Google recently announced it is rolling out an update to mobile search results in May that “increases the effect” of its mobile-friendly ranking signal.

The goal is to “help our users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly,” though the company didn’t share exactly how much of an impact it expects the change to have.

Google Logo

Image: Google

In February 2015, Google announced plans to roll out mobile ranking changes on April 21. And as promised, Google started using this label – dubbed “Mobilegeddon” – as a ranking factor across all languages worldwide in April.

In short, if you still haven’t updated your site, you have even more reason to do so now, before May. To check if Google deems your site mobile-friendly, use the Mobile-Friendly Test. Google also offers a Webmaster Mobile Guide with more details for web developers.

Is Your Site Mobile Friendly – Use Google’s Mobile Test Tool

 

5 Reasons Why You Can’t Do Without a Mobile Website

Not having a mobile website for your business in a world of constant connectivity simply translates to sending prospects straight to the competition. The modern-day consumers are highly impatient; they can’t wait to get the information they want no matter where they are. They have their mobile devices – iPads, iPhone and android devices – with them round the clock and they want it to make their lives easy and fun. When they want to make payments, they prefer tapping their mobile phones rather than swiping their debit or credit card.

It’s simply impossible to survive in a business without having a mobile-friendly website which caters to consumers’ needs on the go.

Google Update: Mobile Friendly Boost

 

Additionally to the fact that Google will start ranking ‘mobile-friendly’ sites even higher in May (AMP update) here are five more reasons you really can’t do without a mobile website anymore:

Reason #1: Mobile Commerce is Growing Rapidly

Mobile shopping is fast gaining momentum – in the United States, Asian and European countries. In the United States, mobile commerce accounts for close to 1/3rd of all US e-commerce sales. In 2015, the combined sales of 14 Asian retailers  shot up by 249.3% while 93 European merchants witnessed their collective sales grow by 70.7%. It’s interesting to note that mobile commerce in Asian and European countries is growing faster than it is in the United States. This is because the proportion of mobile-only users is much higher in developing countries.

Reason #2: Over Half of Internet Traffic is Mobile

Image: 1Mobil-e

In the year 2014, mobile media consumption increased by around 21%, as compared to desktop; which is 51% of all digital media consumption.

If you can imagine the rate at which mobile media consumption has exploded, you’ll understand why you simply can’t do without a mobile website.

Since mobile-device users behave differently, your desktop website can’t take good care of them. If you want to optimize tapping into your mobile audience, one way to maximize conversions on mobile devices is to use adaptive website design instead of responsive design.

Reasons #3: Mobile-Friendly Websites Rank High in Google

Since the Mobile Algorithmic Update in  April 2015 Google started favoring mobile-friendly sites in its search results.

Image: 1Mobil-e

So, if you don’t have a dedicated mobile website yet, you must be missing out on a good amount of free, organic traffic – and visitor to customer conversions.

“61% of Your Potential Customers Leave and 40% go to a Competitor, if Your Website is Hard to Read.” says Google about mobile.

Sorry, but a ‘responsive’ website won’t convert visitors to customers well. To get more mobile customers and benefit from the powerful mobile trend, you will need a website using adaptive design.

 

Reason #4: Mobile Advertising Offers Huge Opportunity

The total mobile ad spend currently is still behind mobile media consumption. According to a report by KPCB, the total mobile ad spend in 2014 was merely $13 billion, compared to internet ad spend of $50 billion. Another study reveals that only 8% of ad spend goes to mobile advertising while people in America spend 24% of their time on different types of mobile devices.

Though many reports also suggest that the total mobile ad spend by advertisers is going up year after year, it’s still ‘underutilized’ and there remains a huge opportunity for advertisers to take advantage of.  Remember underutilized also translates to cost-effectiveness.

Reasons #5: Smartphone Users Have Higher Than Average Income

While it’s true that almost half of the smartphone users can’t imagine their life without their phones, there’s one more fact that you should be aware of: almost 60% of smartphone users in the United States earn more than $100,000 annually. The median household income in the United States is $50,000 approximately. It’s not only in the United States, but the statement holds true for many other countries of the world. And the simple logic is: the more you earn, the more you’re likely to spend.

As the number of mobile device users continues to increase, providing users with a superior mobile site experience gains more prominence. Also, having a mobile website isn’t only about sales. It carries importance even in terms of building your brand and establishing strong, long-term brand-consumer relationship.

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