Why It’s Crucial to Have a Site Optimized for Mobile

If your site isn’t optimized for mobile yet, it’s time to make some changes. In 2018, 52.2% of worldwide site traffic was viewed on a mobile device, and that number is only growing. This year, SEO experts believe that search engines are penalizing sites that aren’t responsive and ranking mobile-friendly sites higher.

This trend is only going to continue as people choose tablets and mobile devices for their daily browsing over desktops and laptops.

What does mobile optimization mean?

Mobile optimization, in most cases, means that your site is responsive. What does that mean? A responsive site is one that changes as the window size changes. It is a site that looks different on desktop and mobile. You can test this by dragging the size of your browser window smaller to a tablet size and then to the size of a phone screen. If the website changes size to fit the window, it’s responsive. If it doesn’t, it isn’t, and you won’t be able to view the website properly.

Another method is to have a completely different website for mobile devices, but this method isn’t often necessary.

Why optimize your site for mobile devices?

Sites must be optimized for mobile because more and more people are starting to use their mobile devices to search and browse online both on the go and at home. Laptops and desktops, especially with younger generations, are devices to work and game on. Tablets and phones are now just as capable of browsing the internet, and often offer a better screen quality for the cost of the device, which equals a better experience.

Your users’ experience should be paramount in your mind, especially if the majority of your users are viewing your site on the go. While large B2B companies may find their visitors are mostly viewing their site on a desktop or laptop at work, all B2C companies need to be realistic and understand how their visitors are viewing the site, especially if you are an ecommerce site or a business with a physical presence.

When your site is easily viewed on mobile, you’ll increase your site view times. Many mobile users are on public transport or relaxing at home, and if your site is easy to read and navigate, they are much more likely to stick around to learn what they need to know about you. It also means you can use effective CTAs (calls to action) such as a button at the bottom of the screen to call or contact your business.

A well-optimized site will increase read times and make it easy for your visitors to take the next step and sign up, buy, email, message or call you. Sites that fall behind and have sites that are difficult to view on mobile will start to see their bounce rate rise and likely, a drop in sales. It’s crucial that your website stays up to date and caters to mobile users.