A headphonesaddict shops for a new Bluetooth device on a smartphone. A family hunts for vacation deals on a tablet. Mobile traffic drives the purchases of products and services in 2018.
A recent study reported that 57% of Google searches are queried on mobile devices. 1.2 billion people access the internet from their smartphones and tablets. So what does this mean for the business owner?
These internet browsing and purchasing habits indicate that the growth of mobile is more than a trend. It’s the way people do business and access the important products and services they need for their lives.
If businesses are not optimized for mobile traffic, they’re leaving a heap of money on the table and putting their business in jeopardy.
To explain more about why it’s so important to consider using the practices and behaviors of mobile traffic use in your business plan, here are more details.
This post will provide a good background to help you understand why and how mobile devices influence sales and why it’s necessary to optimize your web pages to drive mobile traffic to your business website.
1. The Shift to Smartphones Emphasize Mobile Traffic Importance
Ten years ago, owning a smartphone was an option. Some people bought them. Others had no interest.
Many consumers were happy using landlines for communication and their home computers for internet searching.
Businesses were content using application software for business processes on desktop computers and performing internet research.
But now it’s a necessity. If you don’t have a smartphone, especially if you’re a business, you’ll be left behind.
That’s because people of all ages use smartphones to access the internet, from toddlers to grandparents and even great-grandparents. As a matter of fact, 80% of people who access the internet use a smartphone.
Today, 1.2 billion people are accessing the web from mobile devices. An incredible 80% of all internet users use a smartphone.
To meet the needs of consumers and businesses, companies need to stay abreast of mobile-related technology to understand how it influences their business markets and drives profits.
2. Understanding the Impact of Images and Videos on Mobile Traffic
Social media behavior greatly influences the generation of leads and conversions. Mobile users consume large amounts of visual media.
This includes both images, images that accompany text and videos. Facebook and Instagram have built their businesses on visual media promotion, sharing, and interaction.
To tap into this lucrative mobile market, it’s important for businesses to deploy optimized design to harness the command of the internet and its sales.
3. Optimizing Your Website to Drive Mobile Traffic
In the past, websites were optimized for desktop computers. But now they need to be optimized for mobile devices to keep up the demand for mobile traffic and increase performance.
In order to optimize your site for mobile, your site must use responsive design. Responsive design considers several factors. One important one is the visual display.
Optimizing your site for mobile enables end users to view an attractive and clear display on smartphones, laptops, tablets, and smartwatches as well as desktop computers.
The design keeps images and text from going off the page which deters website visitors from leaving the page.
Website developer can build your website using a responsive design whether you’re using WordPress or Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
If you have a website with poor navigation and performance, users will leave your site and navigate to the next competitor.
4. Mobile Users Make More Purchases
Compared to desktop computers, mobile end users mobile users actually spend more money on products more frequently.
According to Fast Company, tablet owners spend more money than smartphones, desktop computers, and laptops.
Along with smartphones, customers make e-commerce purchases on sites like Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, buy books on Kindle and even do online banking from a mobile device.
They purchase apps made specifically for mobile technology and download programs and files not available on desktops.
For example, there’s a website that allows you to view free PDFs of magazine articles from your tablet or iPhone or Android but doesn’t offer the service on a desktop computer.
5. Google Prefers Mobile
You may have heard that Google prioritizes mobile-optimized websites when prioritizing Search Engine Results Page rankings (SERP). But mobile is even more important than ever.
Now Google penalizes websites that don’t optimize their sites for mobile. There’s even a term for it called mobilegeddon.
That’s why it’s important to optimize your website for mobile traffic. It will greatly impact your organic search ranking.
6. Mobile Traffic Optimization Boosts Better Social Media ROI
With the obsession and compulsions of social media engagement, users navigate social media sites all the time.
Try to engage with someone scrolling through their instant messages and social feeds on their cell phones. It’s hard to get their attention.
This time is an ideal time to advertise on social media with targeted advertising methods.
Paid social search, Article Feeds on Facebook and other advertising opportunities present a world of possibilities to generate leads that can lead to conversions and sales through mobile traffic users.
If you use social media marketing for your business, it improves your chances of widening your audience reach and directing new potential customers to your shopping carts for products and services.
However, if you advertise on social media without a responsive site, you’re in trouble. It’s likely you’ll be throwing away money spent on advertising and your content marketing efforts.
Important Facts to Remember About Mobile Traffic
- 1.2 billion people access the web from mobile devices
- 57% of Google search queries are made from mobile phones
- 80% of Internet users own a smartphone
- Google rewards and penalizes websites based on responsive design
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