A New World
When cellular phone companies came into the market around the world a few years ago, voice and text were the only mobile services available. No web browsers, no apps, no navigation, no cameras, no pictures. If you are a young reader, this may make you laugh, but it is true. Not many business owners imagined the way to conduct business with their local customers was about to change dramatically.
Fast forward a few years and you can see a large number of customers absorbing all this new cell phone technology. Now, they are more demanding and informed than ever.
Just to have an idea, here are some recent stats showing the following facts:
- Over 80% of mobile interactions result in an action at a local level -that action being a call, a visit, a purchase or a combination of them.
- 79% of shoppers are using their smart phones to decide upon their available choices.
- 90% of consumers have taken action, with that decision based on a smart phone search.
- Smart phone devices are predicted to surpass personal computers as the preferred access choice in 2013.
What Elements Make a Great Mobile Website?
If you think a mobile website is a miniature version of your regular website, think again. It is not. Mobile websites may be vastly different from a regular desktop websites. Smart phone owners are mostly “on- the-go” consumers so they need faster loading times, easier navigation and simpler layout designs.
Keep in mind that a good mobile optimized website:
a. Shows clearly your location, hours of operation and contact information.
b. Has less text than the original website, to make it short and easy to read while your web visitors scroll down.
c. Has images and these are placed preferably on galleries to make it easy for the customer to go through them.
d. Includes videos but only when necessary. Videos take time to download. Too many shown and your customer is liable to click away.
e. Places major social networks like Twitter, Google Plus, Facebook and others in relevant pages. These buttons increase your chances to make your website viral.
f. Has special discounts, coupons, free consultations and other offers clearly visible. Customers love these type of buying incentives. These should be part of your web page design elements.
Unless you want to lose customers to your competitors who are already using mobile sites, follow the above best mobile website practices and you will be seeing more customers walking through your business door.
And the more customers in your business, the more chances of selling them your products and services.
And the faster you can expand to better service them.
Do you want to increase sales? Go mobile!