Introduction
If you’re like most bloggers and business owners, you probably run your website using WordPress. And if you’re like most of us, then you’ve also heard that “mobile-friendliness” is no longer an option but a requirement. But what does it mean to be mobile-friendly and why should your WordPress site be mobile friendly? In this post we’ll take a look at the benefits of having a mobile-friendly WordPress site so that your business can benefit from this trend.
Improve your site’s security.
Mobile-friendly websites are more secure than non-mobile-friendly sites. According to Google’s research, mobile sites that have been hacked are twice as likely to be infected with malware than those that are not. In addition, they’re also more likely to be targeted by hackers because they provide easy access to valuable information such as credit card numbers and passwords.
To make your WordPress site more secure:
- Install an SSL certificate on your site so that all data exchanged between users and your server is encrypted using HTTPS instead of HTTP (the standard for websites). This helps prevent man-in-the middle attacks where an attacker intercepts traffic between the user’s computer and yours without either party knowing about it until something goes wrong (like losing money from their bank account).
- Activate two-factor authentication so that even if someone does manage to get hold of your password somehow, he/she won’t be able to log in unless he/she also has access via another device like his cell phone or tablet which only sends him codes when needed instead of allowing unlimited entry into everything else connected via WiFi networks throughout our homes.*
Boost your Google rankings.
Google is a search engine that ranks sites based on how many people visit them, how many people click on them, and how many people share them. If you want your site to rank well in Google’s results, it needs to be mobile-friendly.
The main reason for this is because most people are using mobile devices when they search online (and if not now, soon). In fact, if you’re reading this article on your phone right now then you can see that all of our content is formatted specifically for viewing on smaller screens–it looks great!
Your audience is on the move.
The fact is, mobile devices are everywhere. Mobile usage is no longer a fringe activity–it’s the norm, and it’s growing every day. In fact, according to comScore data from 2018:
- The number of people using smartphones has increased by 50% since 2013 (to 2 billion).
- More than 1/3rd of all digital media time is spent on mobile devices (38%).
Users expect a good mobile experience.
Users expect to be able to access your site from any device, including their phones and tablets. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, users will leave your site and find one that does offer them what they want: a convenient way to access information on the go without having to download anything or install an app (or even use data).
SnapChat, Instagram and Pinterest are mobile-only.
Mobile-only sites are much more likely to be used, shared, saved and bookmarked than desktop-only sites.
Mobile-first thinking is important because the future of web browsing is mobile. Mobile devices outnumber laptops and desktops at this point in time, so you need to make sure your WordPress site is ready for them.
Make it easier for your users to convert.
Mobile-friendly websites make it easier for users to convert.
- Make it easy to buy: If you sell products or services, your site should be optimized so that people can purchase them quickly and easily.
- Make it easy to contact you: If someone has a question or needs more information, they shouldn’t have any trouble finding ways of contacting you through the website. This could include a phone number, email address or even chat options if appropriate (depending on what kind of business you have).
- Make it easy for visitors who are looking for something specific: Searchers like Google use mobile-friendly sites as part of their ranking algorithm; when a visitor clicks through from Google’s search results page onto one of these sites (and finds no relevant content), they will likely click back onto another result instead of returning later when they’re ready–which means less traffic coming into your site overall!
Mobile devices are everywhere.
You can’t ignore the growing number of mobile users on the web. Mobile devices are now the most popular way to access the internet, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, by 2020, it’s estimated that 80% of all web traffic will come from mobile devices!
Mobile isn’t just a fad–it’s here to stay and you need to be prepared for it. Your audience is already there; your business needs to be too!
It’s easy to go mobile with WordPress and your business will benefit from it.
Making your WordPress site mobile-friendly is easy. The first thing to do is make sure that you’re using a responsive theme, which is a theme that automatically scales to fit the device on which it’s being viewed.
If you have an existing site and haven’t yet changed over to responsive design, there are two options: either change over now or hire someone to do it for you (this can cost anywhere between $100-$500). If hiring someone isn’t an option, then consider switching themes–there are many free and paid options available that will make your site mobile-friendly without having to modify any code yourself!
Once this has been done, use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test tool as well as Apple’s iPhone 6 Simulator app while testing all aspects of functionality on different devices and screen sizes (you might want to test on both desktop computers and smartphones).
Conclusion
We hope that this article has shown you how easy it is to go mobile with WordPress, and why it’s so important for your business. If you’re ready to take the plunge and make your website mobile-friendly, we have a few tips for doing so and they start with calling us here at Atomic Social!