In 2012:
- Mobile search is expected to increase by over 40 percent from 2011.
- Global smartphone sales are expected to grow over 30 percent.
- Mobile ad clicks in the U.S. skyrocketed over 700% in 2011.
- Bernstein Research predicted that mobile search will overtake desktop search by 2016.
Impact on the Future: As internet users continue to neglect their laptops in favor of iPads or smartphones, the importance of having a mobile-optimized website becomes paramount.
Obu Interactive has been successfully leveraging this “shift to mobile” by creating mobile-optimized search engine marketing campaigns. But advertising is only part of the equation. We highly recommend that our clients utilize our expertise in mobile-optimized website design.
What is a Mobile-friendly Website?
A mobile-friendly website is a redesigned version of your firm’s website that is displayed only on mobile phones or tablet devices. Obu will create a mobile site that taps into your already existing content, news and blogs and displays it accordingly for each visitor’s device. All changes made to your primary website are reflected in the mobile version, making updates as easy as can be.
While most modern phones like iPhones and Droids can view regular desktop-versions of websites, mobile sites are formatted in such a way to make it “finger friendly.” Features include special mobile navigation, a call button conveniently placed at the top of every page to easily connect your future clients to your firm and contact forms specifically formatted for the smaller screens on smartphones.
If you’re not ready for a mobile site, there are quick and easy ways to ensure that your firm’s pages display as cleanly as possible on a smartphone. First, try to avoid Flash animation, especially for your website’s navigation. iPhones and other non-Android devices simply can’t view Flash, so a majority of your mobile visitors may have a limited or broken experience on their phones. Also, make sure that your phone number is displayed as text—not in an image—so all it takes is a tap to call you.
Mobile’s Impact on Local Search
Google and other search engines are placing more and more importance on local results for web searches, especially on smartphones with their built-in GPS capabilities. This means that the top results will vary depending on the location of the searcher. Even Siri, Apple’s popular voice-activated intelligent personal assistant favors results in your proximity when she tells you that she “found a number of personal injury lawyers fairly close to you.”
Having a local online presence is vital even if your business focus is nationwide. The first step is to claim your local “places” profiles on Google, Yelp and Facebook. Obu canwilltake care of this for you as well as actively maintain those profiles in order to ensure your placement in mobile search results.
Contact us today so Obu can put you ahead of the curve in the continuing shift to mobile.
Email us at info@obuinteractive.com or call us directly at (619) 807-9654.
