10 Ways Your Website Design Could Be Killing Your Conversion Rates
By 2019, the number of mobile phone users in the world will have passed five billion. In the last couple of years the way we use the internet has changed significantly – as desktop use has slowed, the number of people accessing the internet via a mobile device has soared and mobile now makes up well over 50% of time we spend online. 80% of social media time is spent on a mobile and more than half of advertising budgets are now being funneled into mobile ad spend. The numbers are pretty convincing – if you want an effective marketing strategy this year then it needs to target mobile users.
According to recent Google research, 74% of mobile users say they will return in future to a website that is mobile friendly. Plus, users are five times more likely to abandon a task that they’re trying to complete if they’re attempting to do it on a website that isn’t mobile friendly. So, when it comes to connecting with people via your online presence, optimising it for mobile is what consumers want. It’s worth bearing in mind that this is also what Google wants – the search giant now penalises websites that aren’t mobile friendly, which is another very good reason to make this change.
Mobile users tend to be faster when it comes to browsing and buying. There could be any number of reasons for this, from the fact that they’re doing something else at the same time (e.g. walking), to the mobile channel simply encouraging shorter and more bite sized internet consumption. This means that what you have online needs to be easily digestible at speed – concise text, simple structure and a focus on what’s important. When it comes to mobile text it’s crucial to break it down into paragraphs or bullet points as mobile users just won’t plough through a screen full of dense words.
Mobile users bounce as soon as something becomes difficult or tedious so your mobile marketing needs to be focused on channels that are easy to access, use and digest. Web pages that take longer than five seconds to load, for example, will result in high levels of user attribution. Images that are distorted or slow browsing down will be a hindrance. Images should be high resolution but no higher than 96dpi and it’s important to use the Alt Text function in case the images don’t display.
Google gives mobile users the most relevant results for their local area now. So, SEO planning needs to be adjusted to include references to location to ensure visibility to mobile users in your area.
Users who are accessing a business’ website via a mobile device don’t want the journey to end there. They want easy to access contact information, social media links and “Click to call” so that it’s easy to make contact while on the go. When you’re adjusting your marketing for mobile, factoring in these expectations is key.
Mobile is where it’s at right now and we have an experienced team of specialists who can help you tweak your marketing strategy to adjust to these brave new horizons.