Ben Fieker
Get with the times! The mobile user rules all. It is impossible to deny the influence of the smartphone technology affecting the web experience nowadays. Following this trend is not a matter of how a flat-rimmed hat looks in a mirror selfie. The Significance of Optimizing for the Modern Mobile User directly affects web site performance and rankings with the Internet overlord, Google. So listen up and let us solve the issue that is responsive design.
Who is this Modern Mobile User anyway? I like to think this user is an adolescent time waster with Apple’s latest mega phone creation blowing time between gym period and spelling class. Fortunately, I am totally wrong. Let’s define this class as any individual that owns a smartphone with the aptitude for recognizing efficiently organized information. Therefore, these users are going to be able to distinguish a web page that is not optimized for mobile and one that is, easily. Being able to reach these modern moguls will boost web traffic, amplifying exposure and potentially resulting in increased business.
Don’t take my word for it? Understand these facts.
According to a Pew Research Center article, “U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015,” almost two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone and about 20% of those smartphone owners rely on the technology as their sole online service provider.
Allow me to apply this statistic appropriately. Earlier this year in 2016, Watershed Festival allowed us to launch a spectacular new site that dominates in responsive design. The mobile experience we built out was specifically targeted for their client base and the Google Analytics proved that these modern mobile users would respond. Currently, out of the hundreds of thousands of sessions already this year 73.1% were consumed through mobile smartphone technology! If that isn’t enough proof for the closed minded, we released a case study on the Watershed Festival. Read it here.
To further win this argument, Google, master of all things internet, stated that on April 2015 they will start ranking sites based on “mobile-friendliness.” This significantly impacts Google Search results. If a site is found to be mobile-friendly in nature then that site will be listed at the top of Google search results. No one wants to navigate the abyss that is secondary search pages. Google set this trend as Bing latches on and starts to filter and rank their search results as well. Bing will tag the mobile-friendly site instantly informing the user of its well-designed information. The modern mobile user is sagacious enough to determine that they want to read legible information due to the nature of the mobile technology. Thus, these friendly sites will acquire more attention proving their superior business model. Be at the top of the list and Optimize!
All this mobile tech jargon can be a bit confusing for the layman. Let me put this in terms of the schoolyard hustle. If a site is not optimized or mobile-friendly, their SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is low, resulting in a lower ranking on search engine sites and listed below competitors. This is like the kid on the basketball court that brought two left shoes to play. No one is going to pick that poor little guy. Be the site that is wearing Air Jordan’s, fresh and always up top.
How Do I Fix My Garbage Non-Mobile Site?
Google and Bing search engines both have Mobile-Friendly Tests that will examine any site with a simple URL. If a site fails a good place to start is to diagnose the problems. Bing stated their four factors as navigation, readability, scrolling, and compatibility. Be on the innovator’s side of the curve and adapt to the new wave of Users. Chat with a local graphic design agency or that one friend who is thrifty on the web. Get the conversation and progress rolling!
Mind blowing information, I know. The Significance of Optimizing for the Modern Mobile User is undeniable and can be easily addressed. The influence users have is incredible, constantly pushing technology into a never-ending evolution of designed information.