Hey! If Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly, You’re Losing Customers (And Money)
Our economy is recovering…slowly. However, these are still difficult times for consumers. Here’s what that means to you as a business owner: You simply can’t risk making it more difficult for customers to buy your products or services. The fact is that, many local businesses aren’t making things easy with regards to their websites. As more and more consumers are trying to find nearby businesses on their mobile devices (according to Google, 1 in 3 searches are for local information) companies are still running antiquated sites that look like crap (let’s be honest) on smartphones and tablets.
Losing customers one click at a time
At first blush, this might seem like a small problem. It’s not, unfortunately. As the folks at MarketingVOX recently outlined, there are very real financial penalties for having a mobile-unfriendly website. And as increasingly more consumers use mobile devices to access the web, the penalties are becoming stiffer. In a recent post, MarketingVOX highlighted research from Google showing that:
- A majority 61% of consumers say that they’ll leave a website if it’s not optimised for small touch screens.
- A whopping 96% of consumers say they’ve had bad experiences on websites that were not designed for non-desktop screens.
- 50% of respondents said that even if they liked a business, they’d be less inclined to buy in the future if the business’s website isn’t mobile friendly.
Those are startling statistics. Here’s the silver lining: Nearly 3/4 say that they’re more likely to go back to a mobile-friendly website. So your mission is clear…
Your challenge
What sort of mobile experience have you been offering for your prospects and customers?
If it’s bad, the research from Google is unequivocal: you’re losing customers. If it’s a good experience, you’re probably taking them away from your competitors.
It’s not hard to see why mobile website optimisation is important. Look around you. Chances are good you’ll see someone hunched over a mobile device, swiping away at their iPhone, Android tablet or Kindle e-reader. This isn’t a passing fad. In reality, a recent report from Morgan Stanley projects that web surfing on mobile devices will outpace browsing the web on desktop computers within the next year.
And according to a joint Google/Ipsos study, after consumers look up a business via mobile, 61% say they make a phone call and 59% say they will navigate to the business! Can you guess which businesses are more likely to hear the phone ring? Yes, those with mobile-ready websites.
For those who have a smartphone, here’s your homework: pull up your website using your mobile browser. If your site looks cramped or unreadable, you know what you need to do: fix it. Get help if you need it! Otherwise, you’re at risk of losing what every business depends upon. Paying customers.
