“How many people in the world are using their mobile phone right now?” Job seekers have reported getting this question when interviewing at Google and Facebook. There isn’t an exact answer, of course, but there are ways to reason and apply different formulas to make an estimated guess. This question also implies just how important mobile has become to our society. Four out of five consumers use a smartphone to shop, and yet 93.3 percent of small business websites are not mobile compatible. So let’s cover the basics of mobile friendly.

Why make your website mobile friendly?

Mobile users now expect an optimized experience. Nearly half of mobile consumers will not return to a site that doesn’t load properly. In April of 2015, Google began expanding their use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This means the risk of losing opportunities by not having a mobile friendly website is real.

What does it mean to be mobile friendly? 

Ask yourself these questions:

• Is your site easy to read on a mobile device? If the user has to pinch or zoom to read the content, it is not mobile friendly.

• Is your site easy to navigate? Navigation should be intuitive. Thirty percent of mobile shoppers will leave a site and go to a competitor’s if the site or app delivers a poor experience, 23% will visit less often, and 9% will never return.

• Is the web design responsive? This means the page uses the same URL and code whether a user is on a desktop, tablet or mobile phone. The display will adjust according to the screen size.

• Does your site load quickly? Users become frustrated if they have to wait a long time for your site to load. Every second counts. For retailers, 47% of shoppers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% abandon websites that take more than 3 seconds to load.

• Is your site achieving its goal? If you are a blogger, the goal is to keep your visitors engaged. Make it easy for your readers to scroll through content. If your site is e-commerce, the goal is revenue. Make each step of the shopping process seamless from browsing to checkout. It’s important to keep functionality in mind and not just have a site that looks pretty.

How can I tell if my website is mobile friendly? 

Consider taking the mobile-friendly test provided by Google. Google offers a grade by looking at how “Googlebot” sees your page. A good score means your site is ready to go!

Conclusion:  Consumers are mobile, and searching for products or services. Make sure your business gets found, and is easy for visitors to get what they need.

Get a free website consultation from web design experts at Deluxe and find out what a mobile friendly website could do for you.

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