Gone are the days when mobile devices were just a medium of communication. The introduction of hand-held devices has made the Internet accessible to everyone, everywhere. Today’s mobile devices are quite advanced and therefore being used to perform a number of online activities. Consequently, mobile device usage has overtaken the desktop usage.
Just take a look at following statistics:
- 60% of users now access Internet from mobile devices. (Source)
- 67% of users are more likely to use a service or make a purchase from a mobile-friendly site. (Source)
- 61% of users redirect to a competitor’s website if the site they visit is not mobile friendly. (Source)
- 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile website. (Source)
Given that the popularity and usage of hand-held devices, more and more companies are now embracing mobile-friendly design. The following statistics show how important mobile marketing has become today.
- 68% of companies have integrated mobile marketing into their overall marketing strategy. (Source)
- 71% of marketers believe mobile marketing is core to their business. (Source)
- 58% of companies surveyed have a dedicated mobile marketing team. (Source)
- By 2019, mobile advertising will represent 72% of all US digital ad spending. (Source)
So if you have not converted your website to mobile-friendly yet, this infographic will show you why you must have a mobile-optimized website.
Benefits of a Mobile-friendly Website
#Improved User Experience:
As mobile websites are specifically designed to look and perform well on handheld devices, they deliver the best possible experience to users. Having an excellent navigation control and incorporating mobile-specific features like click-to-call, a mobile-friendly site not only makes it easy for customers to contact you, but also lets them easily access any kind of content without the need to zoom in or out.
#Better Search Engine Ranking:
With Google’s mobile-friendly update, it has become perfectly clear that mobile-friendly websites get a boost in their mobile search rankings. Even, to inform users whether or not a website is mobile-friendly, Google adds a “mobile-friendly” text label under the URL of a mobile-optimized website in the search result’s snippet. So without a mobile-friendly design, users are less likely to visit your website on mobile devices.
#Reduced Load Time:
When a user tries to browse a regular desktop website on a mobile device, it either loads very slowly or sometimes not at all. This happens because the website code is not structured to work with mobile devices. On the other hand, a mobile-optimized website is built with mobile screen dimensions and mobile browsers’ standards in mind. For the reason, it takes lesser time to load as compared to a traditional desktop website.
#Longer Visits:
When a user accesses your desktop website on a mobile device, he gets frustrated due to the bad browsing experience and leaves the site immediately. But if your site is mobile-friendly, users are able to easily navigate through to access the desired content on their handheld devices. Thus, they stick to your website longer than usual. The longer visitors stay on your website, the higher chances you have to convert them into customers.
#Increased Conversion and Sales:
As a general rule, the larger audience you have, the higher are the chances of improved conversion rate. By optimizing your website for mobile devices, you appeal to a wide audience of customers, which results into a higher conversion rate. Also, a smooth user experience on mobile devices makes it easy for customers to use your services or purchase your products. In short, a mobile-friendly design helps you reach more customers.
#Competitive Advantage:
If visitors don’t find your website mobile-friendly, they simply go to one of your competitor’s site instead of turning their PC/laptop on to visit your ordinary desktop site. Thus, you lose your customers to your competitors. A mobile-optimized, on the other hand, is capable of capturing your visitors’ attention and turning them into customers. Hence, it always keeps you in a better position than your competitors.
Excellent Solutions to Make a WordPress Site Mobile-friendly
Now that you have understood the importance of having a mobile-friendly site, let’s take a look at different ways you can optimize your WordPress site for mobile devices:
Make an Existing Theme Mobile-friendly:
If you’re happy with you existing WordPress theme, you can make it mobile-friendly using CSS media queries. However, this route may prove a little tricky because you’ll need to fix every single design element of your existing theme.
Upgrade to a Responsive Theme:
If you don’t want to get your hands dirty with any kind of code, this method is perfect for you. Simply pick a free or premium responsive WordPress theme, activate it via your WordPress dashboard and your website will automatically be converted to mobile-friendly.
Use a WordPress Plug-in:
There are a number of WordPress plug-ins available, using which you can make your WordPress site mobile-friendly. Displaying a separate mobile theme for mobile visitors, these plug-ins optimize your site for all types of mobile devices. WPtouch is such a great plug-in!
Hire a Conversion Service:
Finally, you can hire a professional WordPress mobile optimization service to get your site converted to mobile-friendly.
