If you’re scanning this blog while out and about in public, stop a moment and look around you. What do you see? Chances are you won’t make any awkward eye contact with nearby strangers because they are glued to their cellphone screens.
According to a recent study on Statista, there are nearly 290 million cellphone users in the US. Of these users, 46% of them are on their mobile phones for five to six hours a day, and an additional 11% spend seven or more hours on their phones daily. That’s a ton of time on social media, game apps, search engines, and websites like yours!
The numbers above should lead you to one conclusion: having a mobile-friendly (aka “responsive”) website is imperative for online success. This means optimizing your site for shorter load times, writing content for a mobile user’s attention span, eliminating pop-ups, and, of course, cleaning up a cluttered layout.
Here are three additional reasons why you should care about how your WordPress site performs on mobile.
1. Mobile sites drive eCommerce
The faster and easier your website is for online shopping, the better sales conversions you’ll see; a fast, clean website can significantly increase revenue. This cannot be stressed enough, as a study conducted in 2021 showed that 41% of people used their smartphones to shop, a figure likely to rise. In short, an updated user interface provides a smoother and more reliable shopping experience for your customers and is great news for your bottom line!
2. Consumers are increasingly impatient
It’s no secret our culture is becoming more impatient. I am no different! If a web page doesn’t load quickly enough for me, I bounce. The same is true for millions of other online users. The frustration and sense of urgency caused by a slow website can cause searchers to turn away, discouraging Google from ranking your page higher, which leads me to my next point.
3. Google prioritizes mobile indexing
The key to getting found by users online is to get indexed on Google — without this step, there’s no chance of organic success. Many people prioritize using their mobile devices over desktops for online searches, and as a result, Google has stated its preference for mobile indexing here. I recommend reading more about the top tips for mobile-first indexing.
How mobile-friendly is your WordPress site?
Do you need to dish out cash for a web designer or marketer to redesign your site? My answer is vague but true: it depends.
Start by running a Page SpeedInsights test and a mobile-friendly test. You can also check your Core Web Vitals for page speed insights and overall performance recommendations. If you aren’t liking the results, it’s time to either invest in an agency or learn how to optimize your site for mobile-friendly search yourself.
SiteCare’s professionals can assist you at every step of your mobile optimization journey and ensure that you get the best possible results. Let us know how you’d like us to help you optimize your WordPress site today.
