Defining Why Mobile-Friendly Is Important For Your Website

Sydney Wess
8/3/2021

Mobile-friendly sites make it easier for audiences to access your products, services, and content. With more and more consumers opting to browse the web on mobile devices, companies should prioritize mobile-friendliness in their site design.

Recent years have seen a consistent rise in the number of people using mobile devices.

Smartphones from big companies like Apple and Samsung have become essential items for everyday life, offering so much more than simple communication from one person to another, and more people than ever before are using their phones and other mobile devices to shop for goods and services online.

It's clear to see that business websites and online stores need to be made compatible with mobile devices. Having a mobile-friendly site is massively important. 

This guide will look at a simple mobile-friendly definition to help you understand what mobile-friendly sites are all about. Then, we'll look at some key reasons to make your own site mobile-friendly.

Mobile-Friendly Definition

So what is the definition of mobile-friendly? You may hear a mobile-friendly site being referred to as a "responsive" or "mobile-compatible" site. All of these terms basically mean that the site in question runs smoothly and is easy to use and navigate on a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet.

The reason why sites need to be mobile-friendly is that mobile devices typically have smaller screens and different user interfaces when compared to computers and laptops.

A mobile-friendly site is able to adapt to the smaller screen size and work with touch controls, allowing mobile users to enjoy similar experiences to those on other platforms and devices.

The Importance of Mobile-Friendly Site Design

Now that we've seen the mobile-friendly definition, let's look at some of the key reasons behind mobile-friendly site design and the benefits a mobile-friendly site offers.

Increased Sales 

One of the most obvious reasons to invest in mobile-friendly site design is to make more sales and grow your brand.

Statistics show countless people are making use of mobile devices to shop for goods and services, with mobile commerce (m-commerce) sales accounting for over half of all e-commerce sales. Estimates suggest that, by 2024, the US will be home to more than 187 million mobile shoppers

The statistics all show that mobile buyers are becoming increasingly active, with 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile devices in the last six months.

If your business wants to make more sales and cater to the ever-expanding mobile market, you need to make sure that your website actually works as intended on smaller screens and mobile devices.

SEO

SEO is a major factor to take into account when designing a high-quality business website.

Google dominates the search engine sphere and countless customers use Google to find goods and services. Therefore, companies need to keep themselves up-to-date with Google's algorithms and make use of SEO in order to rank as highly as possible.

You may know that keywords and meta descriptions matter for SEO, and mobile-friendliness is also very important. In 2015, Google's algorithm was updated to reflect the growing influence of the mobile audience, with sites that have been optimized for mobile devices automatically getting higher rankings than those that are not. 

Adapting to Audience Preferences

Another big reason to make sure that your site is mobile-friendly is simply to help your company stay modern and relevant in the modern world.

As stated earlier, the number of mobile users has never been higher and is expected to grow further in the years ahead. In order to remain relevant in this changing world, businesses have to be able to adapt and move with the times.

Studies show that consumers demand the speed and convenience of mobile-friendly sites. 

mobile friendly design statistics consumer preferences

Source

Consumers also indicate that they would be quick to leave a site that wasn't clearly laid out.

Countless companies across all sorts of sectors and industries are making their sites mobile, and it can be quite detrimental for any business that wants to be taken seriously in modern times not to follow this example.

In short, if you don't get a mobile-friendly site, your brand risks being left behind.

Improving Your Brand's Identity and Reputation

You also have to consider your brand identity and reputation, as well as how quickly that reputation can be harmed if current or potential customers have bad experiences.

Statistics show that 52% of users will be less likely to engage with a company that has a poorly optimized mobile site. In contrast, 67% of users will be more likely to buy from companies with mobile-friendly sites and will have better impressions of that company too.

From these statistics, we can clearly see that users naturally tend to have better views of companies that offer mobile-compatible sites.

If a user logs on to your site on their mobile device and has a good experience, they'll be more likely to stick around, view other pages, possibly make a purchase, and even recommend your company to others.

All of this helps to give your brand a more appealing identity and a stronger reputation.

Mobile-Friendly Sites Are Vital for Survival in the Modern World 

As the benefits above show, mobile-friendly sites offer many advantages. They can help you get more traffic, additional sales, and better business growth over time.

Meanwhile, brands that haven't caught up with the latest mobile trends are starting to lag behind and could suffer more serious consequences as time goes on and the mobile market grows. From this, it's clear to see that any company wanting to succeed in today's world needs to have a mobile-friendly website.

author

Sydney Wess

Sydney is responsible for editing and processing reviews for the platform. She also supports Clutch’s article marketing efforts.
Need Help Finding a Company?