phone screen but also larger tablet screens.
This can be a double edged sword for a site owner. While you could get away with 1 mobile site for both tablets and smartphones, consider what you are sacrificing for those who search with a tablet. They have a larger screen to display more, so why not give tablet searchers more information?
This can be easily accomplished, however. Simply contact us to find out how we can help you ensure your site is ready for mobile searchers.
Summary
Based on this research it is clear to us that Local Search is still in its infancy. While some people have embraced the concept, using their desktop as well as their mobile devices to enhance their shopping experience, the bulk of internet users have not. Whether that’s because they are uncomfortable with the idea of local searching, or don’t realize its potential yet, it is clear that local search has a great future growth potential online.
When you combine this with the fact that tablets were one of the most popular gifts given this past Christmas it should become clear to you that there is huge potential for the local merchant who understands the need for a well crafted website available to both desktop and mobile users.
