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Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, said “we understand that the new rule is mobile first… we have a role now to inform, to educate (our customers) through all these devices.”
The statistics on mobile web users are impressive. According to research conducted by Mobithinking back in March 2013, there is 1.2 billion mobile web users worldwide. Their research also found that in the U.S. alone 25% of mobile web users are mobile-only (they rarely use a desktop to access the web.)
If you were thinking people weren’t visiting your site, don’t be fooled. Your customers are visiting your site but either 1 of 2 things is happening. They are having a bad user experience or your content is not appealing to them.
Mobile first websites solve these problems. Here’s how:
Say goodbye to pinching & zooming in!
Leave the pinching and zooming in for your photos app. When you visit a website you want to make sure that you have a pleasant experience and that you can access the information you are looking for. When it comes to your customers, designing your website with mobile first in mind is best practice. Mobile first sites are built on a platform that delivers the content that your visitors are looking for. A great example of this is Macy’s, Expedia and Enterprise websites. Go visit these websites right now on your phone. They give you the information that’s important first. None of the pinching and zooming and having trouble to click certain buttons to access the information you need because of the way the webpage is designed. Mobile first is important because it will make your visitor’s decision process a lot simpler. Simpler is better.
Write content that converts.
Ok, so you get a mobile first website, and your potential customers are finding you on their phones. What is it going to take to get people to buy from you, to sign up to your newsletter, or to contact you? Your content. Yes, your content is the information that your clients are trying to access. Your content is the information that is going to convince your visitors to take action on your website.
This is where content strategy comes into play. Your content strategy has three major functions: to educate, entertain and inform your audience.
You want to educate your clients on what you have to offer. Teach them how to use your product or service in a way that will solve their problems and meet their needs. For example, if you are a financial advisor. You want to identify who is visiting your website and what they are looking for in a financial advisor. Based on this information you can tailor your website’s content strategy to educate your visitor on your services.
The content that you publish on your website has to be entertaining. It must appeal to your audience’s taste. Your content must tell a story of how using your product or service will be a transformational experience. One company that does this extremely well is WeightWatchers. They have a Success Stories tab that tells the visitors how people have overcome their challenges and problems using their service and products.
Most importantly your content must inform. Your visitors need to know what you’re offering and why it benefits them. This information is usually what they are looking for when they first visit your website. Make sure the information you provide informs them and allows them to take action on your site.
I’m convinced that mobile first solves a lot of our problems when it comes to websites. Think about how many times you searched for something on your phone because of a conversation that you had. The websites that you found were they designed on a Mobile first platform? Now think about how many of your potential customers have searched for a product or a service like yours. Were they able to easily access the information they needed and take action? Is your content educating, entertaining, and informing them?
Email me: joacim@createthebridge.com with the subject line “Mobile First Websites” and let me know if you think a mobile website will benefit your business. I’d love to hear from you.
