In case you need some encouragement to join the mobile world, or a few additional incentives to bite the bullet and update your website so it supports mobile, I have compiled these 6 compelling reasons.

Just before we jump in, let me clarify what I mean when I say your website should support mobile devices. I don’t just mean a website that can be ‘viewed’ on a mobile device without falling over, I’m saying that the content and navigation for a mobile website should be specifically designed and presented to be easily readable, with finger-friendly navigation and simple dedicated layouts for the small screen.

Google penalises non-mobile friendly websites

With the country fast being a mobile obsessed nation, Google recognises that you don’t just need a computer to surf the internet anymore and because of this reason Google are less likely to display your website as legitimate if it isn’t mobile ready; and you run the risk of disappearing from the search results. Google started making changes in April, so what are you waiting for.

You will lose business if you don’t go mobile

The UK is number one in the world for mobile internet usage, even ahead of tech-hungry Japan. More people these days first reach for their mobile when looking for websites, often creating a shortlist for further reading on their desktops or laptops. This means if you’re not on the list, you’re genuinely losing opportunities. So these small devices are becoming major tools in business. In fact, mobile internet usage in the UK now exceeds desktop browsing making a mobile website an essential tool.

It’s what your customers want

Increasingly, your customers are not sitting front of desktops or laptops anymore. Instead, they’re on the go, and they are accessing your website from their mobile devices whilst on the train, watching TV or even on the toilet! They want to be able to view your website when they want to, there and then no matter where they are. If you don’t give your customers what they want they will go elsewhere.

Your competition already has one, or they don’t

Either your competition has already gone mobile and will now be getting more traffic to their website than you, in which case they will also be giving those visitors a better experience on their site. Now, you wouldn’t send a customer out of your tired old shop and direct them to a competitor’s purpose build modern establishment, so don’t do the same online – have a refurb and catch up with your competitors before it’s too late.

Alternatively your competitors don’t already have a mobile-ready website, in which case this is your opportunity to get ahead of them on Google, show the visitors a much better experience and be seen as the market leader in your industry, and who wouldn’t want to get ahead of the competition so easily?

A mobile website offers better user engagement

Whether your site is eCommerce or brochure, you want to make browsing easy for your customer. With mobiles having click to call features your customer can call you straight away with no hassle. Having a mobile site not just your desktop site viewed on mobile makes it so much easier for you customer to be able to browse without having to pinch and zoom to read the content.

You reach a larger audience

Almost everyone has a smartphone these days and use it to search the internet. If your website is only visible to those who use their desktops or laptops you are cutting out a huge portion of the population which could be potential customers, surely you want to reach as many people as possible not stop them.

e64 Infomail Series

Each month we publish a new infomail on topics designed to help your business get the most from your website that it can.

We keep these infomails brief and to the point – we all get too many ‘wordy’ emails as it is – however that doesn’t mean they are not important; we wouldn’t work so hard on these unless they were important to your business.

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