Why Mobile Friendly Is Important
Digital Marketing is constantly evolving and becoming increasingly more important. Digital marketing relies on adaptability to maintain a strong internet presence and this is why it is important for sites to be mobile friendly. According to AWIN, more than 50% of affiliate-referred traffic is via mobile devices. Taking into consideration that there are more than 2 billion mobiles devices world-wide, traffic going through mobile devices becomes that much more valuable. Consumers spend much more time on their mobile and tablet devices than ever before. Therefore, affiliate marketers must adapt or fail. There is no other way around it. Learn to keep up with the times or lag behind and lose out. I come from the IT sector. It isn’t any different. Technology changes so fast, you do everything you can to stay educated on newer technology and trends. If you are unwilling to change, you will be overtaken by someone else. What does that mean? You will be out of a job. If you are like me still seeking employment, your only option to remain relevant is to stay educated. Even with multiple degrees and certifications, I still struggle to find work. At least I am making it to interviews so my resume is somewhat attractive. Can you imagine how much more difficult it would be if I made no attempt to improve myself? Forget it. GAME OVER!
OK. Back to the point. So how does the above relate? Strategy is important. Look around your area when you are sitting there drinking a coffee in Starbucks or eating lunch somewhere. How many people do you see with their eyes glued to their devices? There is a commercial that I saw on AFN poking fun of these people referring to them as “Digital Daywalkers.” It was mainly about safety and for them not to text while walking or driving to include others to always be on the lookout for them so as not to accidentally hit them while you are driving. The point being that these people are real. They are everywhere. So, affiliates should tap into that gold mine and not ignore it.
So what can we do? First, our sites we generate should always be made mobile-friendly so they can automatically adjust according to the device the consumer is viewing the page on. Of course this is known as being mobile-responsive. If you don’t make it so, more often than not, the consumer will go on to the next site that is mobile-responsive and you will lose out on potential sales. Google has an interesting tool available. It is called the Mobile-Friendly Test Tool. Go check it out. Really interesting. Here is what the screen looks like when you test out your blog or website. I checked mine… you should too!
One of the most important things to consider with your mobile strategy is to understand your target audience. You can use the best tools in the world. You can have the best pages and mobile-friendly sites. It makes no difference if you don’t understand your target audience. This is a must!! I can attest to this because I am still learning how to better target consumers. It isn’t a cake walk. Additionally, you may fully understand your audience but, the other 50% of that equation is to offer to that audience what they are seeking and not a bunch of meaningless offers to them in the hopes they buy. Give them good content… valuable content… and they are likely to buy or at the very least, return for more. Congratulations! You’ve just earned a new mouthpiece. That is free advertising for your brand. While you are at it, try out split-testing. Try out different ways to promote products or services and adapt where necessary. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW your data and learn to improve regardless if it is working well. Remember, eventually you WILL have to change because technology changes.
Recent Comments
7
Excellent.
I started out making pages without even a thought about Mobile Friendliness. Big mistake... good thing I learned about it.
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Thanks for the important reminder Glen. Every year the number of mobile devices compounds exponentially!
Jeff
Yeah. I heard from two different people recently that they are only on mobile. That was surprising to me. But, it does make sense because iPad's can be considered mobile. It could be that a person does not have any computer or laptop and only has a smart phone and/or an tablet device. Now, I usually start making pages with mobile in mind first, then see what it looks like on a normal screen.
I personally don't like mobile--I feel like I'm "all thumbs" when it comes to those tiny screens!
Jeff
I can understand that. I do not have the smallest hands so I find it difficult to do much on my iPhone. So, I usually end up tethering my iPad to the iPhone connection when I'm away from WiFi. It's much easier with the larger screen and buttons. When at home, I'm on my PC/Laptop anyway so there is no problem.
Me too!
Jeff