Yes! Mobile-friendly website is a must have for any company trying to compete in the web universe.
No! It’s not the latest buzz word or a trend that will pass by year end. It’s a way of life for any website.
What exactly is a mobile-friendly website?
Mobile-friendly website is the one that adapts to various screen resolutions/sizes without losing its look or functionality. Web developers refer to this technology as responsive development or responsive design. Responsive design allows elements on a website to adjust and shift in order to improve user experience based on the device used to view the website at any given moment.
In the past, companies developed two or three different websites for each viewpoint, be it a desktop, tablet or smartphone. This created many headaches: hosting multiple websites, updating content on multiple websites instead of just one, not being consistent with the look which is confusing for the user. Companies using WordPress to run their site opted for a “mobile” plugin – a quick way to convert a website to responsive. These plugins butchered the site and created more problems.
Today’s technology makes it easy to create a mobile-friendly website from the start. Designer and developers work together to create a single site that seamlessly adapts to a screen size keeping the look and functionality most important to the user.
Why do I need a mobile-friendly website?
- offer the best possible user experience to your site visitors across all devices
- get better search engine rankings
- attract more target visitors to your site
- sell more products/services
- get rid of “mobile” plugins (are you still using those?)
Here’re some stats to prove these points:
Many hours of research have been spent on surveys and studies to find out the most used screen sizes when viewing websites, what devices are the most popular and what devices are used to access the web.
According to an estimate released by IDC at the end of 2015, worldwide 3.2 billion people will have access to the Internet in 2016. And out of this number over 2 billion will use a mobile device to access the Internet.
Let’s narrow it down to the U.S. If we look at the total time spent by an adult accessing digital media on a daily basis, more than half of that time is spent on mobile devices, like tablets and smart phones – according to a report by KPCB.
In March of 2015, the number of adults using only smart phones and tablets to access the web exceeded the number of desktop-only users. 29% of web time is now spent on vertical screens, according to KCPB.
Last but not least, one year ago Google made a statement that according to their own internal data most Google searches now originate on mobile devices, such as tablets and smart phones. And because your website is being indirectly yet negatively affected by not having a responsive design, Google will punish you and show your competitor’s mobile-friendly website higher in search results. And if you need more proof, take a look at your own habits when it comes to the Internet use and searching for products and services.
What now?
Now, we can help. Whether your website looks outdated or you’re happy with the current design, we can convert your website to mobile-friendly. In general, we recommend giving your website a facelift every 2-3 years. If we’re going to re-code it anyways, why not take the extra step an update the design?
And if you having a hard time updating content, you must not be using WordPress. At Velvet Ink Media we offer a full range of services: design, development, content and SEO. Let our experts help you.
Give us a call at 813-672-2678 or email [email protected]
