As if it wasn’t already big enough, the need for mobile compatible websites is about to grow. Nothing has changed in terms of the rate at which consumers are accessing websites through mobile devices. Instead, Google is prepared to release another update to its search engine results page (SERP).

 

Except this time, it’s not a Panda or Penguin update. In fact, it has nothing to do with Google’s algorithm. Instead, Google will start to label which websites are mobile-friendly on its mobile SERP. 

 

A recent PC World article discusses Google’s new update. The article explains what it will take for websites to be labeled as mobile-friendly:

 

“In the next few weeks, Google will start to label websites that render well on mobile devices and is considering giving that label weight as a search rank signal, the company said Tuesday. Websites can earn a ”mobile-friendly” badge that is displayed with search results if the site avoids requiring software such as Adobe Systems’ Flash, which isn’t officially supported in later versions of Android or by Apple’s iOS.”

 

So there are two things you can do to make sure your website will be labeled as mobile-friendly. Make sure your site doesn’t require Adobe Flash – it probably doesn’t – and check to see if your site is supported on the latest versions of Android and iOS.

 

This update is going to have a major impact on digital marketing. Businesses will have to update their websites so they’re labeled as mobile-friendly. Otherwise, consumers will just avoid their website on mobile devices.

 

But even more important than the update it is the direction Google is headed in. Expect future Panda and Penguin updates to focus on mobile websites. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, then it’s time to consider a new web design. 

 

To talk more about mobile compatible websites, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks. 

 

 

It is not a feasible option to solely focus on desktop users for your business website, and this is because you will be shutting your business off from a major source of traffic. Ideally, regardless of how challenging or difficult it may be to make the necessary changes to accommodate mobile customers, you need to understand that this should be a number one priority until the change is made.

 

Mobile User Base is Constantly Growing

 

Since the mobile user base is large, growing, and does not seem to have an end in the future, there is no reason you should be avoiding this inevitable change to stay relevant with competition. Mobile compatible websites are dominating search engines, not only because they accommodate everyone, but because freshly-designed websites generally possess superior coding for better rankings.

 

Adaptive Web Design Meshes Desktop and Mobile

 

In order to get the mobile website you need, you do not need to create an entirely different website. Instead, you can utilize adaptive web design to get the proper scaling on both desktop and mobile. While this may be complicated to those that are not familiar with web design, professional web designers can provide you with the results you want and need to accommodate mobile users.

 

Why You Should Utilize This Opportunity

 

Making this change is not just an option anymore. Businesses cannot expect to survive for a long time when they are not willing to make adjustments that match the demands of potential and existing customers. While certain businesses may be doing well from an existing customer base, this cannot be relied upon for making it for the coming years and decades, so changing sooner than later is ideal.

 

Contact us for professional assistance with getting your website compatible for mobile users.

 

Not too long ago, all a business needed was a website for desktop computers and they were good to go. However, this is not the case anymore because of tablets and smartphones. With millions of people using these platforms on a daily basis, not catering to this audience means you are actively deciding to miss out on an incredible opportunity to increase your chance of success.

Give Every User the Best Experience

Mobile compatible websites can help give every person an ideal experience. For instance, a desktop user trying to go on a mobile site will run into issues as the page will not show up correctly. It is even more common for mobile users to go onto websites that do not cater to the mobile audience in any way. Fortunately, you can take advantage of this by creating a mobile compatible site that allows mobile users to view your website and have a great experience just like desktop users.

Get Longer Visits as a Result

When you have a website that caters to all users, it makes sense that you will see an increase in traffic. However, the main benefit may be in how long your visitors stay, and this is because people will not be tempted to begin looking elsewhere when your website does not function properly on their phone.

An Optimized Website Loads Faster

It is important to understand that mobile optimization is not just about having a website that shows up on a mobile device with the right content and resolution. Optimized websites load faster, which means mobile users will get to your website faster compared to loading up a desktop page.

Gain a Competitive Edge

Although you may not be making a revolutionary change, this can be more than enough to gain a competitive edge within your industry. Giving your customers as many ways to use your business will generally translate into more exposure for your business, along with visitors that stay longer. It is crucial to understand that these longer visits are also more likely to convert into sales.

Contact us for assistance with mobile compatible websites.

Mobile website creation is on the rise nowadays as handheld computers and smartphones have become more commonplace. However, website design for mobile devices is still very much a challenge, what with the new features being rolled out for these devices regularly, as well as users’ ever-changing tastes. So, to help in the design process, here are some tricks that you want to keep in mind.

Making the most out of the screen

Screen size is undoubtedly the biggest consideration when designing mobile websites. Even tablet computers are often an inch or two smaller than regular laptop screens. Apart from the physical size, however, screen resolution also should be taken into account. Smaller phone screens tend to have lower resolutions mainly because finer details won’t be seen in these dimensions.

With those in mind, design your mobile site to make the most out of the available space.  Here, it would be helpful for you to familiarize yourself with how the various models display websites. Phones like the iPhone allow for a full screen display of websites, while other models reserve a small portion of the screen for other functions. You can also take advantage of the fact that sites can be displayed in either a portrait or a landscape orientation to create a virtual “extra” space.

