The predictions have come true. The desktop computer is dead, long live mobile. Actually the desktop is still around but the majority of digital media is being seen on mobile devices now. So what does that mean for your small business? Increasingly, consumers are using their smartphones and tablets to learn more about businesses. So if you want their attention, you need to be “mobile-friendly.” Find out what that means and get started with these ideas.

Can Your Website Speak Mobile?

Simply put, a website is “mobile-friendly” if the information on it can be easily loaded and read on a mobile device. Typically, the text and graphics are reformatted and are large enough to see on a smaller screen.

You might also navigate differently, perhaps by touching or swiping. And there’s usually a way to easily share what you’ve found with others. You might be able to email a link to a friend or share it with them on your favorite social media site like Facebook.

Want to know if your website is mobile friendly? Google offers a Mobile-Friendly Test. Just enter your website address and you’ll get a free report. It will offer suggestions on how to “optimize” your site for mobile.

Different Approaches

You can take several approaches to make your website more mobile friendly. Here are some options. Some you can do on your own, others may require a Web professional.

• Simplify - One of the least expensive options is to just simplify your current website. Consider what is absolutely essential and eliminate the rest. For example, your business phone number and directions should be front and center. The history of your company may not be needed here.
• Branch Out – Another option is to create a mobile site (in addition to your desktop one). This allows you to focus only on what’s important to mobile customers. Your customers can learn more at your full website, if needed. The drawback is that you now have to maintain two sites. That may be costly and labor intensive to do.
• Build New – A third option is to redesign your website to be “responsive.” That means it automatically adjusts what they see to the screen size it’s being viewed on. By shifting or stacking the information, it responds to the space it’s given. The advantage here is you only need to have to maintain one website.

Increasingly, potential customers are using their smartphone or tablet to learn more about your business. So when they pull up your website, you want it to make a good experience. Otherwise, they’ll move on to another business that’s more mobile-friendly.