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Optimize Website For Mobile Marketing

65% Consumer Purchase Starts on Mobile Devices.Why should you consider to optimize website for mobile marketing? Well studies has shown that the way peoplebrowse online is evolving. Instead of surfing the net from our homes and offices we are increasingly doing so on thego using tablets and smartphones, reducing desktops and laptops for office related use. This represents the needfor a major shift in mobile marketing strategy, especially for e-commerce, with the increasing trend of consumerpurchase pattern causing a major breakthrough for emerging Mcommerce optimized website.

There have been data findings pointing to the explosion of the mobile web growth, and still growing as we speak, tothe point it now surpass desktop usage.

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from this table above you can see the rate at which the mobile web users have easily adopted the use of internetand currently surpasses that of desktop. This alone should proof vital why your website needs to be optimize formobile conversion, the number of traffic you will be losing if your website is only desktop friendly can be devastating.Which in turns spells a lot of potential clients you will be leaving off the table.

A research from MarketingLand reveals that 81% of mobile conversion are triggered by mobile search, emphasizingon the need of a mobile presence for your business.

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There have also been researches that indicates that mobile smart phones are getting more higher transaction ratescompared to other devices, and since consumers do have a cross device pattern of making purchases it is wise toread which channels are bringing in the most revenues (this can be read via your Google analytics). This is becausemost people utilize more than one device to access the internet.

These four charts, below, from ad tech company Criteo‘s latest quarterly “State of Mobile Commerce”report explain it all.

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image credits:skift.com data source:criteo

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There are some factors that must have led to this growing trend, but the most observed data on the internet is thatmost consumers or web users are finding mobile web usage more secured and reliable. From the image below thesame amount of participants were asked a survey question and base on their data, the results were compared.

latest report from NewMedia TrendWatch estimates up to 50% of hits to an e-commerce site now come from amobile device. This figure differs around the world as illustrated in the image by criteo above, but it appeals to theneed to address a ever growing new generation of consumers, it is becoming more vital to have what Web Monkeydescribes as a One Web Approach. This means having a universal online browsing experience, being able toaccess the same information, branding and design across a range of mobile devices as illustrated in the image bycriteo above. So imagine if you were to target only android users, you can imagine the amount of IOS Apple usersyou will not be able to convert, Whether through an app or a website, it impacts on the way you optimize yourwebsite for the mobile customer, wherever they are around the world.

Mobile Friendly vs Mobile Responsive

It sounds similar? using both terms sometimes can be misguiding if you don't know what you are saying. Mostbusiness websites do not know the difference between this two. I for one have heard webmasters mistaken mobilefriendly website for a responsive website. Their is a big difference between the two, as one is resize able or scalablewhile the other readjust or rearrange its self to fit the view port or screen of your viewing device. If you still don't getthe picture please view the image below by AWEBER a leading email marketing software provider, who have foundthe need for all its users to incorporate the use of mobile friendly template for email campaigns, if this big companycan sense the need for it, then you should learn to adopt this development as well, now view the images below tohave a better understand with the difference between a mobile site and responsive website.

Mobile Friendly Website

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Mobile Responsive Website

Image coutersy:Aweber

Mobile Website vs Responsive Web Design (Merits and Dis-Merits)

Practical solutions

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Mobile Site Responsive Design

Rendering Experience

A mobile site is essentially a copy ofyour website, where the server doesthe work to deliver an optimized pagethat’s smaller and easier to navigate.

The solution can really customize aunique experience for mobile users.

A good choice when it might be tooexpensive to redesign responsively.

In responsive design, the device does the work andautomatically adjusts according to a device’s screensize (large or small) and orientation (landscape orportrait). It switches between these options on-the-fly.

A very good and flexible solution.

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DomainProtection

With a mobile site, you must create adifferent domain (many companieschoose to differentiate theirs by“m.domain.com”).

Can dilute domain and hurt organicsearch traffic. Can add to websitemanagement because you have tomaintain two separate silos of content.

Responsive design lets you keep your own domain—nothing changes except code on the back-end.

