Why your emails and website must be mobile-friendly

In electronic marketing, we are all aware that mobile devices comprise a significant element, which must be taken into consideration. For that reason, like many SMEs, Data HQ has been sending mobile-friendly emails for a couple of years now. We are also busy updating and enhancing our website so that it is also mobile-optimised and device independent/responsive.

Despite being aware of this importance, I have to admit to being surprised to read a statistic shared recently by the IDM (Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing); i.e. that a huge 65% of all emails first get opened on a mobile device. That is such a significant number, especially when you consider the number of emails we all see on a day-to-day basis – many of which are still not mobile- or tablet-friendly.

Customers expect you to provide it

Customers in both B2B and B2C segments are now on the move more frequently, checking emails on their phones between meetings, or shopping online on their tablets, rather than sitting in front of a desktop or laptop.

So to retain your existing customer base and attract new prospects, you need to make your emails and website easily viewable and navigable on all devices. This will improve your click through rates, SEO rankings, bounce rates, etc and ultimately make for happier prospects and customers.

Google expects it – and will penalise you for not doing it

Back in April this year Google released the ‘mobile-friendly update’. Essentially, it factors in a website’s mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This means any sites that are not yet optimised or responsive will see their search-ranking drop as a direct result.

If you haven’t yet started to optimise your site, don’t panic – you’re not alone (well, not yet!). At the launch of the Google update in April, over 40% of Fortune 500 websites were not mobile-optimised. However, it is definitely something that by late 2015 every business needs to be driving forward to achieve.

Don’t lose business

There are many key factors to making a successful user experience that will in turn improve response rates and ROI from all your electronic communications, these include:

• Less clicks to reach key information
• More obvious calls to action
• Effective and responsive design
• Concise and relevant content
• Easier navigation on all devices

With all emails and sites, not just e-commerce (although it will be especially key for those), the easier you make the user experience, the more likely you are to convert and mobile-friendliness will improve both your user experience and brand perception.