The importance of having a mobile-friendly website

One of the fastest growing activities on the mobile web today is search. The growth of mobile search has exploded, says mobiThinking, who did a study on mobile Web trends in 2010. Yesterday, on day 2 of the Google South Africa conference it was mentioned that YouTube gets 150 million daily playbacks on mobile, up 180% from last year (2009) which confirms that the use of the mobile Internet is growing rapidly.

Taking in consideration Internet penetration issues in South Africa versus the number of Internet enables phones available, mobile browsing seems to be the future of the Web. Thanks to increasingly available technology like smartphones, people now have access to the Internet at their fingertips.

How does this affect you, the business owner? There is always someone offering the same services or products as you on the Web. If youre not catering for the mobile user, your competitors most likely are and losing customers to competitors ranking better on mobile search results can be a devastating blow to your business. Taking all of the above in consideration, mobile marketing is becoming an increasingly important marketing medium for business owners.

In budding markets, mobile devices are the main method of access to the Web for various customers and in developed countries many people have a mobile device which they use as a secondary method for accessing the Web. The truth is that all users are in a hurry, especially online users. They want to find the information they are looking for instantly therefore you should make an effort to have a fast, effective mobile website that has minimum loading time.

Mobile friendly sites are convenient for users and offer companies new opportunities to maintain contact with clients. Check your current website in your phones browser to see if it renders correctly and if not, consider investing in a mobile website. This will allow you to reach customers who are in need of your products or services, even when theyre on the go.