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Does your business have a Mobile Ready Website for Holiday Shoppers?
The holiday shopping season is already upon us. You have your holiday specials ready. You have staffing ready. Discounts are set for your customers. BUT … Are you ready for mobile holiday shoppers – your online buyers?
Are you looking for ways to make your small business more visible to holiday shoppers? If so, one of the best things you can do is make sure your website is a mobile-ready website. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the benefits of having a mobile-friendly website, and we’ll also provide some tips on how you can make your site a mobile-ready website. So if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, keep reading!
A study by Google found that half of the people who search for businesses on their phones call a business directly from the search results, so it’s important to make sure your website looks good and functions properly on mobile devices. And is found in those searches. If your website isn’t a mobile-ready website, now is the time to update it! It’s amazing how many websites ARE NOT ready for this!
Do you have a mobile-ready website?
The best way to tell if you have a mobile-optimized website is to try to use it yourself on your cell phone. The last thing you want is for your customers to get frustrated while trying to shop on your website. They will just move on to your competition and you’ve lost a sale! What does your website look like on your phone? Is it optimized for mobile viewing? If so, it will look great on any device, as it will be modified to fit the screen and allow for easy navigation. If you do not do this, you should really upgrade your site. Remember, a large percentage of holiday shopping will be on a mobile device!
Here are a few tips to make sure you have a mobile-ready website :
- Make sure your website is updated with the latest technology and design trends. Not only will it make your site user-friendly, but it will also keep your shoppers interested.
- Ensure your site is mobile user-ready and not “glitchy”. It is amazing how many business sites miss this step.
- Most good website developers look at the mobile version when designing their site. But if you have a site you designed, did you do this? And have you checked it lately to make sure it is still a mobile-ready website?
Holiday Marketing Ideas Utilizing Your Mobile-Friendly Website
Once you have your site looking good on all devices, let’s look at how to drive traffic to it.
Send your holiday deals via email
Your customers will be looking for your emails offering them special deals and discounts for the holidays. Some even stand in line and look for that email you sent (that is me!) quickly going through emails on my phone I saved to use when shopping.
And for those who don’t have to come to the store, you can still prompt a sale with an email offering a discount, event invitation, or enticing offer. A lot of businesses got really good at this out of necessity during Covid lockdowns.
They can be standing in line in another store, eating lunch in a restaurant, and getting your email that prompts them to buy.
So … Is your email marketing mobile-ready? A few things to remember:
- Make your emails look festive. Are they easy to view on a cell phone? Are the special offers clear and easy to find?
- Include a short subject line so it can be read easily on the phone.
- Make sure that the subject line states what your deal is, encouraging them to open it immediately – and making it easy to find again.
- Don’t make them print something to bring in – let them use their phone. Make it easy to use your deal. Again, think user-friendly!
Use social media – in various forms
Social media is another great way to reach your customers. Not only are they reading their email on their phones, but they are also going through their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Make sure you are there! And there are some unique ways to use Social Media besides just posting a message about an upcoming sale or tweeting a photo. A social media content manager, such as Though Fresh Eyes, can help you manage this content. Here are some ideas:
- Make sure to put your deals on your social media, but use some personality when doing so. And for easier shopping, direct them back to your mobile-ready website.
- Show your exemplary customer service by monitoring your social media often and answering any questions or inquiries promptly. Another way to keep in touch with your customers is to make sure your mobile-ready website also has a good “contact us” link – and that it is regularly monitored and responded to promptly. Again, make it easy for them to do business with you!
- Don’t just post sales & offers. Give your customers helpful hints, ideas, and fun things for the holidays. Help the holiday shoppers – gift ideas, how-to articles, even share local charitable events. Remember it is SOCIAL media – so be social!
Your Whole Online Presence Is So Important!
Now is the time to take a step back and evaluate your website. Is it a mobile-ready website? If not, you need to make the changes needed so that you can capitalize on all of the holiday shoppers out there. By ensuring that your website is ready for mobile devices, you’ll be able to capture more sales and provide an optimal experience for your customers. Have you checked your website yet? Are you ready for the holidays? This is one of the areas a small business SEO consultant such as Through Fresh Eyes can help you.
Here are other things that affect your customer’s finding you.
SEO
Also, all year around you need to make sure you are building your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO is the process of optimizing your website and content so that it ranks higher in search engine results. This means that when people are searching for businesses like yours, they’re more likely to find you. And the higher you rank, the more traffic you’ll get, and the more customers you’ll ultimately have. You can’t expect to just jump to the top of the competition during the holidays by only paying attention to your online presence during the holidays. An SEO consultant for small business can be a great help here.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to SEO, but there are some basic strategies that all businesses should be doing. These include keyword research, creating compelling content, and building links back to your site. By taking these steps, you’ll start to see your website rise in the search results and get more traffic and leads as a result. This has to be done correctly and consistently, not just during the holidays. Trust me, your competition is doing just that. And having a mobile-ready website also keeps customers on your website, helping your SEO. I know this all sounds time-consuming, which is why Through Fresh Eyes specializes in small business SEO consulting.
Is your Business Listed on Google?
Can your customers find you on Google? A huge number of people get on their phones to find a business. And if they find your business, will they see the correct information including your address, hours, and customer reviews? Use google.com/business/ to put your business on Google. It’s free! But it’s more than that – you need to constantly optimize your Google Business Profile. This is another area Vickie at Through Fresh Eyes specializes in – Google My Business Optimization Services.
How are your customers shopping?
Mobile devices are rapidly becoming the primary way that people access the internet. In fact, more than half of all internet traffic is now generated by mobile devices. This trend is only going to continue, which means that it’s essential for businesses to have a mobile-ready website. Unfortunately, many websites are still not optimized for mobile devices, which can result in lost traffic and customers. Mobile-ready websites are designed to be easy to use on smaller screens and provide a positive user experience. They also load quickly, which is important since mobile users are often on the go.
By making sure you have a mobile-ready website, you can ensure that it will be accessible to the growing number of mobile internet users. At the same time, you’ll also be improving your SEO since search engines now factor in the mobile-friendliness of websites when determining their ranking.
What is your next step?
Now I know this can all sound a bit overwhelming, and if you need help, just reach out to me. Through Fresh Eyes specializes in improving your online presence – which includes a mobile-ready website. These are some of the many things I can help you with within your business! Contact me here. I offer reasonable SEO packages for small businesses. Let’s get your business found online!
