In the not too distant past, we were pacing in small circles in our kitchens and living rooms while chatting on the phone because our phones were still connected to the wall. If you tried calling my house, we may not have answered because no one wanted to get up.
Shortly after my family was not answering your call because we could not find our cordless phones. They were hiding in couch cushions, collectively hanging out in my sister’s room, and a few times in shoes (I’m still confused on that one, mom).
And then I was 15, and the Motorola Razr came out and I needed a cell phone. I begged, pleaded and even made a slide show (complete with photos depicting hypothetical situations in which I would need a phone) and sat my parents down to convince them.
It didn’t work.
There were flip phones, slide phones, kick phones, you name it verb phones; and soon we could search the web on our phones. So. Cool.
My grandmother recently upgraded to a smartphone, but decided to keep her trusty old phone in the fridge to “preserve” it. Just in case this whole smartphone thing is a fluke. Photo c/o Julie Jacobson
But nothing compares to the launch of iPhones, Androids, various types of smartphones. Since Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007, how we use our cell phones has been completely revolutionized.
Gone are the days for using cell phones primarily to make phone calls. Cell phones, now, are primarily for texting, games, social media, making purchases and, if you’re anything like me, Googling all the random thoughts that come in to your head.
Can you bring knitting needles on an airplane?
(You can)
Who did Justin Bieber write about in his new song?
(It might not be Selena)
What is David Foster Wallace’s formative reading list?
(There’s a handful)
In case you haven’t gotten the memo: in 2015, web searches conducted on mobile devices outpaced those completed on desktop devices, for the first time ever.
That information both fascinates me and makes me go “Well, duh. I’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier.” Yes, I’m one of those people on the couch with the laptop right in front of me and I’ll do a search on my phone instead. Partly because mobile phones are convenient are partly because my couch is really comfortable and searching on my phone is more conducive to laying down.
So what does this mean for your business?
Your website needs to be responsive: Having a responsive site will have you prepared for visitors searching from any device to ensure that they have a positive user experience on your website. Your company’s social media will attract mobile visitors and Google prefers responsive websites as it reduces the chance of on-page SEO errors. As such, your site will generally perform better.
Do what matters: With a smaller visual area you can’t do everything, so you have to do what’s important. This includes capturing email leads with a simple form (just ask for their email address), adding CTA’s (Call to Actions) that are easy to find and click, and implement Click-to-Call to make it easy for your visitors to contact your business.
Make purchasing easy: With more mobile searches comes more mobile purchases. On Cyber Monday this year, mobile device purchases accounted for over 27% of sales. Make the buying process as hassle free as possible by making purchasing easy to navigate and keeping the forms easy to fill out.
Mobile will continue to rise and your business needs to be ready. Questions on how to make better use of your responsive site? Ask your Account Manager today.
By Maggie Paulson