Keeping it easy on the hands

As pointed out by CSS-Tricks in this article, another major consideration in mobile website creation is the fact that a large portion of devices use touchscreens for user inputs. And in here, a common complaint by many is that it is hard to get their hands to work around tapping various items on these small screens. Hence, it would be helpful if you create your website’s clickable items fairly large. A size of 40 x 40 pixels with a margin of 10 pixels would be enough for most purposes. Also, don’t crowd clickables into one area, as these will make it even harder for users. Instead, position them in more accessible places for the benefit of users.

Another component you want to make the most of for your mobile website is the hand gestures. The “pinch to zoom” function, for one, is definitely going to be indispensable, especially if you want to present detailed images that can’t be easily discerned at regular zoom levels. But, don’t limit yourself with the intended functions of these gestures. Be more creative and use these in a variety of novel ways to add more to the site’s user experience.

Optimize everything

When optimizing your mobile website, frequent testing is certainly a must. Spyre Studio says it spot on in this article

“Testing for usability is not a one-time event, it’s an ongoing process. This will help you increase the quality of your mobile website through time. After-all, Rome wasn’t built in one day. Since there is an enormous amount of devices users can utilize to access your mobile site, you should not only test often, but on multiple devices as well.”

You also don’t want to limit yourself to a single website design. Instead, come up with different design iterations. This way, you can select the most optimal design for your target audience, as well as combine it with different design components that work best for the site.

When dealing with Mobile compatible websites, feel free to contact us and we will gladly lend you a hand.

On the Internet, capturing someone’s attention can be a big deal. If you have their attention, then you may be able to get their purchases as well. Mobile compatible websites are the best at doing this because more people than ever are using their phones to access the Internet.

 

Anhosting.com has an article out about people using their smartphones daily. In this post, they mention the following:

 

Smartphone ownership has jumped globally – increasing 11% to 44% of the total population in Spain and by 7% to 38% of the total population in the US,” said Jason Spero, Head of Global Mobile for Google. “Smartphone owners are always using their device – in France, 90% use their mobile devices to access the web every day.

 

With that stunning amount of smartphone usage, it is important to capture some of those eyeballs for your own sites. People with smartphones are very likely to use the Internet on those phones since this is what most of them purchase the phones for. If they are using the Internet, then they might as well be looking at your site. The most important thing is that you get that site optimized for the mobile web.

 

Making a site optimized for the mobile user means making the most important features of the site easily available on the phone. Also, it means ensuring that the text of the site is large enough to read and that the ability to navigate around the site is not diminished by the fact that you are using your phone to access it.

 

Ideas for creating the perfect mobile website are available in this new eBook. It covers a wide range of different topics that are helpful to those who are looking to build a mobile website. Contact us for more information on getting this eBook and starting to build a great website.

 

Black-hat techniques like keyword stuffing, link exchanges and fake customer reviews are frowned upon with search engines.  With Panda, Penguin and the everyday updates there’s no room for cheaters.  The best way and the only way to maintain a mobile presence is to get visitors naturally.  The following is not set-it-and forget-it strategies.  It will take time for results and will have to be done regularly.

 

Social Networks

 

The popularity of social media forced small businesses and corporations to migrate there.  With a market filled with potential buyers it was a change too tempting to pass up.  What can businesses do to get involved?  Post useful information, promote the company, read feedback, engage in conversation, handle negative press and start the process over.  This repetitive motion has created buyer after buyer.  Never use social media as constant promotion and never let the page remain stationary.  Get on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.  Delete the ones that aren’t working and focus more on the ones that do.

 

Press Release

 

It’s a great way to get the word out about your products or services.  Use this press release to highlight your Mobile compatible websites, what it has to offer and what makes it stand out.  Make sure the press release is worth highlighting; otherwise it won’t get the reaction you’re looking for.  It would be especially helpful to use journalist connections so they can write one for you and/or place the press release on their page.

 

Written Content

 

Articles are popular.  With so many of them out there your job is to create original and quality content; a one-of-a-kind article that has information in it that’s nowhere else online.  Write content for the website and create a company blog.  Write articles for the blog.  Include an article about the mobile website.  Add a new article once a week to keep readers coming back.  Utilize well-researched, thought-provoking information that reaches the top of search engines.

 

Web Directories

 

It may be out of style, but it’s still a good way to get the word out.  Go to the most popular directories.  Submit the company name in the category that best fits the company’s industry.  Submit to more than one, but submit to the ones that garner traffic.  Make sure your mobile site is listed in the mobile category.

 

Signature

 

Email signature is more than just a name these days.  It’s a way to brand yourself and the company by making a statement.  Along with your name, add the company, the website, social media links, email address and phone numbers of contact.  Business cards should have the same signature on them.  Add it to social media websites and your mobile site as well.

 

There’s no way around it.  Slow and steady wins the race.  There’s no magic formula or special ingredient.  Stop looking.  This is the only way your mobile site will thrive.  Contact us for more information on organic search engine results, SEO and web traffic.