The Importance Of A Mobile Friendly Website For SEO

Since the inception of the Internet in our society, the way we interact has been constantly changing. But, amid all the changes, two things are certain. One, it is the new age of smartphones and two, anyone not caught up with the world of smartphones will be left behind. At this point in time, not having a mobile friendly website for your company can leave you behind when compared to your competitors. The importance of a mobile friendly website for SEO is stressed more than ever before.

Statistics will support this thought. According to InMobi, the advertisement network, 60% of the total Internet traffic comes from mobile users. Similarly, the amount of shoppers using mobile devices has rose to 35% in 2014. The figures show a rapid inclination towards mobile devices so why is it so that most companies still have not customized their website to be more user-friendly in smaller screens. According to Merkle, 29% of the top 500 retail companies and almost 50% of the Fortune 500 companies do not have mobile friendly websites. This definitely needs to change and here’s why:

Improved Search Visibility
Currently, 25% of global web searches are conducted on a mobile device worldwide. So, mobile websites are just as important, if not more than their desktop versions. Consumers and customers use their mobile devices constantly and due to its convenience, it has become the go-to device for online searches. If your company doesn’t have a mobile friendly website, its search rank will reduce, causing damage to your search visibility.

Better User Experience
Customers will visit a website more often only if it is easy to navigate. Websites that hide behind complicated menus and poor web layout on smaller screens are unpopular. With the rise of apps and mobile websites its not only e-commerce websites that have to update themselves. Mobile friendly websites are a must if you want to provide your customers with the best online experience that you can, ensuring brand loyalty and recurring purchases.

Better Brand Engagement
Customers now expect a satisfying mobile experience and it is high time that your company provides it. If your website doesn’t load on time in mobile devices or if it isn’t easy to navigate, it is more likely for your customers to visit a competitor’s website rather than visit yours on a desktop. So, in order to increase brand engagement, you must be able to optimize your website for functionality and consistency.

Better Sales
Mobile users typically want information in a short manner. Usually, they want information in quick and easily digestible bites. Mobile devices have a way of pushing consumers towards purchases. It has been reported that most mobile purchases are usually impulse buys and that customers on mobile devices tend to spend more money on purchase, when compared to users on desktop websites. This highlights the importance of optimizing your mobile experience to match a visitor’s needs. By making the inquiry and/or purchase process simple, you’ll be more in touch with mobile users who need information on the go, or will make purchases without much deliberation.

Reduced Bounce Back and Click Back Rates
Bounce rate refers to the time in which a user clicks to go to another website, either by entering a new URL or clicking a link to leave your site. Click back refers to the rate at which the user will return to the original search results page, leaving your website. High bounce back and click back rates can be harmful for your business. Content that looks great on a desktop might be unreadable on a mobile device. Visitors won’t stay on your site if they realize that this is the case. This means that your bounce back and click back rates will be higher. Search engines like Google take this information and rank your website much lower than the rest. So, in order to maintain proper search visibility, you must produce a full optimized, user-friendly mobile website.