Mobile optimization is important for websites because the number of consumers shopping via mobile is increasing rapidly. With 57% of all web traffic now coming from smartphones and tablets, it’s important for businesses to implement mobile optimization to widen their reach to the largest number of potential customers possible.

The survey from BrightEdge that reports the 57% number also revealed that searches via mobile produce different results than those done from desktops or laptops 80% of the time, meaning there is big potential in getting ahead of competitors using mobile.

Mobile Optimization A Must

A number of statistics show the importance of mobile optimization. They include the following.

  • In the holiday season of 2017, 45% of shoppers surveyed said they planned to buy gifts online, double the number a decade ago.
  • About 77% of Americans now have a smartphone, up from just 35% in 2011
  • Worldwide, there are 6.8 billion cell-phone subscriptions

Google now uses mobile-first indexing, meaning its bots will crawl and index the mobile friendly pages of a website first to accommodate the increasing amount of web traffic on mobile devices.

So, how can customers be reached through mobile optimization? The following are three of the main ways.

Mobile Friendly Newsletters

Although considered an “older” method of marketing, email campaigns continue to work as a core driver of traffic for many online businesses. Making newsletters sent via email mobile friendly is key for success.

According to information from Investp, over half of consumers will unsubscribe to an email newsletter if it is not mobile friendly. Also, having a responsive design for a newsletter can lead to a 30% higher click through rate.

They also report that two-thirds of all emails are now opened via mobile and that 75% of smartphone owners use them to check their email.

Ecommerce

If you are an ecommerce site, mobile optimization is imperative to keep up with the competition. While the number of mobile users is 57% of all traffic, those from a desktop are just 43%. That number alone shows the dwindling market size for ecommerce sites that do not employ mobile optimization.

Mobile users also behave differently via mobile. While tablet users spend more, smartphone users tend to make more purchases, typically for smaller amounts. For sites that feature relatively inexpensive products, mobile is a must. A projected 48.5% of all ecommerce transactions will happen via mobile by 2020.

Landing Pages

For all the reasons listed above, websites need to be mobile friendly. It’s where the traffic is moving in 2018 and will continue to do so in the coming years. This includes people clicking onto landing pages.

Tips in this area include:

  • Creating a separate landing page on your site that is designed specifically for mobile
  • Creating “sticky” landing pages with clear calls to actions that are easy to see from mobile devices
  • Mobile optimize any pop-ups
  • Keep the copy extra short and think twice about video or large images
  • Create navigation that is intuitive for mobile users

Keep these issues when mind when considering mobile optimization and find SEO experts in the field who can give you the best advice. The time for mobile optimization is here, but it’s never too late to quickly catch up with the competition.