Much of the web traffic today comes from mobile devices rather than desktops.
A study based on 2017’s 2 trillion site visits in the United States showed that 63% of the country’s online traffic comes from tablet devices and smartphones.
Consequently, it appears that optimizing your site for mobile devices is essential to a successful digital marketing strategy.
Why does your website need to be Google mobile-friendly? Are there potential benefits to having a Google mobile-friendly website? What can you do to optimize your website for mobile use?
This article explains why your website needs to be Google mobile-friendly. This write-up also lists ways you can take to develop a Google mobile-friendly website.
Google’s algorithm prioritizes mobile-friendly websites. This condition is crucial for developing winnable digital marketing campaigns and keeping your SEO (search engine optimization) ranking high.
4 Reasons Your Website Must Be Google Mobile-Friendly
Below are some ways being Google mobile-friendly can benefit your website.
Improve User Experience
Mobile optimization is essential for acquiring and keeping traffic to your website.
Mobile devices account for most of the global online traffic. This proportion will likely increase as more people depend on portable smart devices.
For instance, in the U.S., 15% of the adult population are “smartphone-only” internet users, meaning they have smartphones, but don’t have a home broadband connection.
Like desktop users, mobile users who experience sluggish and difficult-to-use websites are likelier to leave and never come back. Consequently, your website must also be easy to navigate using mobile devices.
Users usually stay on your page longer if you create a layout designed for mobile devices (think lots of vertical scrolling and simple-to-push buttons). On the other hand, small tick boxes, extensive horizontal scrolling, and dropdown menus are likely to annoy smartphone users.
Avoid Penalty From Google
Search engines like Google may penalize you and significantly decrease your site’s overall rating if it’s slow or unresponsive.
Google generates around 94% of the total organic search traffic worldwide. So, you shouldn’t ignore Google’s move toward mobile-friendly optimization.
In 2015, Google began boosting the rank of mobile-friendly sites in mobile search results. Shortly after, they developed a signal that considers page speed when determining a page’s mobile search ranking.
Consequently, businesses with slow mobile websites may get significantly decreased mobile traffic on Google.
Page speed has always influenced search ranking, but it only applied to the desktop version of your website before. Today, it’s highly likely that Google’s and other search engines’ ranking criteria will mostly depend on your mobile site load speed.
Establish Credibility
Establishing credibility and trust is crucial in attracting new demographics or maintaining customers. Consequently, your potential market must always be confident in your brand’s accessibility, dependability, and trustworthiness.
How do you stand out, especially in a market where buyers are bombarded with discounts, messages, and advertisements?
Creating a mobile-friendly website is one of the most effective approaches to building trust with your target clients.
Smooth and mobile-friendly websites signal to new and old customers that you can adapt and meet customer needs by innovating your product offerings to match and exceed expectations.
Additionally, it makes the customer’s online buying experience with you seamless. Lastly, mobile-friendly websites provide a sense of genuine market engagement, which can help establish your brand’s credibility.
Boost SEO
Another significant reason for developing a mobile-friendly website is its potential to improve overall sales and lead conversions.
Providing users with a hassle-free mobile experience is essential in a highly competitive digital landscape. Today, you don’t need to create different versions of websites for various platforms.
Consequently, optimizing your website for mobile use may help reduce your marketing costs while boosting your overall ROI (return on investment).
Optimizing your mobile-friendly website can make your products and services more accessible online. Google values this feature and considers it when determining whether your site deserves to be included in the search engine’s top search results.
A mobile-friendly website is a solid investment that can yield significant benefits when done correctly.
Mobile-friendly websites will most likely be an essential aspect of the future of web design. In the long run, companies that invest in making their web pages mobile-friendly early may achieve increased clients and higher profits.
How to Make Your Website Google Mobile-Friendly
Here are several ways you can optimize your website for mobile use:
1. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool to Test Your Website
Google has a free website assessment tool that will show you if your website meets the search engine’s criteria for mobile pages.
The tool will give positive feedback if the website you tested is mobile-friendly. At the same time, Google will recommend things on your website that you should change or improve to make it more conducive to mobile use.
2. Select Responsive Themes
Examine the theme’s demo to determine whether it’s responsive before purchasing or installing it. Many theme demos include previews of how their designs appear on smaller screens.
3. Remake Your Pop-Ups for Mobile Devices
Redesign your site’s pop-ups for a better mobile experience. Mobile-friendly pop-ups are non-obstructive and easy to close.
References
- Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/06/03/mobile-technology-and-home-broadband-2021/ - Rolling out the mobile-friendly update
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2015/04/rolling-out-mobile-friendly-update