One Easy Step to Figure Out if Your Website Is Mobile Friendly

By: Holly Czuba

This is big news in our industry right now. Google is going to stop showing non-mobile-friendly websites in their mobile search results.  Business owners stand to lose half of their visibility on the web if they’re not ready.

I say “half their visibility” because 60 % of all website traffic is on a mobile phone or tablet.  No matter where you live in the US, this statistic holds true.  It varies slightly by industry, but on as an average, it’s 60%.  I see our clients’ website traffic range from 30% to 70% on mobile devices.  Restaurants and bars are on the high side, while lawyers and some other professional services tend to be on the lower side.  Even then, 30% of your website traffic is nothing to laugh at!

I’ve gotten off track.

Here’s one easy step to figure out if your website is mobile friendly or not:

1. Take out your phone.

(Ok, it’s 2 easy steps.)

2. Evaluate your mobile site. Search for your business, or type in your domain – If you search for it you get the added benefit of seeing what your website visitors see in search results when they look for your business.

See how easy/difficult it is to use your website on your own phone by answering yes or no to the following questions:

• Can you find the phone number easily?
• Does it call the right number?
• Can you find the street address?
• Is it easy to get the directions into your map app?
• Can you read the text on your website?
• Does your contact form work?
• Is it a hassle to use?
• Can you click on the links between the pages on your site?

For the most part, small businesses owners will have a crucial revelation here. Did you answer “No” to any of the above questions?  If so, your website is not easy to use on a mobile device.

Which means you are likely to lose business.

“According to Google’s Think Insights on Mobile, whenever someone arrives on your mobile website and is frustrated, or doesn’t see the content that they are searching for immediately, there’s a 61 percent chance they will leave and head to another website [i.e. your competitor]. However, whenever a user has had a positive experience with your mobile website, that individual will be 67 percent more likely to buy a product or use a service. Furthermore, 48 percent of users stated to Google that when a site doesn’t function on their mobile device it makes them feel that the company does not care for their business.” (Huffington Post)

Don’t stress if your website isn’t mobile ready – we can get a mobile site set up for you quickly.