Mobile websites can make your business' information more easily accessible and drive up web traffic.

Mobile websites. These buzz words have been floating around the online community recently, but what are mobile websites? What is their value in the marketplace? An increase in consumer reliance on smartphones to gather information while on-the-go has prompted an emphasis on mobile websites to drive up leads, site traffic and sales.

In our small business terms, a mobile website is a business website created specifically for viewing on a smartphone or mobile device. It can work on many platforms and focuses on displaying the key pieces of information from your full website like services, location and contact information. And, it displays them in a way that’s easy to read and interact with on a small screen. These mobile-friendly sites can be visually similar to your primary website, but because they are optimized for on-the-go browsing, customers will be able to access your business’ essential information with minimal hassle (think: no scrolling or scanning).

Mobile websites are recommended over mobile apps primarily because of better discoverability (they are easier to find when searching on a web browser), increased performance (clicking on links and functions on the site can be more fluid on a mobile website) and cost-effectiveness (it can be much more affordable to build a mobile-friendly website than to develop an app. that is only available through an app. store). According to a study by Google, 77 percent of local information seekers call or visit a business after looking up the company on a smartphone. Making it easier to interact with your website can make all the difference between whether that potential customer gives you business. You can utilize these mobile sites to draw in more potential customers for less money than it would cost you to build a mobile app.

It is incredibly important that every interaction a customer has with your business on their mobile phone be quick, positive and efficient in order to gain a high number of  consumers and repeat customers. A website that is difficult to navigate on a mobile device can greatly deter a customer from returning to your business’ page or from contacting you, which can lead to a sale. According to a study by Compuware, 40 percent of consumers turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience. Easy access to essential contact and services information on your mobile website will increase your web traffic by 80 percent – that’s a big deal!

So, how can you optimize your customer experience for a mobile phone? You’re lookin’ at us! We recently launched MobilizeAustin to help small businesses attract and engage with more potential customers while accommodating their unique needs and budgets. Our goal is to help small businesses become more accessible to the public, and as a result, grow. Our new mobile website offering includes: