Is your website mobile-friendly?

Are you showing up in the search engines?

Did you know that more than 50% of internet searches are done on a mobile device?

In case you haven't heard, Google considers the mobile friendliness of a site when determine how high to list it in the search results.

Today, having a ‘mobile ready’ website is best accomplished by having a website that has “responsive design”.  This means that your website is programmed in such a way as to respond dynamically to the size of the screen being used to view your site. In other words, a responsive site will adapt to wider screens used on desktop computers, and also to smaller screens used on tablets and smartphones. Another possibility is ‘adaptive’ design that offers "scaled down" version of your site just for mobile devices.

Google has created a web page where you can test the mobile friendliness of your sites:
https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

So, What Does This Google Policy Mean?  

It means that your site will continue to display and function on both desktop and mobile devices, but because it is not specifically designed to be mobile friendly, your search engine rankings may be affected when people search from mobile devices.  How much of an effect will you see?  No one knows for sure, and Google isn't saying, but it probably has something to do with the industry you’re in and the mobile friendliness of your competitors. Our research indicates that the penalty is typically fairly small at this point, but we suspect it will increase as mobile search increases in importance.

Don’t Panic!

If you’re still showing up in the search engines and getting calls, you have no need to worry. But, you should think about converting your site for the long term. If that’s something that you’re interested in, please let us know and we can develop a mobile website design that fits your needs and budget.

What Should You Consider in a Mobile Website Design?

Simplicity

According to Mashable, “simplicity is golden, but as a general rule of thumb when converting a desktop site design to mobile format, you want to simplify things wherever possible. There are several reasons for this. Keeping file size and load times down is always a good idea for a mobile site. Wireless connections — while faster than years past — are still relatively slow, so the faster your mobile site loads, the better.
Usability considerations on the mobile web also call for a simplified approach to design, layout, and navigation. With less screen real estate at your disposal, you need to choose your placement of elements wisely. In short: Less is more.”

Organization

Do the items on your website make sense? Is your website organized?

Collapsible navigation is an easy solution! Collapsible navigation allows you to stack large content modules on top of the other. This allows the user to tap only the content they’re interested in and hide the rest from view.

Usability

Can your customer easily navigate your website? When converting your website from a desktop version to a mobile design, you must revisit your “clickable” elements — links, buttons, menus, etc. — and make them “tappable.”

You must rework your buttons to ensure there won’t be any confusion. Websites viewed on desktops have a hovering function, whereas on mobile you can’t hover. It’s all done by the tap of your finger!

Responsiveness

Every mobile device is different! The operating systems, versions, and screen sizes are all different when you compare an iPhone to an Android. Customizing your HTML to fit every operating system is next to impossible, but you can get pretty close! Google Analytics will help you decide which devices you should focus on, as it can track what devices traffic most of your traffic is coming from.

Consumers Viewpoint & Experience

Have you tested your design on your own mobile devices? If your answer is “No”, then you should test your design immediately. You need to make necessary tweaks as you go, that way you won’t get bombarded with problems later on.

At SEO Ann Arbor, our motto is to always test it, test it again, have a co-worker test it, have the client test it, then follow up! Make sure your customer will have an enjoyable experience before you launch the mobile version, otherwise you could run into problems later on leading to potential losses in visitor satisfaction, warm leads, and sales.

Making it a great experience can set your website apart from your competitors. In a lot of industries, the competition to show up on page one of Google is getting harder every day. Google now gives mobile-friendly websites a boost, and if your visitor experience is outstanding, you can truly stand out for the right reasons!

Redesigning your website will not only make your customers happy to have a great experience but you’ll reap the benefits of a better Google rank than some of your competition. Why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of this? A better Google ranking means an increased likelihood a potential customer will visit your site rather than a competitor’s site!

Website Design in Ann Arbor, Michigan ... or Anywhere Else!

If you want the perfect mobile website design for your business, or the closest thing to it, it’s attainable, but you must hire the best people in the industry to work with you to make your dream a reality. We can do that for you!

Want to learn more about internet marketing and successful website design? Call our experts at 877-815-6974 to arrange a time to visit or get your questions answered. If you’re more comfortable with email, you can reach us at info@seoannarbor.com or just contact us.