Earlier this year, Google changed the way business is done on the internet. In April, they introduced a “mobile friendly” search process that ranks sites based on the device being used for searching.
If someone is searching on a phone or tablet, Google looks for sites that are optimized for mobile users and pushes them to the top of the rankings. For businesses with websites designed years ago to run on desktop monitors, that means their site may never hit the crucial first search result pages.
If your site hasn’t been updated to be mobile or responsive, you’re missing out on over half of the searches taking place today. Fortunately, you can regain—and even improve—your search placement with a few relatively easy design changes. They start with the most important.
Responsive Design is a web design process that lets a website display optimally on any size screen—from desktop width to tablet width to smart phone width. With over half of searches coming from mobile devices, failure to incorporate Responsive Design will cause search rankings to plummet.
Responsive Design is more than changing screen size and shape. It also optimizes the screen content for convenient viewing on the user’s device, and the overriding principle for that is summarized in one word—Simplify.
Trying to cram all the things on your desktop site onto a single small screen is both confusing and annoying to mobile users. Small pictures, tiny buttons and unreadable type get lost and drive users away. Make a single, strong statement or two and give shoppers a clear and simple path to get to what interests them. This is easiest on small screens with scrollable content you can navigate with a quick swipe of a finger.
Instead of a dozen or more links out from your home page, cut to the essentials. One or two links to product pages can lead to more subcategories without robbing your landing pages of valuable screen space. Other than links to your About and Contact pages, there’s little else that needs to be on your navigation bar.
A single strong image or background video with large, impactful type conveys a clearer, more compelling message about you than an essay on why you’re the best. Save that for the About page for those who care. Hint: Keep that page simple, too. If you have an interesting history or backstory, link out or scroll down to it.
Google and other search engines not only look at whether your site is mobile-friendly, they also look at how long it takes to load and include that in their rankings. Rotating banners, JavaScript content and PDFs slow downloading, so eliminate them if you can. Mobile users are time-sensitive, so don’t test their patience. Or Google’s, either.
Responsive Design is the future and the future is now. Rather than trying to learn and keep abreast of all the changes yourself, spend your time on your business, not your website.
The Unleaded Group can help ensure your company site thrives in a mobile environment. We have an award-winning Responsive Design team that will make your mobile site user-friendly and content-rich to drive up its rankings. Our SEO and Content Management specialists will make sure your site drives revenue gains with our exclusive Agile Marketing techniques.
Why wait to take the lead in mobile e-commerce? The Unleaded Group is a global leader in high-performance e-commerce web development. Visit our newly-designed website for a look at the many ways we can fuel your business growth.
We’re happy to send you a free quote for designing a site that does the job you need. Or call us toll-free today at 855.865.3233 to learn how the Unleaded Group can add horsepower to your online business and simplify your life in the process.