Mobilegeddon - Should I Really Care?

Well April 21st has come and gone. Did you survive Google's Mobilegeddon? For those who have been preoccupied with other matters in the world such as running your business, Google announced a while back that companies who had a mobile friendly website would start enjoying possible higher rankings in Google's search results on mobile devices. Some website developers turned this statement in their favor by stating your website could be penalized if your site was not mobile friendly. This was done in hopes that they would get an influx of business from companies like yours who would rush to build a mobile responsive website.

Why did Google do this?

 It is no secret that Google has the majority market share of searches on the internet with laptops, desktops and other devices. The reported market share ranges from 60% to as high as 80% depending who you speak with. For searches on mobile devices such as smart phones, their market share is reported to be as high as 95% (that was several months ago). Obviously Google wants to maintain their market leading position for online searches. They also see the trends regarding the popularity of searches on smart phones.

So what is the problem?

 When you search for information on a smart phone, you are all too often lead to a website that has very small print and is almost impossible to navigate. This is not a pleasant experience. If you land on a mobile friendly website, you know instantly because you can read the content, navigate the site on your smart phone with your thumb and you get the information you want easily, quickly and conveniently.

Google's plan?

 By Google changing their algorithm to favor mobile friendly websites for searches on smart phones, this provides the person doing the search a pleasant experience with having a selection of mobile friendly websites they can easily navigate and read. This will put Google at an advantage for people searching on their smart phones. People will favor Google due to the ease of use, Google gets more market share and through their advertising - makes more money.

So what! Why should I care?

 At the moment, there is a lot of fear mongering out there. The talk is around losing your rankings in Google because you do not have a mobile friendly site. People who provide website services are spewing out statistics by the volumes in order to scare people into action. The real issue goes beyond Google and your rankings on the search engine. It really comes down to showing some common courtesy to your customers and target audience.

Would you spend several thousand dollars on a bill board and on it, post the home page of your website with 12 pt font size? How effective do you think that would be? How many leads do you think you would generate with your bill board? Now, let us look at your website on a smart phone. Is there really any difference between your non-mobile-friendly website and the bill board example? Yes your customers can pinch the screen to enlarge your website and sprain their thumb scrolling left, right, up and down to read the content. However if they had a choice between a website they can't read or navigate vs. a mobile friendly website, which to you suppose they would select? Why make your potential customers work harder than they have to? Providing a pleasant customer experience will go a long way in building sales and loyalty.

Should I care?

I often hear business owners say, “nobody visits our site on a mobile device.” Or, “we are a B2B company, we don’t need to be accessible on a mobile device. Well here are some of the numbers you should know.

• In early 2014 mobile became the dominant audience online.
• Over 50% of the users that click on ads in search results are on mobile devices
• When surveyed B2B consumers answered yes 84% of the time when asked if they research B2B products with a tablet
• When surveyed B2B consumers answered yes 72% of the time when asked if they research B2B products with a smartphone

Which local business will most likely benefit from a mobile friendly website?

1. Retail businesses! When people are out in their communities shopping, one information source that is constant for everyone is their smart phones. If they are at a big box store and don't find what they want, you bet they will be searching on their smart phone to see if anyone else can help them. How sweet would it be for a new customer to call you from a big box store because your site showed up in their Google search and it only took a tap on the screen to call you.
2. Emergency service companies! Do you own a towing company or an auto service garage? When someone's car breaks down or fails to start, what recourse do they have other than to use their smart phone to find assistance. Are you a dentist or a plumber that offers emergency services? Emergencies don't conveniently happen when your customer is sitting in front of their desktop computer. It happens in the most inappropriate times and places. All your customer has, is their smart phone to bail them out. Do you show up? Get the message?
3. Non-emergency service companies. Yes they too will use their smart phones out of convenience. They may remember that they have to find a new dentist for a check up. Or they may need to get someone to give them a quote on a home renovation project. The smart phone gives them the convenience of calling for assistance when and where they want.
4. B2B companies. For quite a while I thought B2B companies would not need a mobile site. Businesses will call other businesses during business hours when they are at work. Right? Not anymore. Many business decision makers will do their research when they get a spare moment which may be at the kid's sports practice, when they are waiting for the plane, during the bus or train commute to work in the morning. It would serve your company well to have the information they are looking for in a format that they can navigate and easily consume.

Still not convinced?

Observe the habits of your customers. How often are they using their smart phone to find information online? How often do you search the internet for information on your smart phone?

Okay I am convinced! Now what?

You can test to see if your website is mobile friendly by using this handy tool from Google This tool will tell you if you pass or fail the mobile friendly website test. Now if you fail, what can you do? Just how bad does your website look on a smart phone?