Googles thinks this is the better solution:...Maintaining a single shared site preserves acanonical URL, avoiding any complicated redirects,and simplifies the sharing of web addresses... [readmore]

LinkEquity

Because a mobile site uses aseparate domain, links shared frommobile browsers will not count assearch link equity toward your primarysite.

Not as good for search.

Since responsive design simply embeds new codeon the back-end of your website, your company’slink equity is preserved.

Better option for search.

Future-Ready

Re-working of a mobile site might beneeded in order to stay current withnext-generation phones and mobilebrowsers.

Could require higher maintenance andexpense.

The technology is more forward-thinking becauseonce added to site it will work on next months andnext year’s devices without having to beprogrammed further.

A better return on your investment.

What practical challenges and solutions does this mean you need to consider? As Web Monkey advocates designneeds to be responsive, adaptive and increasingly customer-centric.

Technology and operating systems play a huge part on usability. Tech site Mashable gives tips on what to avoid. Flash, for example, does not work on Apple devices. Internationally, Apple is just behind Android, which accountsfor 64% of all smartphone sales although iOS does sneak into the lead in Japan. If the majority of smartphone usersin the country you are targeting use Apple devices, then if your site uses Flash they won’t be able to see it.

Drop down menus do not work well on any smartphone browser. This is partly linked to screen size as well asfunctionality. Similarly if images are too large they might not load well on a mobile screen, affecting the design andenjoyment of your mobile site.

The way we browse, especially on a smartphone, is different from the browsing experience on a desktop. Theconsumer is used to zooming in, of “pinching” the touch screen. Yet scrolling from left to right can impact on the waya consumer reads and engages with a website.

Therefore you need to ensure your website is as customer centric on mobile devices as it is on a desktop. Avoidpopups, flash and ensure there is a consistency of branding. Make it as easy to view different products andinformation via a mobile device as it is with a mouse or touch pad at your fingertips.

Reaching an international market

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Inevitably, all your customers will not be in one place.If you are targeting customers internationally, or in a specificcountry, it is important to understand how smartphone and mobile device usage might compare around the globe. InJapan, for example, it even has its own name; Keitai Culture defines how consumers engage with and use theirmobile devices. Masanari Arai, the cofounder and CEO of Synclore Corporation in Tokyo writes in VentureBeat thatbecause gaming is such an important part of the Japanese online and mobile experience it is worth exploring howthis can be incorporated into a mobile browser.

In Japan e-commerce is ruled by mobile devices. Both Amazon and Rakuten estimate 60% of all of their purchasescome through mobile in Japan. This is much higher than in the US and Europe. Analysts believe it is because thecommute in Japan is largely done by train, leaving much more time for browsing. This compares to the majority ofAmericans who drive to work.

In Korea under half of the population owns a smartphone. Yet e-commerce here is dominated by app usage. This isbecause in such a small country it is easier to guarantee high data connection speeds for more people. Whencustomers are browsing on their mobile device they are more likely to use an app to do so. Perhaps to target Koreancustomers, therefore, an app is better than a mobile website?

For many US brands they are keen to tap into the Chinese market – the biggest smartphone market in the worldwith over 330 million subscriptions. Here there is no Google Play but Android dominates iOS (although it is catchingup). A factor to remember, however, is the Great Firewall. As well as blocking social networks like Facebook andTwitter it blocks “inappropriate content”. The language, content and design all need to meet the guidelinesestablished by the Chinese government if you are to reach consumers via a mobile device.

Successful mobile optimization

To engage with customers around the world it is vital to have a mobile optimized website. Functionality and adaptivetechnology ensure the site will work on different platforms, as well as fitting with the behavior of the online consumerand taking into account trends and cultural differences around the world. Testing the site on different platforms andwith target audiences is of the utmost importance ahead of launch, to ensure it works effectively and efficiently andmaintains a uniformity of brand, no matter what device the customer is using to view it.

Article contribution by ebuzz.net, skift.com, smartz.com. Data source from citerio, MarketingLand, NewMediaTrendWatch Other resources; Mashable, Webmonkey, Google.

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