Mobile optimisation: fav or fad?

Mobile use:  Now vs then

Mobile usage has been increasing consistently over the past few years.  You don’t have to look much further than your own family, friendship and work circles to see the extent of mobile penetration today.  No doubt everyone has a reasonable respect for and understanding of the power and reach it can and does have.  We all know how to use a mobile device to book movie tickets on the way to the cinema;  how to use the phone’s GPS to actually find the cinema and how to use a mobile app to order and pay for a pizza from your local take away.  Not a very healthy outing I know, but one made substantially easier through the use of my trusty old iPhone.  Not too long ago I would have gotten lost on the way to the cinema because my Melways was out of date; I would have had to wait in line for movie tickets, only to be allocated the row of seats right up front;  and most probably would not have even entertained the thought of a meal by the time I finally arrived there.  Exaggerated a bit you might say, but recent and close enough to the truth so we can all recall and relate to it.

The mobile ‘now’ generation

With the introduction of smart phones and other mobile devices the needs and expectations of typical consumers and customers have changed.  With information available literally at our fingertips we are now impatient, impulsive and demanding, wanting everything fast and with as little effort as possible.  Gone are the days that we have the patience to pinch or zoom full size website content on small screens.    We demand mobile apps or responsive websites that let us perform core functions like booking/changing appointments, finding location/contact information and  reading consultant profiles, all with no more than a few thumb strokes.  A greedy and demanding bunch we’ve become, but nonetheless a majority that service providers simply have to cater for.

Let’s quickly look at some statistics to see how big and bad the audience has become:

• We are Social[1] estimates that 90 % of all smartphone users search for local information via their phones.  This is alarming if you are a health practitioner with no website or a bad mobile version of your website who is hoping to attract local clientele.
• Research further shows that 57 % of mobile users will abandon your website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.[2]  So if your full website is large, runs flash or anything that requires add-ons to display in a browser, you are in danger of losing a very high percentage of your potential custom.
• 52% of tablet users prefer shopping with their tablet vs their PC[3].  Even amongst web developers the growing trend is to think of mobile first and desktop second.

Why optimise for mobile?

With the trend to mobile being so ferocious can any business really afford to ignore it?  Astoundingly only an estimated 21 %[4] – 35 %[5] of businesses have mobile optimised sites, so apparently the majority of businesses still choose to turn a blind eye and pretend that the monster is not there.  They choose to ignore the obvious advantages of having a mobile-optimized website, such as:

• Providing a better user experience and increased usability to end users, enabling them to find information quickly and with the minimum amount of clicks;
• Encouraging better brand engagement, since people like your brand more when you offer a satisfying mobile experience;
• Increase conversions with screen size adapted call to actions and links to important information on your site;
• Reducing bounce rate because the user experience is more friendly than having to scroll, zoom and pinch though non-optimised desktop content
• Increasing SEO as it helps improve rankings on mobile friendly search engines.

Now that we have unmasked the beast that is your audience it should be very obvious why you as a health practitioner absolutely have to implement some form of mobile optimisation now.  You cannot ignore it any longer.  You will lose clientèle to competitors who offer it.  So be honest with yourself and put your site to the test:  open it on a mobile device and consider if you would spend time on it if it was not your own.  Your answer will most likely be ‘no’ if:

• it loads slowly
• important call to action buttons are obscured or hidden deep within menus
• the content is hard to navigate and read on a small screen and/or
• there is no or a bad mobile experience.

Mobile optimisation:  definitely  a fav…

If so, the time has come!  Optimise for mobile to stay in the game.  Other than a few calls to find a reliable and qualified web professional to help you with this, it will take very little effort and time on your side to implement it.  So explore your options – whether it is client side responsive design, HTML5, server side adaptive design or mobile specific development platform (Apps) – and take responsibility for increasing your popularity and brand preference amongst your audience.  There are lots of resources available on the web but feel free to contact us if you would like to explore a customised solution for your budget.

References

[1]  Social, Digital & Mobile Around The World (January 2014). 2014. Social, Digital & Mobile Around The World (January 2014). [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/social-digital-mobile-around-the-world-january-2014. [Accessed 28 October 2014].
[2]  5 Reasons You Absolutely Must Optimize Your Website for Mobile | Ian Mills. 2014. 5 Reasons You Absolutely Must Optimize Your Website for Mobile | Ian Mills. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-mills/5-reasons-you-absolutely-_b_5122485.html. [Accessed 28 October 2014].
[3]  The Importance of Mobile Optimization [Infographic]. 2014. The Importance of Mobile Optimization [Infographic]. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.getelastic.com/the-importance-of-mobile-optimization-infographic/. [Accessed 28 October 2014].
[4]  How Important Is a Mobile-Optimized Site for Your Business? | SEMPO Blog. 2014. How Important Is a Mobile-Optimized Site for Your Business? | SEMPO Blog. [ONLINE] Available at: https://blog.sempo.org/2013/10/how-important-is-a-mobile-optimized-site-for-your-business/. [Accessed 28 October 2014].
[5]  The Importance of Mobile Optimization [Infographic]. 2014. The Importance of Mobile Optimization [Infographic]. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.getelastic.com/the-importance-of-mobile-optimization-infographic/. [Accessed 28 October 2014].

Other Resources

The Importance of Having a Mobile Friendly Website. 2014. The Importance of Having a Mobile Friendly Website. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.imarketingfactory.com/mobile-website/. [Accessed 28 October 2014].

Mobile Mania – The Growing Importance of Mobile Website Optimization. 2014. Mobile Mania – The Growing Importance of Mobile Website Optimization. [ONLINE] Available at: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/mobile-mania/. [Accessed 28 October 2014].

How Important Is a Mobile-Optimized Site for Your Business?. 2014. How Important Is a Mobile-Optimized Site for Your Business?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://mashable.com/2012/10/10/mobile-site-small-business/. [Accessed 28 October 2014].