10 Reasons to make your website mobile friendly

It is so important that you are able to reach your customer base when you own a website. Having a site that performs well on a desktop PC or laptop is great but what about on mobile devices?  In this digital age, making sure people on mobile devices can find and browse your site is vitally important.

The number of people using mobile devices to browse the internet is now higher than ever. Google now penalises sites that are not responsive to mobile devices.

Find out if your site is mobile friendly. Click here This link will take you to a Google Site. Please come back once you have checked.

Smartphones and other mobile devices are growing ever more popular as too are people’s use of them to browse the web, so optimising your website for mobile isn’t just a trend or a side option, it’s a business imperative.

Today, making your website mobile-friendly is an absolute must. If you do the research, the experts will all tell you the same thing, and they’re right. Mobile is where your customers are – so it’s also where you should be.

On that note, I have compiled a list of the top reasons to make your website mobile-friendly.

1. Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites over those that are not mobile-friendly in mobile search results. In April 2015, Google changed their algorithm in a way that Google displays mobile search results. Websites that are optimised for mobile rank better than those who don’t – plain and simple.

2. People everywhere use mobile devices to do everything from simple information gathering to purchasing big ticket items and much, much more. The reason? It’s fast and easy. Think how long it takes to boot up a PC versus doing a search in a mobile device. Consumers in everywhere want to connect and get what they’re looking for quickly. If you’re not optimised for mobile, you can’t offer your customers that type of experience.

3. It helps you build credibility with your customers, your clients, and influencers in your industry. Whether you’re selling B2B or B2C, with a mobile-friendly website, anyone who tries to visit your site on a mobile device will have a proper experience, and that will encourage them to see you as a credible resource for information, products and services.

4. It is now a standard best practice. However a lot of old websites are not mobile-friendly.  Responsive web design has made mobile optimisation more straight forward and accessible to everyone, and that means users have begun to expect this level of functionality to come standard when browsing on their mobile devices.

5. You can reach more customers, faster. Google rewards websites that are mobile-friendly with higher ranking in mobile search results (see No. 1 on this list). So, simply by the virtue of having a mobile-friendly website, your site will be seen and visited by more people. Making your website mobile-friendly automatically opens your customer base up to anyone performing a mobile search. And even better – customers won’t have to hunt for your site or type in the exact URL to find it – they can just perform a search to find you quickly and easily.

6. You’ll make your customers much happier. When a customer/potential customer accesses your site to find information or look for something you sell, you want the experience to be nothing short of great. Because many people use mobile devices to access the web, only a mobile-friendly website can promise to offer that experience. Happy customers will return to your site and tell others about how great it is. Unhappy customers will do the opposite.

7. Because Google wants you to do it. Webmasters know when Google recommends you do something, you should really try to do it. This is the case with making websites mobile-friendly. Google has explained why mobile is so important in their own words, and the number one reason they cite is everyone has smartphones, and they’re constantly using them to search.

8. Your website will look great and function well on any device, provided you use responsive web design to build or redesign your site. Why take chances when it comes to mobile optimisation? With responsive design, your website will actually respond to the mobile device a person is using to access your site, and it will render to look and function well, no matter what mobile device is being used to view.

9. It benefits your reputation. Not just online, but offline as well. People will take note of a website they have a great experience with – and they will also take note of a website they have a bad experience with. Reputation is everything, and most businesses can’t afford to give people a bad experience – digital or otherwise.

10. Your business will be seen as modern and relevant. You might offer some of the most useful, valuable, and unique products or services on the market, but if your website’s mobile experience is poor or non-existent, your company will be seen as a digital dinosaur – encouraging people to seek help elsewhere. On the other hand, mobile-friendly websites are seen as contemporary and cutting-edge, they will assist in getting your foot in the door with anyone that has a smartphone.

Websites that aren’t mobile-friendly are quickly becoming defunct within our fast-evolving digital landscape. As time goes by, more and more websites will emerge that are mobile-friendly, pushing those that are not even farther down the search results page and away from customers.

If you want your website to perform well and support your business, you need to make it mobile-friendly.

It can only help you move forward to achieve the growth and success that you’re meant for.

 

 

How long will it take to rank on Google?

One week, one month, one year? The question of how long it takes to rank in Google is one that I am often asked.  Sadly, it is a very difficult question to answer as there are just so many variables that impact ones’ ability to rank in Google such as the age of your domain, your competition, your niche or business area and so many more factors.

I am able to help you get seen and rise up the rankings but it will take time – this is not a short-term strategy.  The exact answer to ‘how long to rank in the top 10 of Google?’ has to be ‘it depends’ but I appreciate that this answer is not very helpful.

