Has Google selected your website for the new index? Many of our Cybervise clients have already received the email notice from Google. Once you receive the email, your business website is now part of the Mobile-First Index. Cybervise has been trying to answer customer questions about what this all means. The most frequent question I receive is “Will this change be good or bad for my business?”
The best answer we can give is, “it depends on your business and your website”.
Why Should My Business Worry about Mobile?
If your website 3-5 years old, or older, having a mobile-version of your business website was not a big concern. In the past three years, a mobile site became part of every website project. Google, and users world-wide, are putting mobile first. You not only need a mobile site, it has to perform well too.
Here are four reasons why your business should worry about mobile.
- Search Ranking will depend on it. – Google announced in 2016 the switch to the mobile-index. Read the post on their official blog. The mobile version of your website will determine search rankings in the new index.
- Majority of users are Mobile. – 78% of search traffic in the United States comes from Google. Google reports that the majority of searches are using mobile devices. World-wide the majority of internet traffic originates from a mobile device.
- Young users are Only Mobile. – If you are under the age of 30, you are more likely to be dependent on a smartphone as your only access to the internet. Less likely to have access to a high-speed internet connection. (Pew Research-Feb 2018).
- CEOs are Heavy Mobile Users. – A study in 2014 already measured that executives were early users of mobile for business. 77% of Executives use their smart phones as the primary device to research products and services. Percentages were higher for work done after hours.
What Could Go Wrong for Business?
- Mobile-Users Convert at a Lower Rate. – There is a some evidence that visitors convert at a lower rate coming from mobile devices. I suspect a lot of that has to do with not being ready for mobile users. If your site is already having issues collecting leads or sales, the move to mobile won’t help.
- Old websites will get older. – Mobile-friendly sites need to be fast, easy and focused. Website improvements you have been putting off will show-up on your mobile site. Old code is slower then an updated website. Content that is out-of-date will be in the way of the important info visitors need to see. This is your opportunity to clean up before Google re-examines your entire site.
- Navigation is Too Large for Mobile. – Website Users don’t like long drop-down menus. They really don’t like them on a mobile device. Visitors may miss key information trying to click links at the bottom of a long menu. If your content is good, they will keep moving though your site. Focus on creating links within the text of your pages. Instead of showing every page of your website in the top navigation.
Make Mobile Good for Business
- Transition to the Mobile-First Index is not a penalty. – It could be an opportunity for your website to advance beyond your competitors. Be the website in your industry that takes advantage of all this extra mobile traffic. Here are a couple of points to consider:
- Simplify Tasks. – Look at the activities users complete on your website. Make your forms shorter. Could repeat users complete a sale with less clicks? Simple tasks will work better on mobile.
- Clean-up Your Content. – What do you need visitors to see on their first visit? What content is better for repeat visits or deeper research? Don’t give mobile user everything at once. Highlight the priority items and convince them to come back for more.
- Take Advantage of Activities that Mobile Does Best. – Make visiting your site on a smartphone an added benefit. What do phones do best? Place calls with the touch of a button. Give access to content no matter what your location is.
Need Some Advice?
Sign-up for our Free Consultation. Cybervise would be happy to review your website and discuss the impact of the Mobile-First Index.
