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For commercial businesses who live and die by the products and services falling off the first page of a search engine results could be catastrophic. Given that a few users will look beyond the first page of results, let alone past the couple of links, the bottom line really is at stake.
Therefore it was no surprise that Google’s move on April 21 to intensify the emphasis placed by its page-ranking algorithm on the “mobile-friendliness” of sites — dubbed “Mobilegeddon” — made such serious waves. Reports cautioned of the dangers for small independent merchants, but one study found that family names including Nintendo, Versace, Channel 4, and the Daily Mail were at risk of falling foul of the changes. Another discovered that two-fifths of all FTSE 100 firms lacked a site.
Google’s decision reflects the fact that mobile devices are consumers’ method of going online. This significant shift in how the world’s most popular search engine marketing results is a timely reminder of the significance of good cellular web design for merchants — not only for SEO purposes, but also for making the perfect environment and experience to drive sales once consumers are on their website.
M-commerce ready for take-off
As internet shopping migrates from desktops and laptops to smartphones and tablet computers possessing an effective cellular presence is important for retailers. A third of UK consumers make at least one purchase in their smartphone every month, while three in ten admit to abandoning transactions with a mobile purchasing experience before conclusion due to dissatisfaction.
Consumer expectations of convenience and speed heighten. Simply replicating content and desktop web layouts on smaller displays is sufficient; brands need to create experiences that address the different ways in.
Adapted for the little screen
The constraints of mobile devices when it comes to consuming, presenting, and interacting with content call for a adaptable and fresh approach to the layout, content, and functionality of websites.
Screen size substantially limits the feasibility of interactions, in addition to the amount of content that can be shown at any one time. The tool for analyzing mobile-friendliness of Google particularly calls out the dimensions of text on a screen that is mobile and links and buttons’ proximity to one another. Meanwhile, the speed and reliability and the battery life of mobile devices of connections to networks limit the effectiveness of media. Images, video, and interactive content can lengthen loading times and empty batteries, making consumers more inclined to leave a site. Additionally, device makers are following the lead of Apple and disabling the representation of material built on Flash.
Responsive — or adaptive — layout, whereby site elements are resized, relocated, or removed acording to how big display where they’re being seen, can ensure the look-and-feel and expertise of a new mobile site is constant and recognizable to visitors to the desktop when keeping on-the-move usability.
Many brands will have a mobile-specific website. While this strategy can be powerful if the cellular experience is identifying, resembling a program as opposed to a mobile version of a desktop site, but a lot of such cellular sites can seem like restricted “lesser” versions of the desktop equivalents.
The Significance of relevance
But creating the mobile commerce site isn’t only about making sure everything appears right on a display. Content, attributes, and also the user interface also have to be applicable, as well as the mobile shopping experience compact according to consumer behavior on cellular devices.
Visitors to websites that are m-commerce typically have a limited amount of time to discover brands should prioritise simplicity of access to their site’s regions. For mobile users, these are very likely to be product search boxes store locators, and baskets of items, but analytics can be used to identify the parts of sites. Interface design should consider that the site is going to be manipulated by fingers and thumbs, rather than a mouse. Navigation and anticipated by consumers who have become accustomed to using mobile devices this way and interaction that’s driven by gestures will be intuitive to use.
Mobile shopping can be spontaneous or computed. In either case customers are inclined to be looking for a particular item rather than browsing the website so websites need brief, clear navigational and search performance paths. Using obviously signposted expandable menus will help use of display real estate. Finally — and perhaps most importantly — this simplicity needs to extend to the market, to discourage consumers before the transaction is completed.
Test and test
Given increasing cellular device ownership and the rapid growth in the volume of online sales completed on mobile, retailers have to make sure that their sites are fit for purpose for the long run. This means ensuring cross-platform and cross-device compatibility — does a site function correctly on smartphones tablet computers as well as, on Windows and Android in addition to iOS? Keeping abreast of upgrades tweaking website design and performance and running routine stress-testing of a website’s capabilitiesahead of periods of demand stands the test of time.
