Mobile Websites are Crucial to Mobile Searches
The positive effect of a mobile-friendly website on consumer use has been well-documented and increasing mobile searches have been predicted. Now, Rosemont Media is seeing increasing numbers of mobile use on our clients’ sites and digital ads. Below we break down how consumers view mobile search and what we see from our own clients. If your site isn’t mobile-ready, read on to learn how your business could be affected.
Consumer Use of Mobile Phones
Did you know, in 2012, according to comScore the U.S. saw a 55% increase in smartphone subscriptions to reach 98 million smartphone subscribers, representing nearly 42% of all U.S. mobile users? This is only the beginning, the number of smartphone users in the US is expected to rise to 192 million by 2016. Not only that, your website is your digital practice location, one that can be accessed by your potential audience all the time. Since smartphones have become so indispensable to our daily lives, 80% of people never leave home without their phones in hand, you are making your brand easily available to your potential patients.
But not all websites are created equal. Just because you can see your practice website on your smartphone, doesn’t mean you have a mobile site. Responsive websites are specially made to fit to any screen accessing your site, including any and all smartphones and tablets.
The layout of your website will change for different sized screens, making sure there is no need to pinch and zoom. Notice the difference in the images below showing one of our mobile responsive sites on a phone and a desktop screen.
Patients Won’t Stick Around for Slow Sites
Fast loading sites are becoming an expected part of the user experience, as 71% of participants in a Compuware survey stated they expect websites to load as quickly, almost as quickly or faster on their mobile phone compared to the computer they use at home. Load time of mobile sites is a crucial element to consider. Consumers lose patience with slow loading pages, with 40% of users say they leave a site that takes longer than three seconds to load. Mobile searchers are also less likely to revisit a slow loading site.
Slow loading times can’t be afforded by many businesses, because customers who visit a mobile unfriendly site are likely to go to a competitor’s site to find the answer to their search. Creating a quick loading, responsive site is the best way to creating a positive browsing experience for your potential patients.
Mobile Users Quick to Act if You’ll Let Them
By having a responsive site, you are increasing your user experience and making it easier for users to find what they are looking for. Even better, mobile users are more likely to take action on what they are looking up. Whether it is scheduling an appointment or calling for a reservation, a whopping 9 out of 10 searchers have taken action as a result of a smartphone search, 68% of whom visit a business. By not having a mobile ready website, you are missing out on potential patients interacting with your practice.
Rosemont Media’s Responsive Sites and Ad Performance
Our data is reflecting industry stats, mobile and tablet traffic has certainly increased since last year. Looking at a random sampling of clients running PPC campaigns, with a variety of practices, locations, and both desktop and mobile-specific campaigns, there has been on average, a 103% increase of mobile and tablet traffic in the past month, compared to the same time last year. These are also quality visitors, with mobile visitors staying on the site and reading as many pages as desktop users.
Mobile User Experiment
Hopefully now you know a little more about consumer expectations and use of mobile websites. If you don’t have a marketing strategy targeted specifically to mobile searches, you are missing out an essential audience.
As an exercise, pull up your website on your smartphone right now. How many seconds does it takes to load?