In case you didn’t hear about Google's announcement for April 2015, yes, it’s true... Google announced early 2015 that they would be boosting web browser support for websites that are mobile-friendly. Google proceeded with that action in April.

“In the USA, 94% of people with smartphones search for local information on their phones. “
— Google Webmaster’s Mobile Guide

Both Pew Research Center and the Nielsen Report post data on the exponential growth of smartphones and phone apps since 2011. Like it or not, more of us are using smartphones for general information on the web and for information about local goods and services. That trend is not only here to stay, it's growing.

What does this mean for your website?

For many of us, myself included, staying visible on the web means converting our websites to mobile-friendly usage.

The term "mobile-friendly" has been completely redefined in the last two years, along with development of the technology that runs it.

The brutal truth is: if your website is more than two years old, it is likely a dinosaur from the recent era when most people were using the internet from desktop computers.

Can people still see your site? Yes. Can people still use it? Maybe, but perhaps not so easily.

So what to do?

1. Make your website easy for your customers to use.
2. Make sure you can measure effectiveness.
3. Use responsive web design.

“Responsive web design” means that the page is easy to use and adapts itself whether the user is on a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone – the display adjusts or “responds” according to the screen size.

A desktop version of a site might be difficult to view and use on a mobile device.

A version that's not mobile-friendly requires the user to pinch or zoom in order to read the content. Users find this a frustrating experience and are likely to abandon the site.

A mobile-friendly version is readable and immediately usable.

“Can I just revise my existing site? It’s not that old!”

Short answer:  "No."  Sorry.  We really need to start from scratch, due to the changes in technology.

The good news is that you probably can use your existing content, and certainly your product and customer databases.

Contact us today for more information, and look for announcements soon.

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