Once designing a website was easy. You just created a site with fixed width (960 pixels wide). That guaranteed your site looked good on desktop computers. To reach smartphone users, you developed a separate mobile website.

 

But the rapid growth of smartphone usage dramatically changed that strategy. It accelerated the demand for, and the development of, mobile compatible websites. Today, your site must be mobile compatible to achieve online marketing success.

 

Creating a mobile responsive site not only ensures that it looks good on all types of devices—desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and so on—but also improves user experience and user satisfaction.

 

Mobile Responsiveness Critical To Online Success

 

Research shows that having a mobile responsiveness is critical to online marketing success. The statistics below highlight these findings:

 

 

If you want to be a player in the world of online marketing these days, you need a website that’s mobile responsive. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels.

 

Key Features Of Mobile Compatible Websites

 

Mobile responsive websites automatically adapt to smartphones and other mobile devices. Text and images, for example, will change from a three-column layout to a single column display, so they’re easier to see, read, and use.

 

Other features of mobile responsive websites include:

 

  • Dynamic content (changes depending on the device)
  • Condensed navigation
  • Optimized images
  • Correct padding and spacing
  • Relies on a mobile operating system to function

 

But don’t confuse mobile responsive websites and mobile-friendly websites. They differ considerably. Mobile responsive websites work the same way across all devices. Mobile friendly sites don’t.

 

Optimizing Mobile Sites Supercharges Marketing

 

Optimizing your mobile website supercharges its marketing capabilities. In addition to boosting user experience, optimizing your mobile-compatible site generates higher search engine rankings, enhances your brand image, and speeds up load times.

 

Optimizing your site also boosts interaction with your user by enabling you to use a host of critical mobile-related features, including maps and location-based features.

 

Plus, optimizing allows you to use QR codes in your marketing efforts. These codes are a proven means of advertising using print media for companies worldwide.

Some steps you can take to optimize a mobile responsive site include:

 

  • Pare down the site to its bare essentials
  • Make sure fonts used are large and legible
  • Use images sparingly and only to advance a point
  • Resize your images for the web and compress them
  • Write content that’s clear, concise, and crisp
  • Align site with mobile device conventions
  • Make site interactions easy and effortless
  • Orient content to visitors’ needs

 

Optimizing your mobile responsive website isn’t a panacea. It won’t solve all your business or marketing challenges. But it will make a difference when it comes to attracting, keeping, and converting visitors to your site.

 

More importantly, optimizing website improves user experience and satisfaction, which increases corporate revenues and profitability. Often, it’s more cost-effective than developing a mobile app for your business.

Thanks for reading,

Christine