Mobile CRO (conversion rate optimization) is becoming increasingly popular. As more and more consumers use smartphones to search for and buy products, the need for mobile optimization rises. Optimizing your web store for phones gives you an edge over competitors that are still focusing all of their efforts on traditional computer-based ecommerce.
The Importance of Optimizing Mobile Sites
Have you ever visited a website on your phone only to experience slow load times? Or maybe you’ve visited a site on your phone only to have broken images or off-putting formatting. It’s a common problem, and mobile CRO is the solution.
Many business owners assume that their websites will work just fine on mobile devices, not realizing that they’re losing out on a tremendous amount of business due to poor performance. Optimizing your site for mobile use helps you reach the large-and-growing population of consumers who use their phones as their primary device for accessing the internet.
What Is a Conversion Rate?
Your conversion rate is the percentage of your site’s visitors who complete a desired action such as buying a product or joining your email list. Many factors affect your conversion rate, from your marketing campaigns to your product photos to your site’s copy. Mobile CRO simply improves your site so people are more likely to convert.
Beyond just improving sales, your site’s conversion rate provides valuable insight into the performance of your business. It helps you to understand when it’s time to update your marketing campaigns, website design, site copy, product photos, and other elements of your online business. It also tells you when it’s time to continue on the same path or even scale up.
Qualities of Mobile-Friendly Websites
You may be wondering how mobile optimization changes your website. Here are some of the common benefits and features associated with mobile CRO:
Can be navigated with ease using just finger swiping- Streamlined and intuitive
- Easy to search
- Doesn’t need to be pinched or zoomed
- Easy to read regardless of screen size
- Shows all content clearly
- Simple checkout process (no login required)
- No errors
- Expandable images
- Single browser windows (no pop-ups)
- Loads quickly
- Can be crawled by Google algorithms for better rankings on SERPs
Optimization Tricks
There are many steps you can take to improve your site for mobile devices. Some methods and strategies may require an expert touch or online tools, so don’t hesitate to get in touch for professional assistance. Here are some mobile CRO tricks you can use to provide a better experience for your users:
- Improve Page Loading Times
Because mobile devices tend to have weaker hardware than laptop or desktop computers, it’s important that your mobile site is optimized for fast loading. You can accomplish this by minifying your site’s code, minimizing redirects, and using browser caching.
- Optimize Site Design
If you plan on using special effects, use HTML5 instead of Flash, as some users may not have Flash plugins installed. Avoid pop-ups, as they can cause user frustration, which naturally leads to higher bounce rates. Responsive design also helps Google’s algorithms to recognize your site, improving your SEO.
- Consider Sizing
It’s important that you consider the size of buttons, links, text, and images as you look into mobile CRO. A big part of mobile optimization is putting yourself in the user’s shoes. Is it easy to accidentally click a button when swiping around? Are your images taking up more space than necessary, forcing users to keep scrolling to find text? Browse your site on multiple devices and fix any sizing issues.
- Use Local Search
If your company wants to be competitive on a local level, it’s important that you optimize your site for local search. You can improve your local rankings by including the name of your city and state in your metadata and standardizing your phone number, address, and business name.
- Keep It Simple
A big part of mobile CRO is the simple streamlining of your content. Because mobile devices have less screen space, you should try to keep your URLs, meta descriptions, and titles as succinct as possible while still keeping your message intact.
CRO Tools
These days, there are quite a few tools available specifically for optimizing your site for mobile phones. Here are a few of the best options available:
Google’s Mobile Speed Testing Tool is a handy free online tool that gives your site a score for mobile friendliness, mobile speed, and desktop speed.
Similarly, Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is a helpful mobile CRO tool that analyzes your site and gives it a passing or failing grade, as well as insight into why your site passed or failed.
Googlebot Mobile shows you exactly how Google fetches your mobile site. You can access this feature by logging into Google’s Search Console, clicking Crawl, then clicking Fetch as Google. Navigate to the dropdown menu, then choose Mobile: Smartphone. Now select Fetch and Render. From there, you can analyze the report and also request indexing.
Mobile Optimization Experts
Is your website performing at its highest potential? The Coalition Technologies team can optimize your website for mobile devices, helping you to reach a broader audience and boost your company’s bottom line. Call us at (310) 827-3890 or send us a message now for a free mobile CRO consultation and quote. Join our long list of happy clients today.
