Go Mobile or Go Home! Targeted optimization tactics for 2018

If you aren’t convinced by now that mobile is the future of business, then you’ll want to reconsider now before it’s too late. According to Time magazine consumers are checking their phones more than 8 billion times per day, and ideally during that time some of them are checking out your business. Or at least they will, if you have your business optimized for mobile.

There are a few ways to ensure your business is setup to cater to mobile centric customers. Without keeping these methods in mind, you’re going to be left behind in 2018 and beyond.

1. Design Your Website to be User-friendly for Mobile Users

It’s imperative that you have a user interface that is both fast loading and easily scaled to mobile screens. Even though screen sizes and display resolutions have jumped in recent years, a desktop monitor and mobile phone screen are completely separate interfaces.

You need your website to not only have what your visitors are looking for front and center, but it must also be easy to access. It’s also important to keep in mind what it is you want from your customers that come to your website, such as special promotions or services you want to push.

For instance, studies have shown that more than 80% of websites in the Top 100 Alexa rankings are mobile optimized. With this knowledge, it’s going to be more crucial than ever to keep your website meeting user expectations.

2. Cater to Mobile Users with Google My Business

Even now in 2018 there’s a large majority of business listings left unclaimed and updated, showing outdated information to users looking for businesses in their area. Previously known as Google Places and then later Google Local, My Business is what allows business owners to appear on the front page of Google for search keywords related to them or their business name.

By properly setting up your business in Google My Business, you can reach new customers automatically everyday, even having them call you directly from a Google search. You can have everything from photos, menus and operating times listed on this page, so it’s very important to take advantage of this service.

3. Use a Content Delivery Network to enhance Page Loading

Many business owners think that just because their business and customers are in one location that that’s the end of the story. Your website has no relationship with your geographical location, however. Many businesses use a shared hosting service that can host your website anywhere in the country. Using a CDN allows your website to be delivered from a server closer to where your customers are browsing from, hence making your site load blazingly fast.

This can make a huge difference in mobile SEO, as search engines like Google are trying to deliver the fastest loading page to their users. Not to mention, you never know who or when someone out of state or the area might be looking for a business in another location. Either for a family member or during a trip, so you don’t want to miss out on this because of a slow loading page.

Mobile phones are going to become even more essential to our everyday lives in the future. We’ve only scratched the surface of what their uses can do to enhance society and ways to adapt them in business. It’s important to start 2018 off on the right foot to build success for the years to come.