Why Your Business Needs a Mobile Friendly Website

If you are a small business owner and you aren’t aware of the crucial importance of having a mobile friendly business website, consider the following facts:

• According to a Pew Internet study as of February 2012, 46% of all cell phones in the US are smartphones.
• Gartner Research predicts that by 2013, more people will be accessing the Internet on their mobile phones than those who will be using their desktop PCs.
• 87% of the world’s population is now using a mobile device.
• A recent Compuware infographic shows that 49% of mobile web users have bought at least 1 item via their mobile device within the last 6 months

Even with these startling facts about the growing popularity of mobile devices and their role in online purchases, many businesses are not on top of this trend. In fact, only about 1 in 10 business owners believe that a mobile site is important and consequently a significant number of them (40%) don’t even know how their existing website appears on a mobile device. Simply put, you don’t want to be one of these businesses. You would just be setting yourself up for failure.

Why do you need a mobile ready website for your small business? Because your regular website won’t load properly on a mobile device and you will lose potential customers as a result.

Websites that load quickly and look fine on desktop computers do so because of the resources available to them: broadband connections, fast processors, graphics cards, and large screens. Try and load an attractive, graphics rich website on a mobile device with a tiny screen and slower internet connection and the result will be a nightmare. It will take a long time to load, and will be virtually unreadable and difficult to navigate. Not the best first impression when you are trying to convert a visit into a sale.

Since mobile users are looking for information on products or services in a fast and easy way on the go, a slow, non-user-friendly site will cause them to leave your site immediately and visit your competitor.

The facts are in, and they are clear: going mobile connects businesses with customers.

A Google survey found that almost all mobile device users (95%) search for information on local businesses, and over half (59%) actually went on to visit the establishments they searched for or called the business (61%). On top of all that, 90% of people acted on their searches within 24 hours.

A mobile site needs to take into account the needs of people on the go, searching for local information, who are prepared to act on it relatively quickly. The site needs to be streamlined, with easily clickable buttons, readable text and contact information:

 

For a small business owner, the time to act on getting mobile-friendly is now. The trend will not reverse, and wondering about if you should have a mobile website will become a thing of the past, just like debating on whether or not to have a business listing. Blue Hat helps you stay ahead of the curve and benefit from this vastly untapped pool mobile traffic to bring business directly to your door. Our mobile web design packages are affordable and fully customizable, and are always focused on the bottom line: getting calls and sales to your business.