The Rise Of Mobile! Half Of Weekend Searches Comes From Mobile Devices

Posted on 11 Jul 2016
Share Blog Post

It's been a long-time coming. As we've been saying for a number of years, mobile devices are the future of internet use for online shopping and searching. A survey by Bing Ads in April revealed that at least half of all searches originate from smartphones and tablets. The drastic growth in mobile usage forinternet access in the past few years is a clear wake-up call to businesses that responsive B2C eCommerce is more important than ever before.

With so many searches originating from mobile devices, and so many users relying on their phones and tablets to access your website, there is no excuse for offering an online presence which isn't fully responsive and optimised for your user's device.

Why Is Mobile Searching So Popular?

It's easy to see why people are choosing to use their mobile devices to access search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. As technology has improved, smartphones and tablets have become even easier to use. What's more, thanks to extended battery life and speed, they are able to offer a much longer and smoother service than ever before.

Their portability means that they can be used anywhere with an internet connection. Whether you're lounging on the couch and your laptop is a few feet away, you're looking for directions when you are out and about, or just killing time on the train, your smartphone is constantly at hand. Accessing search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing on the move is hugely beneficial to all kinds of users, whether they're looking for the answer to a question or directions to wherever they're going.

Another reason why mobile devices are so popular for internet use is that the access to a reliable internet connection has become much more common in recent years. Every other cafe, pub and restaurant offers a free Wi-Fi connection, meaning that you can connect whenever you like. A lot of public transport now offers internet connectivity too, including certain buses and trains.

It's never been easier to search and shop online when outside of your home and away from your desktop computer.

How Has Voice Search Helped To Improve Mobile Searching?

Even as far back as 2014, 55% of American teenagers and 41% of adults used Google Voice Search more than once a day. This was double how popular it was in 2013 and it has only continued to grow in use over the past couple of years. Voice search has become such an integral part of online mobile use that Google has even taken steps to improve the friendliness of all websites for voice search.

Thanks to voice search, more and more people can take full advantage of their mobile device's capabilities. One of the biggest barriers to effective use of mobile devices was the size of the screen – a problem which still affects people with poor eyesight or large thumbs. Thanks to voice search, you can completely circumvent this problem by speaking into your mobile device.

What Does The Rise Of Voice Search Mean For The Future Of Google And SEO?

Of course, both mobile and voice search are shaping the future of search engine optimisation. Google has led the way when it comes to providing high-quality search results, and they are increasing their focus on the rankings of direct answers to particular queries. Google now actively rewardswebsites which offer clear, direct answers to particular questions with higher positions in their Search Engine Results Pages.

Google's main goal has always been to deliver the highest-quality results to their users. Thanks to voice search, people are asking particular and highly-specified questions. That enables Google to provide customised search results based on a range of additional criteria, including location tracking and information provided through a business' Google+ page. For example, it is now extremely easy to ask your mobile 'Where is the nearest Indian takeaway?' and get a reliable response, filled with all the information that you could need to order from or visit the business.

It is clear that they rise of voice search will indicate that all businesses need to include more structured data on their websites.

But What Does The Rise In Mobile Searching Mean For Website Design And eCommerce?

As well as changing the way people search for information, the rise in mobile use also has huge ramifications for any kind of online retail business. Even if you don't offer online buying and selling, you need to make sure that your online presence has been designed to suit all kinds of devices. Responsive B2C eCommerce is absolutely essential if you hope to appeal to your audience and convince them to convert.

Although mobile searching and mCommerce has made it easier than ever for the user to purchase on their mobile device, that means that you need to offer them the opportunity to. Your website needs to have been designed to offer responsive B2C eCommerce – without it, your online presence will look ugly and uncomfortable and provide a low-quality interaction which could put even a dedicated customer off purchasing.

What Is Responsive Website Design, And Why Is It So Important?

Today, there are hundreds of different devices which are being used every single day to access the internet and search for products, services and information. Few of these devices have the same screen size. It is impossible to design a website which looks stunning on both small devices, traditional monitors and tablet computers. That's where responsive design comes in.

Thanks to responsive B2C eCommerce, you can ensure that your website effectively adapts or 'responds' to the information obtained from the device in question. With a responsive design, your website will read the screen size of the device and adjust content size, position and overall layout to provide the highest-quality interaction. For a period of time, mCommerce involved the development of a separate, mobile-friendly website which could be accessed instead of the desktop website.

How Does Responsive Website Design Work?

With responsive website design, you can present your audience with the same high-quality website, but make sure that it is presented in the perfect design for the device in question. There are three main tools which enable these websites to adapt themselves, which are:

  • Media Queries – This is a piece of code which tells the browser how much of the website needs to be rearranged or modified to meet the device's criteria.
  • Fluid Grids – This percentage-based system enables the website design to move and change position based on the size of the screen. This could include anything from resizing content or changing it from a horizontal to a vertical design.
  • Flexible Media – This feature will scale any media element on the page up or down, based on the size of the screen. This can work on images, videos, links as well as standard content. In some circumstances, the actually content itself can be swapped out for a simplified, cut-down version.

