If you have an online store – or if you’ve ever shopped online – you know how important it is to have an easy, seamless experience. These online users are coming directly to you, ready to spend their hard-earned dollars, and you should make it as easy as possible for them to do it.

That’s why your site should not only be up and running, but also ready to handle any traffic surge that may come your way. Once it has that traffic, it should smoothly handle transactions and safely send visitors and customers on their merry way.

One way you can make sure this happens is by making your business website more accommodating to mobile users. You should keep in mind that every other individual that goes online (some estimates put that number at over 70 percent for European and North American internet surfers) uses a mobile device to do so. That’s why it makes sense to ensure your users are able to clearly see and use your site when they visit.

But that isn’t the only reason you should have a mobile-friendly website; here, we outline 6 more reasons, so you can prioritize optimization as you see fit, but hopefully sooner rather than later.

1. Greater Reach – Yes, the majority of people in the world now use their mobile devices to access the internet. This figure is estimated to be over 2 billion users today. Missing out on the abundant opportunities that come with such a wide market would be a big financial mistake.

2. SEO Rankings – One criteria that helps websites rank higher in the eyes of search engines is mobile friendliness. Google, for example, first modified their algorithms mid-2015 and then further tweaked them at the end of 2016. Now, any site that can’t be viewed on a mobile device will see its rankings drop way down, preventing users from ever seeing it at all.

3. Always Be Competitive – The world of commerce is a tough one where only the very best make it past the 5 year anniversary mark. This means to successfully wade through this cutthroat market, you will need to be a step ahead of your competitors – in all aspects. Having a website that is mobile-friendly is one thing you absolutely need to stay in the game. Your competitors can close more sales online with optimized websites, increasing their search engine page authority and dominance in your sector. People will feel more confident doing business on a site that has taken the time to invest in a mobile-friendly design, and their dollars will reflect that.

4. The Appeal of Apps – You may not need to develop a full app, but often, optimizing your site goes hand-in-hand with mobile app development. With your app installed on their phones, your users will be encouraged to make repeated visits (many times a day or even an hour) as the app synchronizes and keeps them updated. This could also help increase your engagement percentages, push your advertising, marketing and sales pitches further, and create brand awareness through the use of your logo and icons.

5. It’s the “In” Thing – Internet norms are a major driving force in the decision-making process of users’ when it comes to online shopping. Think back to the years when a good-looking website was one that had the most 3D appeal. Every feature on those sites – buttons, text fields, column separators, etc. – was designed to look as realistic as possible. Today (some attribute this change to the birth of Microsoft Windows 10 and its tiles,) the web design world is simpler and lighter. Things load quickly and there are fewer menus and clutter. Just like a good experience is expected on desktop, a good experience is expected on mobile. Not having a site that works well on smart devices means you’re out of touch and don’t have your users’ expectations in mind.

6. Your Customers Expect And Deserve It – This point really needs to be driven home. Don’t let your users down by offering them a less-than-perfect user experience. They shouldn’t be the ones having to go to the trouble of finding a device that will render your website correctly (and they won’t), so be sure to cater to all their gadgets and devices.

Don’t worry! Creating a mobile-compatible site isn’t too difficult. With the right skill set, you can easily create a duplicate site and have it up and running without any downtime. But, know that now is the time to get started!

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