Online Marketing Success Spurred by Responsive Web Design

As the use of mobile devices at home and work increases, many organizations will need to optimize their websites for mobile devices via responsive web design.

In the last few years, the popularity of mobile devices skyrocketed due to their portability and convenience. According to a January 2014 post from New York marketing expert eMarketer, smartphone users worldwide will total 1.7 billion in 2014. Similarly, Singapore-based mobile industry analyst Canalys predicts that 285 million tablet computers will be shipped in 2014 and grow to 396 million by 2017.

This massive group of mobile device users is a huge market that organizations cannot afford to ignore if they want to remain competitive and enhance revenue. Portable smartphones and tablet computers help their users locate nearby businesses selling what they want, find a product or service, check for coupons, do comparison shopping and make purchasing decisions.

However, not all websites have been adapted for the mobile market. According to a 2013 digital marketing optimization survey conducted by Adobe, less than half of the worldwide survey respondents said that they have a mobile-optimized website or mobile app. But companies that did have a mobile responsive web design tripled their chances of increasing their mobile customer conversion rate to 5% or above.

So what considerations should you have as you develop mobile-friendly online marketing sites for your business? Ideally, all of those sites should have the following characteristics:

1) Consistent appearance. To create a consistent look for your brand and distinguish yourself from competitors, use the same graphics and text for your website and social media sites (such as Twitter and Facebook). For different forms of social media, the exact wording of the text may vary, but all sites still need to convey the same basic marketing message.

2) Ease of use. Your sites should be easy to read on multiple mobile devices, which range in screen size and screen resolution. Reduce the need for users to scroll around or tap their screens several times to see different parts of your website. When you create a pleasant user experience, users are more likely to make purchases and share your sites with other potential customers.

3) Prominent search boxes. Search queries should be simple for users to locate. More than half of mobile device users search for local businesses. By making their search simple, you’ll increase foot traffic to your business.

4) Responsive web design and/or adaptive delivery. A site using responsive web design will automatically adapt its appearance whether it appears on a tablet, PC or smartphone. However, some users may not want to see all of your website’s content but would prefer to quickly perform some essential tasks when they use their mobile devices. In this case, the coding for the website should use adaptive delivery to create a website that allows users to rapidly search for information or make transactions.

5) Scalability. Since mobile devices and digital marketing sites change regularly and your business info will require updating from time to time, your sites will need occasional changes. Ensure that your sites will be able to handle the additional changes without impairing functionality.

With the use of mobile devices at home and work continuing to increase, many organizations will need to optimize their sites for mobile use. Businesses that utilize mobile-friendly online marketing to fulfill this need should see an increase in both customers and revenue.

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