Do people really like 'mobile friendly'?

[Shopclicks]

Or .... Is 'mobile friendly' really 'visitor friendly'?

I don't like mobile friendly websites and would switch to the desktop view every time. Particularly where I'm looking at a big page full of the type of products I want to buy.

Google don't like the idea of having to 'zoom-in' a screen to make it readable. I think that's easier than scrolling endlessly and constantly hitting the back button or menu.

Am I on my own?

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Experience and research says people like the mobile layout with scrolling.

Websites will mirror social media where long scrolling is the norm, because social media sites are the most used online.

 

[antropy]

I don't like mobile friendly websites and would switch to the desktop view every time.

Anecdotally, I've spoken to lots of people who also switch back to the desktop version but I myself prefer mobile versions.

 

[ADNattan]

I think best practice is for responsive design - your desktop site is adjusted to display the same content in a more streamlined way on a smaller screen. That way, you get the functionality of a mobile site with the better design that comes with a desktop.

That's how my colleagues in web design sell it to me anyway.

 

[UKSBD]

I don't like mobile friendly websites and would switch to the desktop view every time. Particularly where I'm looking at a big page full of the type of products I want to buy.

I would assume that if people are looking to buy and wanting big pages full of products they would use a laptop, tablet, desktop.

 

[Matt Thorpe]

I understand what you are saying and sometimes it is easier to view a website by zooming. I have a client that sells personalised greetings cards online and, up until very recently, they only had a desktop site. It was fairly difficult to buy and personalise a card but their conversion rate on mobile devices was over 7%!!

However, Google is all about making usability as quick and easy as possible. On the whole, people leave websites if they find it too cumbersome or too long-winded to buy.

Some desktop websites have elements on the site that take time to load (like large images or video). Mobile connections are slower than landlines connections so this can be ultra slow. Google wants to reduce waiting-to-load times so people can get to what they need quicker. There is so much noise out there so speed is important whilst they have people's attention.

Google also wants to get more people buying on their mobile. Up to now, this has been quite a painstaking task because there is now real way you can reduce the number of steps when paying for something. That is why they have introduced easier payment options that don't require you to enter your bank card details each time.

Let's face it. Buying on a mobile isn't the easiest thing in the world, in fact it's quite hard. However, this is only because we are not use to it. When the iPad came out people were confused and didn't see the need for one. Now everybody on the train has one! It's all about providing a good, clean user experience that will encourage people to use it more and more, thus resulting more sales.

If you sell online and don't have a mobile-reponsive website then you need to act fast. It is the future.

 

[fallschirmjaeger]

Google are now rating sites for being mobile friendly, fail the test and you will loose SEO points. So responsive is the way forward. I think its all about Google wanting to push/own the worlds of mobile advertising.

 

[Shopclicks]

Thanks for your opinions

I'm in the process of making the required changes to the websites I manage. Do mobile friendly sites convert as well as desktop?

I think its all about Google wanting to push/own the worlds of mobile advertising.

So what's in it for Google if the change doesn't affect Adwords?

 

[fallschirmjaeger]

The change is to ensure that websites are mobile friendly so google and their adwords operate efficiently and googles reveune increase in a nutshell!

 

[Shopclicks]

The change is to ensure that websites are mobile friendly so google and their adwords operate efficiently and googles reveune increase in a nutshell!

How does the push for mobile friendly affect PPC revenue? As far as I'm aware it will still be a case of highest bidder gets top spot (ad quality factors being equal).

 

[FutureM]

It all depends on if it's quick fix mobile site or if a lot of thought has gone in to how people will use it rather than just trying to make it responsive for the sake of it. I will mostly switch to desktop view, but not because i don't like mobile sites, it's just most are poorly thought out. i think the Ralph Lauren site is an example of a good mobile site.

 

[deniser]

I think it's unfair of Google to lump tablets in with mobile as most desktop views are good on a tablet and so called "mobile" views pretty hopeless.

How have everyones' sites fared so far?

My very well constructed responsive site has had a massive jump in traffic overnight and my desktop only site has stayed the same but google says to allow a week for the changes to be noticeable so waiting to see what happens.

In the rush to become mobile friendly, some sites I have visited recently look truly awful and I am sure their conversion rates must go down as a result. As mentioned above, it's so important to do it properly.

 

[Shopclicks]

I think it's unfair of Google to lump tablets in with mobile as most desktop views are good on a tablet and so called "mobile" views pretty hopeless.

I don't think tablets are affected. I certainly don't see 'mobile friendly' in a google search on tablets.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

As mentioned it will only impact on tablets if theya re using the google mobile search platform.

 

[RepricerExpress]

When l use my phones/tablet, the last thing I want to be doing is pinching and zooming around a site. Approximately only 50% of all sites are mobile optimised.

Google recognises this issue and with its latest update on 21st April. Sites that are mobile-friendly will be ranked favourably compared to non-mobile optimised sites.

As a result,having a mobile optimised site is now more important than ever.

 

[14Steve14]

I thought a non responsive site would only get penalised in a search carried out on a mobile device. By the sound of many posts here people are saying that a non responsive site will be penalised on every search. And I thought I also read somewhere that a tablet or notebook would be classed as a desktop device, not a mobile device.

Am I wrong, or is there just general confusion.

 

[d3lvedesign]

With over 80% of all web traffic being mobile it makes sense to have a website that is mobile friendly or "Responsive". Google has implemented this to suit the numbers. I started implementing responsive design a few years ago and our clients have not looked back since, even the skeptical ones have said it's helped. Everyone's online behavior differs so you will get people preferring to view the desktop version, but surely that makes usability a problem on a smaller device? If a responsive website is designed and built with usability in mind it will provide a just as good if not better user experience for the customer.

 

[Martina Wade]

We have around 60% visiting our site from a mobile device, so for us having a responsive design is really important. The vast majority of conversions still happen on desktop, but if the first impression from their mobile is bad they might not visit us again on a different device. Think it depends on your business - but since we sell an app and software it is crucial! We use a wordpress template which is responsive, so it is incredibly easy.

 

[globalguy]

Google are now rating sites for being mobile friendly, fail the test and you will loose SEO points. So responsive is the way forward. I think its all about Google wanting to push/own the worlds of mobile advertising.

Indeed, someone told me yesterday that soon they will not be accepting websites for advertising that do not render correctly on mobile devices. So I think you might be right...

 

[Shopclicks]

Indeed, someone told me yesterday that soon they will not be accepting websites for advertising that do not render correctly on mobile devices. So I think you might be right...

Yes, it makes no sense to push for mobile friendly sites and then have non-friendly sites advertising on page 1.

 

[abellina]

I prefer mobile friendly sites. Because mobile traffic is increasing day by day so more people switching to the mobile platforms. So its better to have a mobile friendly view.