Smartphones and tablets now account for more than half of web traffic and searches. If you don’t have a mobile-optimized website, you are very likely missing out on more than half of your potential customers. The global mobile web isn’t like the desktop web. The mobile web is huge and growing faster than even the internet started growing when it started.
Mobile web browsers now account for more than 50% of web searches. What does this mean for your business?
There are some countries that have more cell phones than people. Don’t think it’s going back the other way either. If your small business hasn’t considered how many people are using smartphones to access the internet, you should start re-thinking your mobile web marketing strategy to cater to your potential customers on their mobile devices.
Based on my research reviewing more than 50,000 small business websites over the last two years, it’s very hard to believe the National Small Business Association’s 2013 small business technology survey (pdf) reporting that 18% of business owners has a mobile website.
More precisely, it’s hard to believe those business owners — of course, who hasn’t fudged a survey answer! — or maybe many of them simply don’t know what they’re talking about.
That 18% survey response means that nearly 1 in 5 business owners claim their website is mobilized, but what I’ve seen is that 1 in a 250-300 websites has a even marginally workable mobile solution.
Of course, I don’t fully count most of the “free” mobile websites offered up by those freemium mobile website platforms. I’m sorry if you think you were getting away with something by a “free” Duda-branded mobile site, but at least 90% of those DIY mobile websites don’t count for anything except anti-marketing.
Many of those ugly mobile landing pages are chasing away customers.
Just like with GoDaddy’s $1 website promo, there is an old adage that comes to mind when it comes to a “free” mobile website — You Get What You Pay For — and let’s just say, you’re still paying too much.
If a business owner isn’t willing to shell out 100-150 clams per year on the DIY basic plan, I really don’t see that business owner having much chance of long-term success.
The modern small business owner must focus on marketing more than ever.