Gone are the days when creating a website that looked first-class on desktop and desktop alone was the only thing we had to worry about as business owners. Now, with over half of all internet traffic shopping coming from a mobile device, the need to make sure your website works perfectly on smartphones is more important than ever.
What is mobile-first? A mobile-first website strategy is one that shapes your website with mobile as the priority. It looks at design, development and marketing with mobile capabilities at the core and builds everything else out from that.
There is no doubt that catering to mobile users is a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy; but, how big of a focus does this need to be for you and your business? Read on for my rundown of mobile-first and why it could be the right choice for you.
Mobile-first does what it says on the tin – it’s when you design, develop and market a digital product with mobile in mind, first and foremost. It’s a relatively new approach focusing on a user experience that is fundamentally effective on mobile devices.
Daniel Newman, Principal Analyst and Founding Partner and Futurum Research, sums it up to a T:
‘To be mobile-first, businesses must begin their digital transformation focused on creating a user experience that is just as effective on mobile devices. The idea is this: if we can create a user experience that converts using a mobile device, the rest of the devices will follow.’
The key is to make sure that not only does the website look good on mobile, but that it also is easy to navigate without any overload or slow processing problems. Once you’ve got that running like clockwork, you can then work on your corresponding desktop strategy.
Mobile-first is important because a huge proportion of website users come from mobile. There are an estimated 10 billion mobile devices currently in use; it’s safe to say you need to cater to these people.
The statistics about mobile browsing and shopping is pretty staggering. One study found that 79% of mobile users made an online purchase in the previous six months, with another predicting that by the end of 2021 global mobile eCommerce sales were projected to hit $3.56 trillion. The numbers don’t lie. With this many people doing the majority of their online shopping on mobile, it seems like a seriously missed opportunity not to build an experience that puts them first.
You may have heard of the phrase ‘responsive design’ – but how does this differ to mobile-first design?
It’s simple, really. Responsive web design is when you adapt a desktop website to work well on a smartphone screen. The process involves scaling down and simplifying a website so that it looks good and works well on mobile. Essentially, it puts desktop first.
As you’ve learnt by now, mobile-first does the opposite. It creates the mobile experience first and then expands it from there to work on a desktop screen.
A 2021 study by Datareportal found that most internet users (90.9%) use mobile devices to go online at least some of the time. Statistics also show that 40% of users will go to the competitor after a bad mobile experience. Choosing a mobile-first approach will help you reach and satisfy more people, and potentially even open your business up to brand new audiences.
If you opt for a mobile-first approach, you might even decide to bring a mobile app into the equation. This is a great way to stand out from your competitors and increase brand equity.
Similarly, if you build your website mobile-first, you can focus on making the buying/booking process as seamless as possible. Just think how easy it is to buy something on Amazon; it genuinely couldn’t be more straightforward, and is a huge reason why Bezos pulled in the big bucks.
If you do decide to incorporate a mobile app into your digital strategy, these offer considerably more diverse UX options than a pure web solution. As a result, you can build a user experience that has mega potential to maximise your revenue and brand reputation.
Mobile-first is a great way to compress and simplify your information into bite-sized, easier to consume chunks. This can make for a far better user experience so that your content is ACTUALLY read and absorbed by people (rather than skimmed past absentmindedly).
People are spending more and more time on the internet via their mobile devices. This means that smartphones provide us a wider portal to reach our dream customers, rather than focusing on the slots of time during the day when someone is sitting at their desktop.
So, you’re fully in the mobile-first camp – what next?
If you’re looking to design your website yourself, take a look at my blog 8 DIY website mistakes to avoid. And if not, perhaps I can help?
Get in touch to find out more about my website design packages. I’d love to chat over a virtual cuppa!
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