We’re about a month and a week into Google’s mobile friendly update. A lot of people were in a Gozilla-attack panic mode over this and as a result it’s been a busy two months for me. Things are starting to cool down. Now that the dust is beginning to settle, we’re all beginning to see that maybe the panic wasn’t warranted.
I’ve got a few take-away thoughts on the matter:
Mobile traffic numbers are, in general, inflated.
This is a maaaajor pet peeve of mine. When I see most stats about mobile usage, they fail to distinguish between mobile web usage and mobile app usage. There is a difference.
- Mobile web would be a visit to your website from their mobile device.
- Mobile app usage would be time spent on things like Facebook and Instagram on a mobile device.
The latter (mobile app usage) accounts for a whopping 89% of time spent on a mobile device (src). Does this mean you should come up with your own app? Meh, maybe not. A majority of that time is spent on things like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, so having your own app would probably be pointless for the majority of small business owners. However, maybe we all need to make a little more time for these social media sites, no?
Are you really the kind of business that needs a mobile website?
If you are a restaurant or a store selling to the general public, then I’d say yes. Other types of businesses may not have such a quick answer. You may need to ask yourself additional questions like:
- Who are my customers?
- How tech-savvy are they? Do they even own a smartphone or tablet?
- What do they use to search for businesses like me? Phones? Desktop?
The future is mobile.
If it’s time to refresh your website, then, by all means, go ahead and make it mobile friendly. The future is partially here already and will only continue to swing in the mobile direction. You may risk losing a small number of customers depending on your business; do you really want to turn anyone away? None of us want to lose potential business.
This update for Google *began* last month. That means it is still ongoing and will continue to be tweaked and refined in the coming months and years. Google never sleeps.
Someday, all we’ll have to do is think and our implanted neuro-puters will retrieve the information for us from the Internet. When that day comes, you’ll find me on a small island somewhere in the Pacific carving statues to sell to the tourists.
Edit: Oh Lawd, I almost forgot the sales pitch! If you want to go mobile, I can take care of you. Call Richard @ 910.515.4449 and we’ll get the ball rollin’!