Mobile Friendly Websites: The New Normal

Every website should be mobile friendly. There I said it. 

In my opinion, I think every company that has a website should make that site mobile friendly, even if a majority of the visits to the site are from desktop computers. Unless 100% of site visits are from something other than mobile phones, there should be some type of mobile friendly element to the site. I think this can be make or break for a company.

According to the article “Why Are Mobile Friendly Websites and Content Important?” 2016 was the first year that people used mobile internet more than a desktop. This same article lists out 10 reasons to make your website mobile friendly:

1.       Google prioritizes mobile friendly websites. Since 2015, Google has been more likely to place mobile friendly sites over those who are geared more toward desktop searchers.

2.       People everywhere use mobile devices to do more than just calling and texting. Today, the public can use their phone to do anything from ordering groceries to be delivered to their home to buying a car.

3.       It helps you build credibility. With a mobile friendly website, you are hitting several different target audiences. Mobile friendly will still work on a desktop computer, on the other hand, a site optimized for a desktop will not work for a mobile site.

4.       It’s becoming standard best practice. Web design has come so far that there is really no reason for an organization to not have a mobile friendly site.

5.       You can reach more customers, faster. Because it is so common for consumers to use their phones to make searches, you need to make sure they are willing to use your site.

6.       You’ll make your customers much [happier]. Using a website that is not mobile friendly on a cell phone is difficult and frustrating. We should be trying to make consumer’s lives easier, not making them angry.

7.       Because Google wants you to do it. Google doesn’t necessarily control the internet, but that is one of the main ways that people do research. If you want to be near the top of the search results on Google, you need to have an optimized site.

8.       Your website will look great and function well on any device. When you use responsive web design, the site will function well no matter what device a consumer is using.

9.       It benefits your reputation. It is so important to have a great website. My organization struggled with web design for a long time, and we heard all of the complaints in our office. I am confident that we were not the only people that heard these complaints; friends, family and coworkers of the consumer did to, and that can tarnish and organizations reputation.

10.    Your business will be seen as modern and relevant. If your web design is terrible, consumers might go elsewhere for the services that you offer. You want to make sure that you are keeping up with the changing technology and having website that is not optimized for mobile use it the opposite of what you should be doing!

Like most people in the United States, I have a smart phone. I use my phone for most of my internet use, at least while I am not at work. I know in my personal cell phone use, if I come across a website that is not optimized for mobile use, I will close out of it and find one that is. This could be a big problem for organizations that may be just starting out and need every click they can get.

In our class discussion this week, we discussed our opinion on companies being “mobile first.” In my opinion, they should absolutely be a mobile optimized company, with either a mobile friendly website or an app, very early on.

I think companies are realizing this more and more. I very rarely come across websites that are not mobile friendly. One I can think of right off the bat is a site from my hometown that belongs to a citizen journalist. It is his website and, while it is decently easy to navigate on your phone, it would definitely benefit from being redesigned for mobile use.

Some people may argue that the best way for a company to be mobile friendly is to create an app. I think that if this was still the beginning of the smart phone revolution, it would be a great idea. Unfortunately, unless your organization creates an app that is either very niche or broadly appealing to everyone, I don’t think that is worth it. Many people do not want a lot of apps on their phone. I personally only keep one page of apps, and unless other are a necessity, I will not download them.

According to the New York Times, the Apple app store has more than 2 million apps. 

Entreprenuer.com’s Thomas Smale says, “Before you consider developing a mobile app, it’s a good idea to take stock of how your company’s website performs on mobile devices… Despite [readily available responsive design], many small businesses don’t employ mobile-friendly website design.” He goes on say that if you are a company like this, you should work on making your website mobile before thinking of creating an app. If you are someone like me, you are more likely to go to a company’s website and never even thinking about downloading an app.

For example, I am a big fan of Dominos pizza. While I was in college, I would eat it way too much (I could use my dining dollars to have it delivered!). I know that Dominos has an app, but I would rather go to the website on my phone to order my pizza instead of downloading the app. Check out the photo I posted below for a throwback to my freshman year of college when I was in my prime of ordering pizza, there is evidence on the table!

I believe that if companies do not have a mobile friendly site, that needs to be done very quickly.

We loved celebrating our friends birthday's! Thankfully a few friends had a dorm with a living room so we could fit a ton of people!