Why You Need a Mobile-Friendly Website

You only need ONE reason to get a mobile website. It’s what patients want. According to Google, nearly 75% of users prefer a mobile-friendly site, and 48% reported feeling frustrated and annoyed when a site is not optimized for mobile use. Almost fifty per cent! That’s a big chunk of prospective patients using their tablet or phone and hitting your site and then leaving because they feel frustrated.

Getting a mobile site is easy and inexpensive. You have two main options.

Independent Mobile

The easiest way to get a mobile site is to develop a unique and separate website that is mobile only. This site is basically a copy of the pages from your current site, but formatted for mobile. However, this option does have some potential short-comings. It costs more to maintain two websites. If you want to change your office hours, staff listings or services, you need to change them in two locations. You can also risk SEO issues from duplicate content and splitting of links, if the site is not setup properly.

Responsive Mobile

Google recommends using a “responsive” website if you’re going mobile. A responsive website responds to the size of the user’s browser and adjusts the content so it fits well on the screen. This means you only have one set of pages for your website, which is easier to maintain. It also removes any duplicate content issues or the splitting of links which is possible with the separate mobile website.

Watch this video to see the difference between an independent mobile website and a responsive mobile website:

One of the challenges for mobile-friendly websites is the constant release of new phones and tablets, browsers, and operating systems. You will need to check your website regularly to make sure it’s displaying well and there are no errors. When you choose a vendor to develop your mobile site, ask how this will be managed and what it will cost. An independently developed, custom website could end up costing you much more than the original setup, especially if the vendor needs to update it often so that it works properly on future devices.

More Reasons You Need a Mobile-Friendly Site

If the fact that most users prefer a mobile-friendly site isn’t enough motivation, check out this insight from Google.

Mobile search leads to action

• 3 of 4 mobile searches trigger follow-up actions, including further research, a store visit, a phone call, a purchase or word-of-mouth sharing.
• On average, each mobile search triggers nearly 2 follow-up actions

Speed & convenience are key factors for the growth of mobile search

• 62% say it’s the most convenient way to search
• 53% say it’s the quickest way to search

When people use mobile search to help make a decision, they are....

• 30% More likely to visit a retailer website
• 57% More likely to visit the store
• 51% More likely to make a purchase
• 39% More likely to call a business

The results are fast

• 63% of mobile search-triggered actions happen within 1 hour of the initial search