10 Benefits of Having a Mobile-Friendly Website for Small Businesses

Are you looking to draw more traffic to your website? By developing a mobile-friendly website, it is possible. 

Think about how long ago you used your phone; you might even be reading this article on your mobile device. 

But, by allowing people to view your website from their smartphones, you will immediately increase traffic and, even better, increase your sales!

By hiring a professional web design company, you can sit back and relax while they figure out the rest.

If you provide your clients with a hassle-free experience, they will keep coming back for more. To know more, continue reading about the ten benefits of having a mobile website.

1. Your Site Will Rank Higher on Google

Having a mobile-friendly website makes it easier for people to find you through online searches. 

In April 2015, Google updated its algorithm to prioritise sites compatible with mobile phones. In addition, you won’t be punished for duplicate content.

2. Everyone Has a Mobile Phone

This should be the first benefit you should consider when deciding if you should go the mobile website route. 

Did you know that in 2020, 90% of the world’s population accessed the internet from their smartphones? That’s 4.4 billion people!

So, you can only imagine how many customers you can reach through a mobile-friendly website.

More people are using smartphones, and even the elderly have become technically savvy.

That’s why it is so important to have a functional and appealing mobile site, your clients will be happy, and you will attract new visitors.

3. It Will Load Faster

If your site is compatible with mobile phones, it will increase its loading speed. Desktop sites will take more time to load on a smartphone, even more so if they use Flash elements.

Why is this important? Because your visitors won’t stay if it’s taking too long to load. They would instead go to a site where they won’t lose their patience.

4. Attract More Local Customers

You lose out on local customers if you don’t have a mobile-optimised website.

Figuring out the right SEO for the mobile site is vital as people looking to buy something are usually on the go and looking up services in the area.

You are ten times more likely to attract clients through the correct SEO if they are within a short distance of your location.

5. It Increases User Interaction

There are a lot of exciting elements you can add to your mobile-friendly site to increase user interaction.

The more time customers spend on your site, the better your ranking will be on Google. A user-friendly and interactive site allows visitors to spend more time browsing through your content.

By including links, CTAs, and comment sections, you can increase the time clients spend on your website.

This might all be a bit much, so if you need any help, you can always contact a website design business.

6. Mobile Users Want to Spend Money

It’s not the same as sitting on a desktop and browsing various websites for hours. Mobile users are usually on the go and in a hurry. They specifically visit a site to buy something quickly.

This means they don’t want to spend all day going through every page of your website to find what they are looking for; they will leave.

Statistics show that users will abandon a website if it doesn’t load within 3 seconds or 2 seconds if it’s an e-commerce site.

7. It Helps With Social Media

If you think about what you use your smartphone for, most of the time, it’s for social media. This allows you to tap into mobile-based social media and claim leads.

However, it is impossible if you don’t have a mobile-optimised website. Everything should be sharable from your smartphone, this includes:

• Services
• Products
• Contact details
• Web pages 

8. Mobile Users Make More Online Purchases

Online shoppers prefer using their phones to make purchases. Did you know that 72% of the population bought items online using their mobile phones in 2021?

This percentage has grown considerably since 2016 and is projected to continue growing as people start to spend more time on their phones.

Customers enjoy relying on customer reviews, reading product descriptions and comparing products. This makes them feel at ease when purchasing online.

9. It Will Help Beat the Competition

There are no up-to-date studies on the amount of mobile-optimised websites. However, in 2018, a study involving 1 million top-rated websites showed that 23.83% weren’t compatible with mobile devices.

This means that there is a chance your competition hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, and you could out-compete them.

Why not hop on your phone and check your competition out? You might be able to gain an advantage if you work fast!

10. Clients Will Remember Your Mobile Site If It’s User Friendly

A user-friendly, mobile-optimised site will make you stand out from a crowded marketplace. This will give you a better chance to hook repeat buyers.

Take Amazon, for example; their site attracts client’s from all over the globe because it’s easy to navigate and find what you need, so they keep returning.

The Best Mobile-Friendly Websites

To help you build a successful mobile-friendly website, here are some sites that have achieved a lot of traffic and repeat business due to their impressive designs.

1. Etsy

Etsy works well on mobile devices because it showcases its most essential features on the homepage without creating too much clutter. These features include:

• Easily accessible search bar
• Product categories
• Best-selling products

For those who don’t know, Etsy is a website where ordinary people can sell handmade or vintage products.

So, naturally, it attracts customers from all walks of life looking for something specific or “window shopping” out of interest.