When these three tools are used together, the entire website can adapt itself to the requirements of the device in question, enabling it to offer a fantastic service whether it is accessed from a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer.

Why Is Responsive B2C eCommerce Important?

A responsive website is essential for any eCommerce business. Your audience will not shop with you if you don't offer them a quick and easy interaction. What's more, if your site is difficult to use it can also cause a great deal of distrust. It only takes one negative interaction with your brand for a user to never use your service or purchase your products.

When it comes to B2C (business to consumer) eCommerce, you'll discover that your customers are fairly fickle. They know that they can get the product from another source, so if you don't do everything you can to appeal to them, then one of your competitors will be happy to. You need to make sure that your entire business, including your eCommerce presence, has been optimised for the user experience (UX).

If you want to appeal to your customers and make sure that they leave your website satisfied, you cannot afford to ignore the benefits of a responsive website design.

The Practical Benefits Of A Responsive Website Design For B2C

Responsive website design offers a complete range of advantages for your B2C retail company. Whether you run a small, family-run business or an international conglomerate, you still need to make sure that your customers are enjoying a website design which offers a smooth and enjoyable UX.

Just some of the benefits to your business can include:

  • An Improved User Experience – Thanks to adaptive design, every page on your website will resize and optimise itself for your customer's device. This means that individual content will become more readable and more accessible on all devices. All buttons and links will become larger and easier to select on a touch-screen.

  • Better For A Quick Interaction – As your customers are likely to be in a hurry or on the move when using a mobile device, you can use your responsive website design to create a streamlined process. By offering slimmed down content and a much simpler conversion route, such as one-click purchasing, you can make the entire eCommerce interaction easier to complete.

  • One Size Fits All – Thanks to responsive web design techniques, including media queries, fluid grids and flexible media, your website can be accessed on any device. Not only will this make your online presence much easier to maintain and control, but is also means that your customers will always be accessing the most up-to-date version of your website.

  • An Increased Conversion Rate – Your responsive web design will not only make it much easier for your customers to complete their conversion, but it can generate an additional sense of trust. That means that sales are not only easier to complete, they are also more likely to begin in the first place.

What Are The Common Problems With Responsive B2C eCommerce?

Although adaptive website design is certainly the future of the online world, there are still some mistakes which are being made. These mistakes are still fairly common when you don't work with a professional responsive website design and eCommerce solutions company, and can actually cause a whole range of problems.

Some of the most common issues relating to responsive redesigns include:

  • Failing to Understand your Visitor's Behaviour.
  • Designing for a Desktop First.
  • Forgetting to Change Button and Link Sizes, Especially in Calls-To-Action (CTAs).
  • Slow-Loading Mobile Pages.
  • Neglecting to Test on Every Device.
  • Using the Same Image Resolution.

If your adaptive presence is guilty of any of these problems, then you won't be able to take complete advantage of the rise in mobile internet use. The mobile market now takes up half of your potential customers – you can't afford to neglect them if you hope to increase your sales and help your business to grow.

Choose Responsive B2C eCommerce From Advansys

Here at Advansys, we have worked alongside a complete range of B2C and B2C businesses. We have helped all sizes of business to develop their own online presences with the goal of improving sales, attracting clicks and encouraging conversion. Our team have all the experience that you need in order to reap the complete benefits of a truly adaptive website design.

Whether you're looking for a B2C or B2B eCommerce presence, get in touch with our professional team today and we can help you to design and develop the perfect solution for your needs. You can reach us today by calling 0845 838 2700. Alternatively, you can email any questions and concerns you might have to sales@advansys.com and we'll get back in touch as soon as we can.

We’re always happy to help and can help you take your business in the right direction.

You are always welcome to visit us in our Wokingham office or you can also call us on 0118 380 0201 and drop us a message via our the website.

We'd love to show you how you can get more web traffic and leads, increase your online sales, provide better customer service & grow online.

Call us

0118 380 0201

Find us

4 Millars Brook

Molly Millars Lane

Wokingham

Berkshire

RG41 2AD

United Kingdom

View more blog posts

Get Your Site Up And Running As Soon As You Can
Posted on 12 Oct 2008
Get Your Site Up And Running As Soon As You Can
read more
Free Seo Toolbar
Posted on 06 Jan 2009
Free Seo Toolbar
read more
Google Adwords Tips And Tricks
Posted on 12 Jan 2009
Google Adwords Tips And Tricks
read more
Add A Virtual Presenter To Your Website
Posted on 15 Jan 2009
Add A Virtual Presenter To Your Website
read more
Back To Top
whatsapp