Is Your Site Mobile Friendly? Google Can Tell You
According to one statistic, half of all local searches are performed on a mobile device. With more people accessing websites using their smartphones, making sure you website is readable on a phone is not something you can ignore. Load times, readability and images often render differently on a smaller screen. If a website is less functional when viewed on a phone versus a regular PC or laptop, many mobile users will simply leave a site.
Now Google wants to help make sure your website is mobile friendly. Its GoMo site, launched last November, lets you test the functionality of your website on a mobile device. The site uses a tool called GoMoMeter, created by Mullen Advertising, and powered by Keynote Systems‘ MITE product, which allows users to see what their websites would look like on a mobile device. It also provides tips for improving mobile readiness of your site, as well as resources for building the mobile version of your website.
Why Being Mobile Friendly Matters
According to Google, 60% of users expect a mobile site to load in three seconds or less. More than half of users wouldn’t recommend a business with a bad mobile site. So even if you don’t think you need a mobile version of your site, you could, in fact, be losing customers without one.
According to Nisheeth Mohan of Keynote systems, mobile users will be spending even more time browsing the mobile Web in 2012. ”Consumers are beginning to expect a desktop experience with their mobile devices,” he said, “With increased spending for mobile advertisements and marketing as well as the use of mobile for commerce, businesses must be mobile ready to leverage mobile to reach existing and new customers. Optimized mobile websites will be critical components in driving revenue moving forward.”
How the GOMO Meter Works
You go to the site, enter your URL, and the GoMoMeter will display what your site looks like on a mobile device. Answer a few questions about readability and whether you could click the links with a thumb, and you’re taken to a page that gives you your page’s loading speed, info on images displaying correctly and text size. You’re given the option to download a free customized report with suggestions for improving your site’s mobile functionality.
Here are a few general tips from Google for making sure your site functions well on a mobile phone:
- Keep loading times fast
- Simplify navigation
- Be “thumb friendly”
- Design for visibility
About the Author
Susan Payton is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, an Internet marketing firm specializing in marketing copy, press releases, blog and article writing. She is also the blogger behind The Marketing Eggspert Blog. 
Author of Business Plan Pro
Wow thanks for the link to GoMo. This is an excellent tool. (And possibly good for selling mobile web design to our clients.) Thanks Susan!
Thanks for the link to the Google mobile site check-up tool.
My main site did pretty darn well in the test.
But, my site doesn’t work too well with, “Thumbs.”
Oh.
The Franchise King®
@Joel–
I think it depends on the skill level of your thumbs! Mine are always clicking the wrong link!
Susan
While it’s good to have a mobile site, what’s more important is to have a mobile optimized site that’s tailored for mobile behaviour and real-world usage. For example, one mobile website vendor we recently trialled and liked is Roveb. They not only helped us create an instant basic mobile website but a simple loyalty program on top of it. It’s a great way to turn mobile visitors into loyal customers.
@Darren–
Glad it helped! It’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it?
@Jason–
Thanks for your input!
Susan
Good reminder. My biggest obstacle is finding a mobile WordPress plugin that I like and that works. I’d rather not pay for it. Any suggestions?
Fabulous tool, Susan. Done my testing already, thanks.
@Jon–
Hmm. I don’t. Can anyone help Jon?
@Shefiu–
Glad you like it! It’s so darn simple!
Susan
Wow, Google is really pushing the mobile web with this initiative. I guess it is important for them that all business websites are mobile friendly. Ours rated pretty high for lead generator (yourwebdepartment.com). How did yours?
Mobile is growing as fast as smartphone penetration. The more people have access to Google at their fingertips, the more they’ll do searches. Pretty simple, so sites need to get mobile-friendly.
Susan,
Thanks for informing us about GoMo Meter. Did you know that blogs on Blogspot (Blogger) automatically recognize if you are using a mobile phone? Blogger is owned by Google.
@Gustavo–
Mine did pretty well. Yay!
@Robert–
I agree.
@Martin–
Didn’t know that. Makes sense, since it’s a Google product. Nice to have the compatibility built in!
Susan
[...] Is Your Site Mobile Friendly? Google Can Tell You — Do you need to tweak your site for mobile phones, or is it already mobile friendly? And what about on other people’s mobile phones? If you’re not sure how mobile-friendly your website is, visit Google to find the answer. Not sure what we mean? Read Susan Payton’s post this week and find out. [...]
There is no question: the mobile world will dominate. The rise in mobile marketing — and the fact people are turning to smartphones — has also sparked growth in the web-to-mobile industry. Our company, Womple, makes “going mobile” super easy for businesses looking to convert their websites to mobile friendly.
This trend is here to stay, especially if Google has something to say about it. The GoMo initiative is also directing people to services just like oursto help make the transition from web to mobile.
Thanks! This is awesome. I always wanted to test my site for “Mobile” friendliness but always seemed to have found nothing wrth the trouble. This one looks good and I am on my way over there. Quite excited actually as to how my site will perform. Most likely it will be totally unfriendly and hoping for some great suggestions to make it better. Thanks again!
[...] Is Your Site Mobile Friendly? Google Can Tell You smallbiztrends.com [...]
@Susan:
The GoMo train is on its way to the city Barcelona for the World Mobile Congress next week. Full press release on the Barcelona Go Mobile comes out tomorrow. Please email me for details.
Steve
@tradetechplus