Thanks to a very helpful study carried out by Ahrefs, who studied petabytes of historical ranking data, I think that I can do a bit better than to simply say ‘it depends’. The below information will hopefully shed a bit more light on this subject area.

How old are the top ranking pages in Google?

Ahrefs took 2 million random keywords and pulled the data on the Top 10 ranking pages. They found that the average Top 10 ranking page is 2+ years old.  And those that rank at #1 are almost 3 years old on average. Only 22% of pages that currently rank in the Top 10 were created within 1 year.

It is pretty clear to see that the top 10 ranking pages in Google are dominated by ‘old’ pages.

How long does it take for a page to rank in Google?

They looked a random selection of 2 million pages. They tracked the position history of each page for any keyword it was ranked for.  The results showed that only 5.7% of websites ranked in the Top 10 within one year for at least one keyword. The majority of this 5.7 % managed to achieve theTop 10 in 61 to 182 days.

Only 5.7% of all newly published pages will get to Google Top 10 within a year

What does this all mean?

Did the study give a definite answer to “how long does it take to rank” question?

No.

But at least it shows that almost 95% of newly published pages don’t get to the Top 10 within a year.

And most of the “lucky” ones, which do manage to get there, do it in about 2–6 months.

Actually, I shouldn’t be framing these pages as “lucky,” because the reason they got to the Top 10 in less than a year is most likely hard work and great knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), not luck.

How can I help?

I can’t promise that I will get you to the Top 10 but I can definitely get you rising up the ranks and with my advice on Google Business listing, I can get you seen locally.  My help with social media integration and Meta Tagging will also have a huge impact on your Search Engine Rank Position (SERP).

SEO – How to optimise your website for better page ranking

I have just added a new page in the Help section to show my clients three ways to optimise their search engine rankings by using better Page Titles, Page Descriptions and Key Words. The page can be seen here. The page includes a video demonstration where I am using one of my clients, Pebbles & Co as a live example.

Mobile Phone Call Now Button

Send post by email

I have added an instruction page that tells you how to populate your blog or news page simply by sending an email.  You can view the page here

Pebbles & Co

New site built

www.pebblesdogwalking.co.uk

My client wanted a simple site for her dog walking business. The site was to include an About us page, Contact page, Newsletter sign up, Feedback, Gallery and Pricing

Blue Chair Counselling

Blue Chair Counselling site now live.

Mia is a person-centred counsellor and believes in working with people as a whole, respecting people as autonomous and self-governing beings. She offers a calm, confidential, safe, and gentle space for people to explore troubling times, working with what causes our discomfort and, at times the overwhelming sense that we just don’t feel like ourselves.

 

 

Yew Tree Carpentry

www.yewtreecarpentry.com now live

Hand tool woodworking is enjoying a resurgence in interest at the moment, to define it from its plugged in younger sibling its often called Unplugged Wood Working. There are various opinions why there is a return to these old-fashioned tools and their associated techniques,  Yew Tree Carpentry think each woodworker chooses the hand tool route for their own reasons.

 

Saturday Stage Schools

www.saturdaystageschools.co.uk

This site has just had a major revamp including a redesign of their logo.  The site can be seen here.

Saturday Stage Schools have been established since 1998, the schools take place at St Andrews Church Halls, Monkseaton in a friendly and safe environment which is welcoming to all new students. They are designed to offer children of all ages the opportunity to develop their skills within the performing arts. Students will experience the three main disciplines within the theatre of, Music, Drama and Dance, all under the direction and leadership of highly qualified and experienced staff.

Below are the old logos and what it looks like now

Sandeel House

Update to Sandeel House

I have been looking after the Sandeel House site for many years now.  The house, based in Portpatrick, is undergoing some restoration work and will be available for lettings in the summer of 2018. You can register your interest here.

Sandeel House is a prestigious detached house occupying an imposing and quiet position in the amazingly picturesque seaside holiday village of Portpatrick with wonderful views over the North Channel to the Irish coastline.  Within a very short walk are the beach, restaurants, shops and pubs of the village.

Timothy Pearson Hairdressing

Timothy Pearson Hairdressing now live.

Set in the beautiful village of Cranleigh Timothy Pearson Hairdressing is an exclusive hair salon offering an unmatched Hairdressing experience, dedicated to delivering the very best in exceptional haircuts and radiant colours all at an affordable price.

Tim’s site has a very cool repeating header image. Check it out.

Tim also required a number of alternative logos

 

Painting Holidays

New website designed and built.

www.paintingholidays.com

My client wanted a site for his painting holiday business.