Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2015 54 L et's face it. It's not just a digital world. It's a mobile one. In fact, according to ComScore.com's U.S. Mobile App Report published late last year—we have reached and passed the mobile internet usage tipping point with total activity on smartphones and tablets accounting for 60 percent of digital media time spent in the United States. Additionally, Google published its own study in October of last year, Digital Impact on In-Store Shopping, and the results were fascinating. For one, the study showed that today's consumers want information throughout the entire shopping process, and this drives the use of smartphones and online shopping. "Stores that ignore this preference risk losing customers, but opportunities exist for retailers who find ways to take advantage of this behavior," states the study. The Google analysis shows that 87% of shoppers research ahead of time and 79% of customers look for information while visiting the store itself. If you've ever tried to browse the Internet on a tiny smart phone, you know how frustrating it can be—the mis-tapped links, the annoying formatting issues, the miniscule typeface. In this mad, mad mobile world, having a mobile-friendly version of your website is more important than ever to not only keep mobile users on your site longer, but, now with Google's latest mobile algorithm rollout, to attract them in the first place. This mobile-friendly algorithm update boosts rankings of mobile-friendly pages in mobile search results. With this update, Google will reward sites that make life better for mobile users. Searchers can find high-quality and relevant results more easily, on which text is readable without tapping or zooming, tap targets are spaced appropriately, the page avoids unplayable content, and the dreaded horizontal scrolling is eliminated. All of this, of course, is intended to create a better user experience for the web user. The update affects only search ranking on mobile devices; affects search results in all languages, globally; and applies to individual pages, not entire websites. That isn't to say that mobile friendliness is the only ranking factor for mobile searches, however. If your website doesn't provide a great experience for the user but it does contain compelling, relevant content, it could still rank high for certain keywords. The converse is also true and you may have seen your mobile rankings drop precipitously after the late April Google update. While creating a mobile site may seem laborious and one more item on your ever-growing digital marketing to-do list, Google shouldn't be viewed as the evil taskmaster who is making rules for the sake of making rules. The world's favorite search engine is actually trying to improve your customers' experience—a goal that you, as a retailer, should share. So rather than grumbling about yet another Google search algorithm update, think of it as a service to your potential customers and an imperative step to compete—or get a leg up on—your competitors. To see how your site ranks in terms of mobile affability, check out Google's Mobile-Friendly Test (www.google.com/ webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly) or use Google's Webmaster Tools Mobile Usability data. Generally speaking, to make your site more mobile friendly means updating your content- management system software, which will apply the needed security upgrades to make your site mobile friendly. Also make sure that your loading speeds are fast, because when your customers are on the go and relying on cellular service rather than WiFi , they simply won't wait for a slow-loading page. While traditional desktop websites are still very important for Internet users, you can no longer afford to relegate mobile optimization to the bottom of your digital marketing initiatives. Get mobile or get beat. John White Appliance Trends John White is a 20-year veteran of the appliance industry and is currently serving as the Executive Vice President of Appliances for BrandSource. IT'S A MAD, MOBILE WORLD Is your site friendly to mobile shoppers? RO

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