Mobile use in the US continues to increase. According to Google, more people today use a mobile phone than a PC. In the U.S., 76% of respondents report using a mobile phone whereas 68% said they use a laptop or desktop PC. As many people migrate to smart phones, this means mobile traffic will continue to rise as well. Traffic to websites from mobile devices is now around 10% in the US (according to StatCounter).
Here at New LifeStyles, we are seeing the same trend, with around 7% of our site visits coming from mobile devices, and that’s not counting App usage, which is why we invested in a mobile site and iPhone app in 2011.
What is your site’s mobile traffic? Most web statistics programs should track mobile usage. They should also be able to tell you which devices are accessing your site, so you know for which you need to optimize. Check your site on an Android phone, an iPhone, a Blackberry, an iPad, and other tablets. Do you have to scroll a lot? Is it difficult to complete forms? Are they too long?
Don’t miss out on 10% of the traffic to your site! Make sure it is optimized for mobile use today!
This can be done in a number of ways:
- You can build a mobile site focusing on your main goals, with shorter forms and less options.
- If your site changes according to window size (responsive design), optimize it for mobile views.
- Consider building an App for the devices that most access your site (you will need a separate App for each device).
This trend will only continue. Stay ahead of the curve and make your site friendly for mobile visitors!