In a not so distant past, a business that wants to have good online presence just needed to have a website. Today the mobile revolution have changed all that. With the incredible growth of mobile devices such smart phones and tablets in recent years, those days are now numbered. Businesses now needs to think about building a mobile version of their websites in order to provide customers and prospects a better experience. More and more people are using mobile devices to browse the web and most importantly they are searching for local products and services. The risk of ignoring these mobile users can greatly outweigh the benefits.
7 reasons why businesses can greatly benefits by taking advantage of the emerging mobile platforms:
1. Mobile Sites Provide Better User Experience
Try to view a desktop version of any desktop version of a website on your smart phone and you’ll quickly realize that the experience isn’t the same on a 3.5 inch display. Things are harder to navigate and information are harder see. You find yourself zooming in and out just to view a certain part of the page. The good news is that Mobile websites are made to work well with smaller screens of mobile devices. Not only are mobile website easier to navigate, they are also optimized for touch control. In a recent study, 38% of people leave a website because it was not developed specifically for mobile users. They complain that it was too hard to use and locate information.
2. The Growth of mobile devices
By 2016 it is predicted that Mobile Internet Usage will overtake desktop Internet usage. In fact, 2010 was an historic year for mobile devices, it was the first time that mobile devices outsold notebook computers. This trend is likely to accelerate in the near future as Smartphones and Tablets become more affordable and available to more people. Right now over 60% of consumers have Internet access on their mobile phone and the numbers are growing everyday.
3. Reduce the chance of Losing customers
When a customer visits your website on their mobile device and have a hard time finding information they need, you run the risk of losing them. In fact, 61% of mobile users said they will never go back to your website (on their phone or computer!) if they have a bad experience the first time they visit it. First impression really matters a lot when it comes to mobile experience.
4. Inexpensive to have a mobile site
Mobile websites are much less expensive to design & develop as compare to a full desktop site. Graphics and navigation elements are simplified to focus on ease of use and speed. Contents are also reduced to contain the most essential information. Despite of that, users will find that the information that are more useful and increase the chance they will purchase products or services from that business. Users are still given the option of viewing the full website if they wanted to as well.
5. Mobile Local Search is Huge
Study shows that mobile friendly sites help boost traffic by as much as 13%. Mobile is such an important area that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have invested billion of dollars into this area. More and more people are conducting searches for local products and services on their smart phones, it is becoming vital that you have a mobile presence is optimized and user-friendly. The goal of an effective mobile site should be to turn local leads into local sales.
6. Show people that you care
Provide customer with easy access to your business information shows that you care about giving them a good experience. This create a perceived value that can translate to positive word of mouth others people potentially leading to more business for you down the road.
7. Set Yourself apart from competitors
Despite the many compelling reasons for setting up a mobile website for your business, there are still many businesses that haven’t taken advantage of this opportunities. This give your business a chance to stand out among the competitors and create positive impressions to your prospects and potential customers.
With the 7 reasons described above, having a mobile website creates a win-win situation for you and your customers. Maybe now is the time to consider establishing a mobile website for your business.