Esty is appealing to both types of customers by pushing the abovementioned features. They do this by letting their clients search for something specific or browse through the shops and categories.

2. Google Maps

Google Maps have hit the mark as a user-friendly mobile site. 

Most of you only use the app, but their mobile site is identical. You can ask for directions when driving, walking, cycling, or taking public transportation.

It’s super easy to navigate, and the speed and functionality mimic the app.

3. Elf On the Shelf

Elf on the Shelf made the list because they have showcased various products without overstimulating their audience.

In addition, they use visually pleasing product exhibits and play into their customer’s emotions, which seems to be working well for them.

They did this by packaging similar products into large and inviting tiles so that users wouldn’t have to scroll through each product one at a time.

For more clarification, Elf on the Shelf is based on a children’s book and has become a Christmas tradition for many young families. 

The book is about Santa’s elves who visit children’s homes to keep a watchful eye on them leading up to Christmas. Then, just before the big day, they return to Santa and report on their findings.

Parents can now visit the site, buy one of many elf figurines on sale, and place them in different spots around the house daily.

This proves to the kids that the elves are real and they must be good to get a present from Santa.

4. Shutterfly

Shutterfly has made its mobile website easy to navigate and visually appealing for new and returning clients.

They offer their customers the opportunity to custom-make phone albums/books, cards, invitations, stationery, gifts, and so much more.

Because many of their products involve photographs, they saw the need to create a mobile-friendly website where clients can quickly upload their favourite photos.

When you click on their landing page, you immediately know what they sell by their various categories. In addition, they have added stunning imagery to compliment the offered information.

Upon arriving on the site, they showcase their newest promotions. To make matters more accessible, they have a navigation menu that is easily accessible with the touch of a finger. 

5. Buzzfeed

Buzzfeed is a site where people go to unwind and fill up on the latest news, viral content about TV and movies, shopping, recipes, and so much more! In addition, you can take your pick of exciting quizzes on almost any topic.

Many people turn to Buzzfeed when commuting to keep them occupied until they reach their destination.

So, most of their visitors are using mobile devices, and Buzzfeed has ensured that their experience is excellent!

They did stand out by highlighting their most popular content in a simple format on their landing page with large images that are easy to click.

6. The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post brings its clients up-to-date news about current events, politics, technology and entertainment. But how does it stand out from its competitors?

Well, for one, they have condensed their content to fit perfectly on a mobile screen, which makes reading it a dream. They also customise their headlines to make it easier for their customers to scan their content.

By comparing their mobile and desktop sites, you immediately determine that their desktop site has more words on the homepage.

In addition, their headlines are longer and not as simple as on the mobile version.

7. Squaredot

Squaredot originated in Dublin, Ireland, and they assist customers by building out their inbound marketing strategies.

If you visit their mobile website, you first notice their beautiful layout, elegant font choices, and colour palette.

Also, they have included interactive elements on their landing page.

While very simple, it’s easy to navigate, entertaining, and will draw in new potential clients. Another significant factor is the extensive drop-down menu that expands and explains what services they offer.

They have also included a few of their brilliant success stories, as it makes the client feel like they can trust you.

8. Pipsnacks

Pipsnacks uses great branding to get its message through. However, they don’t compromise on the visuals, and you are inundated with images of delicious snacks from the moment you land on their website.

They chose to use bright colours and textures to draw you in, and their products are displayed using large icons that are easy to click on.

They managed to do all this without it affecting the loading time. For a small family-run business in Brooklyn, they have done well.

9. ABC

ABC has been delivering high-quality content to their clients for years and swiftly created a user-friendly mobile site so their customers can view their content wherever they go.

Instead of bright and welcoming colours, they decide to go for a cinematic theme of black. By doing this, they have added to their customer’s experience, which will increase their repeat business.

In addition, their page is easy to navigate, and clients can do a quick search to find their favourite content.

You can also scroll through an up-to-date TV schedule and entertainment news about your favourite shows.

ABC’s mobile site allows its clients to find content based on what’s trending, alphabetical order, genre, and personal preferences due to your viewing history.

Mobilise Your Website Today

Now that you know everything about mobile-friendly websites, it’s time to make the change, and we can help you.

BPS Designs is a family-run business specialising in web design, SEO and branding.

We have been in the web design business since 2001, and you can use our extensive knowledge to help build your business’s online persona and increase your Google ranking.

So, contact us today for a free consultation about your website and how to convert it into a mobile-optimised goldmine.