Latest Digital Marketing Trend: Join the Mobile Web Design Movement

The importance of an online digital marketing campaign being up-to-date with Google’s standards cannot be overstated. These updates change how websites are ranked, and being rated high on the world’s most popular search engine is something that every business wants. That’s why if you haven’t made your site mobile-friendly yet, now would be the best time to do so.

As of April 21, Google has decided that being easily accessible to mobile devices will be a ranking signal for websites. Any website that doesn’t have this characteristic will obviously be trumped over by those that are. This “mobilegeddon” is a distinct sea-change in how sites are ranked and is sure to influence rankings. Sites that aren’t mobile-friendly will receive penalties from Google.

The Advantages

If being at the top of search engine rankings isn’t enough, there are a couple of good reasons why you should be shifting to being mobile-friendly. First of all, there is the surge of mobile users; right now, there are over 5 million mobile subscribers worldwide. These users surf from their smartphones and tablets while on the go, either while they’re shopping or in transit; they even use these platforms at home when they don’t want to be stuck at their desktops. Of these users, 80% use their devices for internet searches, and these numbers are only going to rise as 2015 marches onward.

The second reason you might want to become mobile friendly is the simple fact that when a user finds a website and doesn’t easily find what they’re looking for or gets frustrated, 61% of them immediately leave the site and never come back. For those companies who do manage to keep people on their site, 67% of their visitors end up buying. With the immense amount of traffic that the Internet drives to sites, this could mean thousands of customers, which translates to greater profits.

Implementation

Those facts should be enough to convince you to join the mobile movement. How exactly does one go about it, though? Responsive web design is the answer. This is a design philosophy that focuses on creating a site that adapts to the platform the visitor uses. This means that if a customer is using a desktop computer, they get the standard version, while mobile users get the same site but optimized for mobile platforms. Expert online marketing consultancies like 5 Star Brand work with web designers who know how to implement this. Furthermore, such professionals will be familiar with Google’s guide to mobile-friendly websites, helping you improve your search engine ranking more effectively.

(Source: Six Informative Articles that Will Prepare You for Google’s “Mobilegeddon”, Marketing Digest)