(Newswire.net — May 15, 2020) — More and more every day people are tapping, swiping and pinching their smartphone screens to get them on their way. Rather than being stationary at a desk, they are walking the dog, sitting in traffic, or waiting in line at the market when their finger lands on your law firm’s website. This means that your web design must be mobile-friendly!
Data shows that at least 50% of Internet users are accessing information on mobile devices like iPhones, Androids or tablets. You can no longer assume that your readers are on a computer or laptop. That’s why your website must be “responsive,” which means the size, orientation, and on-page placement of elements dynamically (read: effortlessly and automatically) adjusts to the size of the visitor’s screen. Margins move, text reorients, and photos and graphics morph to ensure a pleasant mobile user experience.
If for some reason your website is not “responsive,” this task should move to the top of your to-do list when prioritizing law firm marketing efforts.
The time Americans spend on mobile devices engaging with digital media has more than doubled in the last seven years, jumping from 1.6 hours per day in 2012 to a whopping 3.3 hours a day now for the average consumer, according to the Meeker 2018 Internet Trends Report. We may tease teenagers for being super glued to their smartphones, but the truth is that almost everyone young and old these days has an intimate and continuous relationship with their mobile devices.
Mobile is Everywhere
Mobile is such an extension of everyday life today that users grab their devices not only when they want to find directions or text a friend, but also when they’re ordering a pizza, making a grocery list, speaking to Siri or finding an attorney. For many younger users, mobile devices have replaced wallets, watches and purses. Most of their financial, geographic, and date-and-time information is all rolled together on their smartphones.
Digital natives are accustomed to getting information fast! If your website is not designed for mobile, it will be slow to load and clunky to navigate when accessed through phones or tablets. That’s a death sentence with mobile users who are impatient and have short attention spans. If your website doesn’t load in a matter of seconds, they will click the “back” button and escape to greener pastures.
Speed, security, ease-of-use, and quick access to contact info is essential. It’s also critical that your mobile design includes buttons and links that are large enough to be tapped with a finger and text is large enough so smart phone users don’t have to squint. A law firm website that is responsively programmed will adjust effortlessly and fit correctly on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile device screens.
Three in four smartphone owners turn to mobile search first to meet their immediate needs. Mobile devices were responsible for 52% of total global internet traffic in 2017, according to Forbes magazine. The importance of mobile-friendly design cannot be overstated.
Google Says Go Mobile for SEO
Google has given direct and specific guidance for offering a mobile-friendly web experience, and Google ratings are impacted by your website’s ease of mobile use. In 2018 Google announced Mobile-First Indexing, prioritizing the mobile-friendliness of your website as a ranking factor. So if you want to rank high on Google My Business (GMB) and other internet listings – go mobile!
Wondering how mobile-friendly your website is? Conduct a little experiment. Use your smart phone and look up your firm’s website. Watch what happens next.
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How fast does your page load? Time it!
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Do text and images pop up quickly and clearly or are they fuzzy, mottled and sometimes missing?
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Do you immediately see your firm’s phone number and location, or do you have to hunt around for it?
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Can your fingers tap tabs and buttons cleanly or are buttons too tiny causing repeated mistakes?
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Can you read the text easily or do you have to squint?
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Do you feel annoyed or energized by this experience?
Was this eye-opening? Hopefully it was a breeze and a satisfying experience. If not, it may be time to look at your website design and find ways to make it more responsive.
Try Not to Make These Mistakes
Here’s a quick run-through of potential mistakes when designing a mobile-optimized website, based on socPub research.
- Don’t treat mobile-friendly design as an afterthought. Make it part of your planning process.
- Optimize for tablets, too. Ultramobiles, which include tablets, hybrids and clamshells, are huge drivers of growth in the future mobile sector.
- Don’t forget to create a “Call To Action” button or link that prompts users to call your law firm’s phone number or fill out a contact form.
- Don’t overload your site with text and slow-loading images. Your site needs to load quickly and scroll easily.
Sometimes designing mobile-friendly content is pretty common sense. You just have to think as though you’re viewing your website from a smartphone.
Mobile Is SO Important to SEO and Google Ratings
Everybody’s competing for digital users these days, and you better believe the law firms down the street and across town are, too. Sometimes having a responsive, mobile-friendly website can make the difference between a potential client staying on your page or switching to your competitor’s. This is a big deal if they’ve got a million dollar lawsuit. We definitely know that a mobile-friendly website enhances SEO and is greeted favorably by Google where its ratings are concerned. With so much at stake, you can’t afford to miss out on mobile.
by Rachel Eliza Reynolds / Gladiator Law Marketing