Google announced this month its plans to filter search results from mobile devices to favour responsive websites. From 21 April a site’s ability to be viewed on mobile Google searches will be significantly impaired as the search engine giant will rank non-responsive sites lower than those responsive to different screen sizes.
What this means for businesses is if your website is not mobile-friendly, then you will not be found in Google searches for your products or services by people accessing the internet from a Smartphone, tablet or I-Pad, and even some notebooks. Read Google announcement
You may think this is only for a small percentage of your target market, and that most people still use a PC or Laptop when they browse for products and services. However, a survey by Research New Zealand carried out in 2014 shows that mobile device ownership and online activity by New Zealanders is higher than you may think – and it’s on the rise. Read the full report by Research New Zealand
New Zealanders’ Use of Mobile Electronic Devices 2014
More people than ever are using multiple devices to communicate and access data. 57 percent reported owning or having access to three or more of the following devices:
- PC
- Laptop or Notebook
- I-Pad or Tablet
- Smartphone
- Other mobile phone
The average number of devices was 2.7. The most frequently mentioned three-way combination included a Smartphone, laptop and PC (56 percent of those who reported using at least three devices), followed by the combination of a laptop, tablet/iPad and Smartphone (47 percent of those who reported using at least three devices).
In 2014 the numbers of people owning or with access to a Smartphone became higher than those with other mobile phones.
82 percent of those aged 18-34 years, 66 percent of those aged 35-54 years and 32 percent aged 55 years or more now use a Smartphone.
Although Smartphones are still considered by some as luxury items, with 76 percent of those with Smartphones earning $80,000 or more per annum, they are becoming more mainstream, with 63 percent earning at least $40,000 but less than $80,000 and 43 percent of those earning less than $40,000 now owning or with access to a Smartphone.
The survey shows one-in-every-two respondents reported using their Smartphone more frequently this year compared with last year (51 percent). A smaller (yet still sizeable) percentage of respondents reported using their tablet or iPad more frequently this year (43 percent).
In contrast, 35 percent of respondents reported using their PC less often than last year.
44% of people who indicated they were using their Smartphones more frequently, said they were more frequently using them to connect to the internet in 2013; a further 32% were more frequently using their Smartphones for connecting to the internet via their smartphones in 2014.
Other mobile devices are gaining in popularity too.
I-Pad or Tablet ownership increased from 29% at the start of 2013 to 39% in 2014, and is expected to increase further as more devices become available and prices decrease.
If you look at the table below, you can see there are almost as many people browsing the internet from a Smartphone or a tablet as there are from a PC or Laptop, and in consumer-based activities like accessing social networking sites, downloading or listening to music and streaming video media, or downloading and playing games, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are used more.
How is this relevant for your business website?
All this data translates to one important thing: Google is not driving greater mobile device usage, it is responding to it. Consumers are dictating how they want to access the internet and it is up to us to provide what our customers want.
As a business with an online presence, having a mobile friendly website to meet the increase in browser activity from mobile devices is simply the smart thing to do. Less than three years ago, having a responsive website was considered a way to stay ahead of the competition. Now it is a matter of survival. In other words, go where the consumer is going or be left behind.
To find out if your website is responsive enough for Google to rank it for searches from mobile devices, contact Web Tonic for a free site test.