The Power of Mobile Optimisation: 5 Strategies to Win Over the Mobile-First Audience

Let's get real about why mobile optimisation isn't just a fancy add-on; it's the bread and butter of a successful online presence. Data shows people interact with brands on mobile twice as much as they do anywhere else… that’s INCLUDING TV, in-store, on desktop etc. Does your website’s mobile experience stack up strategy wise? Here’s a high level overview. 

Speed is King, but Mobile is the Entire Kingdom

Remember when waiting for a website to load was considered normal? Neither do we. Speed on mobile isn’t just a nice perk; it’s now the baseline expectation. If your site's slower than a snail on a Sunday stroll, you've lost the race before it even began. We’re talking about swift, responsive, and nimble websites that make your users stick around longer than it takes to sip their coffee. 

SOASTA Research reported by Google shows the following stats:

As page load time goes from one second to 10, the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases 123%.

As the number of elements – text, titles, images etc – on a page goes from 400 to 6,000, the probability of conversion drops 95%.

User Experience: It's Not Just About Looks

Picture this: You’re on a website, trying to tap a button so tiny, it feels like you're playing a game of 'Operation'. Frustrating, isn’t it? Mobile optimisation means designing for fingers and thumbs, not just eyes. It’s about crafting an experience so seamless, your users barely notice they're using a phone to do everything they’d normally need a desktop for.

Recent findings from Forrester Research suggest that a well-conceived, frictionless UX design could potentially raise customer conversion rates as high as 400%.  Given that mobile has now overtaken desktop in terms of interactions, it would be non-sensical not to put strategy into optimizing UX for mobile.

SEO: Not Just an Afterthought

Let’s talk about being the teacher's pet of search engines. Mobile optimisation plays a massive role in how Google and pals rank your website. You can have all the SEO rich keywords in the world, but ignore mobile optimisation, and you might as well be waving goodbye to your chances of making it to the coveted first page. Mobile-friendly websites are not just preferred; they're PRIORITISED. Google made a big shift towards mobile in November 2016 when it stated that it would crawl the mobile version of websites before the desktop version.

“If the [Google] bot finds that your site is hostile to mobile users or loads very slowly, you’re definitely going to lose rank.” - John Lincoln, CEO of Ignite Visibility

The Art of Convenience: Beyond the old ball and chain…

Desktops and laptops? They're like the reliable old cars of the digital world. But mobile? That's the sleek, go-anywhere electric scooter. With more people browsing, shopping, and living their lives via mobile, your website needs to be more than just ‘accessible’. It needs to be an absolute HAVEN of convenience, and that takes intention and strategy. 

We’re talking about easy navigation, quick checkouts, intentional design, and snackable information that’s right at your fingertips. In our opinion, desktops/laptops are where people tend to do focussed work, and mobile is where they do their research and shopping. Do you agree?

Adapting to Behaviour: Because One Size Doesn't Fit All 

Here’s the truth: understanding mobile users’ behaviour is like learning a new language. It’s complex. It’s not just about shrinking content to fit a smaller screen. It's about completely rethinking how and where people interact with your website. Shorter attention spans, different browsing habits, and the allure of instant gratification – all these need to be factored into your mobile strategy.

So, there you have it.

Mobile optimisation isn't just one piece of the puzzle; it’s basically the whole darn picture. Let’s not kid ourselves – your audience isn't just mobile-savvy they're mobile-FIRST. And if your website isn’t up to par, well, you’re missing out on more than just traffic; you’re missing out on market share. 

These trends highlight the necessity for websites to provide an optimal mobile experience, and failing to do so can lead to users choosing competitor sites that offer a better mobile interface. Google recently reported that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing, with 40% visiting a competitor’s site instead. Ouch.

As with all things digital, standards around best practice evolve rapidly and a mobile optimization strategy should be constantly revisited and iterated on. A full audit once a year is recommended.

Catch you on the smaller screen!