The leaps and bounds that have been made in technology have been astounding, especially where the internet and computers are concerned. As recently as ten years ago, desktop PCs and laptops were the main way to surf the net. But with smartphones and tablets having as much power (perhaps even more so) as the former, many are now going online on the go. Today, there’s no need to wait until coming home to check email, finish something for work or order Christmas gifts. You can do it all from the palm of your hands.
Because today’s society is all about being dependent on mobile devices, the way websites are made has changed. Many have been and still are designed for PCs, which have different screens from smartphones and tablets. A website that looks great on a PC may look horrible on a phone. If you’re a business owner with a website that needs to be seen by customers, you have to keep both PC and mobile users in mind. This is done with responsive design, where the website layout changes depending on the platform used and the size of the screen, according to Smashing Magazine.
A lot of work goes into making a website optimized for both PCs and mobile devices, but in this day and age, it’s a necessity. Here’s why mobile-optimized websites are a must in 2020.
- The Google penalty: According to an article written by Jaden Schafer on Gist, “on March 26th, 2018, Google officially announced that they would be using mobile first indexing.” This means that mobile-optimized websites will be indexed, and therefore visible on search results, over websites optimized for PCs. If you don’t want your business’s website left behind and not found by potential customers while searching Google, mobile optimization is a must.
- A better browsing experience for all: Nothing turns customers away faster than a website that’s difficult to navigate. As has been said, a website that’s only optimized for PC is hard for someone to navigate on a phone or tablet. Everything looks different and it’s hard to access what’s needed. Responsive design makes your website easy to navigate, no matter the device. The move will please customers and know that you’re ready to serve them, whether they prefer to browse on a PC, phone, or tablet.
- You’re able to have a wide reach of customers: Business is all about being where your customers are. Having a mobile optimized website opens you up to a wider audience that you may not have if your website is only geared towards PC users. Everyone has a mobile device and with everyone being able to search Google on the go, you can now be found at all times by anyone. This brings about more clicks, purchases, feedback, and most importantly, loyal customers.
Check out this link to learn how to make your website optimized for the mobile age and contact us for more information about the importance of mobile optimized websites.