It’s more important now than ever before for business owners to optimize their websites for mobile users. According to Inc. Magazine, more than 50 percent of all Internet access was done via some sort of mobile device back in 2010. Projections indicate mobile Internet users will overtake PC users by the end of 2013.
How Do People Use Their Smartphones?
You might think the most common use for a smartphone is to make calls, but you’d be wrong. People looking at T-mobile’s smartphones, whether it is an iPhone 5s or a Sony Xperia Z, may not be as interested in its calling features. Of the two hours an average smartphone owner spends using their device each day, 25 minutes are used up browsing the Internet, 17 minutes on social networking, 13 minutes playing games and 16 minutes listening to music. Only 12 minutes are actually spent on phone calls. Users are spending a majority of their time on activities like texting, social media, taking photos and email, according to The Telegraph.
Reach Customers Where They Are
Since the primary use of mobile devices is Internet browsing, they are an excellent way for companies to reach their customers. Forbes reports FrangranceNet.com had a 40 percent increase in sales after creating a mobile site.
Be Conscious of Your Layout
Use a responsive template. Creating a website that automatically scales to fit all screen sizes is essential and makes navigation easier for the user. Sixty-one percent of users will click away to another site if the one they’re on isn’t mobile-friendly, even if it is a business they enjoy shopping with, according to market research firms Sterling Research and SmithGeiger.
Use One URL
People using their laptop to visit a website hate pop-ups and redirects, but they are even more annoyed on a mobile device. Have one URL that works on all platforms and on all desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Search engines, like Google, frown upon the practice of creating different URLs for different devices and then redirecting customers accordingly.
Improve Load Time and Functionality
Using fewer or smaller images can improve your load time by decreasing the size of your site, according to customerexperienceinsight.com. Your site will be easier for mobile users to see and it won’t use up their data.
You can improve the functionality of your mobile site by keeping your touch-screen buttons easily accessible and placed far apart. Stick to minimum clicks to get to another page and play attention to your font size. Keep the size at a minimum of 12 to 14 pixels, according to getelastic.com.
Access Your Site Regularly
This is a simple way of optimizing your site for mobile. Regularly access and navigate through your entire site using various mobile devices, noting when you encounter issues. Correcting those issues will make your site more user-friendly and cause your rankings to go up.
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