By Simon Phillips of TouchLogic.co.uk:

More and more consumers are using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to access the Internet and make purchases. If you are a business owner, one of the most important questions for you is: Is your website mobile-friendly?

If not, do you realize that you may be losing business due to not reaching prospective customers who are mobile users? Mobile marketing is the future and can be a very profitable option for your business. Those businesses that ignore these changes in technology do so at their peril and will lose customers who get frustrated by being unable to easily navigate their website on a mobile device.

Since mobile units are used by so many individuals (according to the BBC the number of smartphones in the UK alone will hit 50 million in 2013), it makes sense that many users will not wait until they get home and are sitting in front of their desktop PCs in order to check out a website.

If they are busy and on the go a great deal, they will want to have the option of accessing a site on their mobile device while they are out. One-third of searches performed on a mobile device are for local businesses. Out of that one-third, 61% will actually make a telephone call to the business to obtain information, and 59% may visit the business after they have checked it out through a search. You want your business to be featured in these statistics.

Important facts about mobile devices and users

• It has been predicted that this year there will be more individuals accessing the Internet through mobile devices than through laptop or desktop computers.

• If the above facts are not enough to make you think about a mobile-friendly site, here is one more. Seventy-one percent of people want the mobile version of your site to load just as easily and quickly as it would on a desktop computer. If you do not even have a mobile site, you are in trouble.

Now that you have decided that a mobile-friendly site will definitely help your business, how do you go about getting one? Remember that even if you already have a mobile site, it may not be the best that it can be. Read on and learn how you can optimize the mobile version of your site.

1. Simple is best

If your website is simple, it will load quickly and also be easy to navigate. You do not want your visitors to become discouraged after they access your site. If they do, you can count on their leaving your site to find a more accommodating one, and they most likely will not be back.

2. Fewer ordering steps are better

If you sell products or services, you want potential customers to be inclined to buy. One way to do this is by having as few steps as possible involved in placing an order on a mobile unit. Again, keep it simple and you will do more business.

3. Keep thumbs in mind

When using a mobile device, the thumbs are most often the means by which users will click, scroll and otherwise maneuver through a site. Keep buttons and any other clickable features large enough so that they will not present a problem for users.

4. Redirect

You can use a redirect code to make certain that visitors to your site will be directed to the mobile version if they are using a mobile device.

With today’s technology, mobile devices are fast becoming the items of choice when searching the Internet for specific products and services. Keep up with the times by making your business website as mobile-friendly as possible.

About the Author:

Simon Phillips is the founder of www.TouchLogic.co.uk, a company that specializes in developing mobile websites for small businesses.

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