Mobile seems like the hottest word of 2013—and with good reason! If you’ve been paying attention to technology trends over the past few years, this should come as no surprise: there are now officially more wireless devices in the U.S. than people.
And what’s more—American consumers are accessing the web and your business on their smartphone more often than their desktop computer. In 2012, shoppers spent $25 billion on purchases made from phones and tablets, an increase of 81% from the previous year. This isn’t just a fad, this is a total shift in consumer habits. There’s no sense in denying it: people will spend lots of money with your business, and they will do so over their smartphones.
At least, they would if you had a mobile-ready website.
The #1 sure-fire way to kill any business is to leave your customers unhappy. They won’t spend their money with you, and they definitely won’t come back to try again. Nothing leaves today’s tech-savvy customer more unhappy than a less-than-ideal web experience. If your business hasn’t kept up with the times and doesn’t have a convenient web presence, you have immediately cut off a significant source of traffic and potential dollar signs for your business.
In an independent study, Google outlined 3 essentials for Mobile-Friendly Websites. Whatever style of mobile website you utilize, make sure the following three components are present:
- Fast loading. And we mean fast! Less than 5 seconds, people. If your website makes use of huge graphic images, it’ll take way too long to become functional. Your customers will get frustrated, leave your site, and not come back.
- Mobile-friendly features. These are characterized by all the design elements we have come to know and love on our iPhones—large buttons, easy searches, and limited scrolling and zooming in and out.
- Quick Access to Business Information. Now, this is just good business sense! Give your customers the most ways to reach you in the least amount of steps possible. The contact information like directions, phone numbers, product information, and lightning-fast purchasing options are a MUST.
If your mobile website can boast all of these essentials, you’re giving your customers a convenient mobile experience– and they will appreciate it! If your website is lacking in any of these areas, don’t give up on technology just yet. There are a lot of different options you can take to ensure your business is ready with a mobile presence in 2013.