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It has become necessary for business to have an online presence. One of the biggest ways businesses build an online presence is through their website. A website is like a digital storefront and it provides customers with their first impression of your business. It used to be that was all you needed, a website. But now, just having a website is not enough. Today, businesses don’t only need a website, they need a mobile responsive one.
About 77% of the US population has a smart phone. More than 11% of people access the internet through devices like a smartphone or a tablet. In fact, the number of mobile-only users has surpassed the desktop-only users. This is especially so for the younger millennial generation.
About 85% of millennials own a smartphone and about 15% are dependent on their phone for online access. In fact, 89% of millennials connect to the internet on a smartphone vs 75% access the internet on a laptop. Millennials are also more likely to buy stuff when using a smartphone. It is their dominant way to shop.
Having a mobile-friendly website also improves your search engine optimization. Google penalizes websites that are not mobile friendly. They rank mobile-friendly websites higher since most of their searches are done on phones. This is important because SEO and search engine ranking helps potential customers find your companies website. The higher your business ranks, the more likely you are to be found.
Luckily, it is not too hard for business to make their website mobile responsive. WordPress, a tool used by many small businesses to manage and build a website, has several themes that are mobile responsive. It is a bit more difficult for HTML webpages, since knowledge of coding is required. However, there are people and companies out there that will help business either build a new mobile-friendly website or make their current one mobile responsive.
Don’t know if your website is mobile-friendly? Google allows you to check. There are many reasons why businesses should be developing websites with mobile-first in mind. Increased traffic and revenue are just two very important reasons.
By Ashleigh Cue
