The importance of website optimization for mobile devices

In the modern world, the majority of website visits come from none other than mobile devices. According to research, at this time, approximately 60% of all searches occur on smartphones and tablets. That being said, the importance of website optimization for mobile devices is immense. Every website owner, should they want to bring in more visitors to it, must pay special attention to the way their site behaves on phones, as well as what it looks like. In fact, should they fail to do so, their marketing efforts could easily prove to be in vain.

What makes a website responsive?

People often confuse a mobile-friendly website with a properly optimized one. And while these two terms are, in a way, similar, they still slightly differ from one another.

A mobile-friendly site renders correctly, even on devices with tiny screens. It often appears as a scaled-down form, albeit its use on touchscreen tablets is not guaranteed. It should, however, still be working. A couple of features that are also included on mobile-friendly websites are text-based phone numbers, along with image rotators and slideshows that work without Flash player support.

Now, mobile-friendly sites guarantee that they operate on such devices. However, mobile optimization goes beyond that. What it does is that it adjusts the website layout to ensure the whole site works better on phones. Not only does it ensure that the site displays correctly on these devices, but it also drastically improves the user experience. It reformats material, displays bigger navigation buttons, and optimizes graphics according to screen size.

The benefits of website optimization for mobile devices

Your website may be optimized for mobile users with the aid of responsive design. This will likely increase your development costs, but it will guarantee that your site is fully adapted for mobile use. In the long run, this will be quite helpful. If you were wondering how to increase lead conversion rate, having a website that’s optimized for mobile devices might be one of the finer ways to accomplish that. On top of bringing in new customers, there are several other advantages to proper website mobile optimization.

#1 Improved UX

Customer satisfaction, or rather, user experience, is paramount. After all, chances are that most visitors won’t stick around on the website long enough if they don’t have a positive experience using it. Additionally, user experience on a mobile device differs from that on a PC. Those visiting the site from a smartphone must be able to read the content without zooming in, click on links without having to enlarge the page, and otherwise easily navigate the pages and menus. With that in mind, it’s only natural that a mobile visitor trying to use a site that hasn’t been properly optimized for their device will have a significantly harder time interacting with it.

#2 Improved speed

Your website should load quickly if optimized to meet mobile requirements. Non-mobile-optimized websites, especially those with plenty of Flash content, may be frustratingly slow to load. Needless to say, if your mobile site is slow to load, visitors will leave. On another note, if your site loads quickly, people are more likely to stay on it for extended periods of time.

#3 Improved user engagement

Now, you may be asking yourself how to increase user engagement on your website, and the answer is simple. By working towards optimizing your site for mobile use. The chances of retaining visitors improve when they can access your site easily from their phones or tablets. The reason for this is that people will spend more time exploring your site if it’s easy to navigate. They may engage with your site in many ways, be that through liking posts, clicking on calls to action, and/or commenting.

#4 Longer session durations

Website optimization for mobile devices virtually guarantees that visitors will have a better experience using the website. And we’ve already established that the better their experience, the more time they will spend browsing it. Furthermore, the longer they stay on the site, the greater the chance that they will make a purchase or return at a later date.

#5 Better SEO

Several years back, mobile SEO didn’t have any influence on its regular counterpart. However, with the rise of mobile visits, this has changed. As of recently, Google has begun including a site’s mobile SEO in its regular one. Therefore, having a website that isn’t properly adjusted to mobile standards could easily be its demise…in terms of search engine optimization, at least.

#6 More customers

Speaking about SEO in general, or, actually, local SEO, mobile optimization is also crucial. Why? Well, because when on the lookout for a local service, many consumers now do their searches using their phones. In most cases, these individuals have a purchasing intent. That said, in case they are near the physical location of your business, customers are more likely to pop for a visit and make such a purchase if they stumble upon it while doing a mobile search. However, should your search engine optimization efforts on mobile fall short, chances are this will negatively impact your local SEO and, in turn, hurt your ability to attract nearby clients.

Elevate your website optimization for mobile devices to the next level

It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of website optimization for mobile devices, given the prevalence of mobile use for internet searches and browsing. You should expect to lose a sizeable portion of your intended audience if your website isn’t up to prospects’ standards…speed, functionality, and aesthetics-wise, among others. And we trust that isn’t something you would like to happen. With that in mind, to bring your optimization game to the next level and convert visits into paying customers, consider utilizing ConvertMore’s all-in-one callback widget. It definitely won’t hurt your business, but it might just immensely help you grow it.