Your website is your digital marketing home base. It contains everything someone should need to know about working with your law firm. A strong legal website should provide education, a clear way to contact your company, and compelling reasons for why you are the right fit for someone’s legal needs. A stronger website is easy for users to access.
Too many attorneys focus all of their energy on the desktop version of their website, forgetting that it is incredibly common for people to access the Internet on their smartphones. In fact, more than 90% of global Internet users use mobile devices to access the Internet. A site that is not optimized for mobile is a site that is only partially accessible. Without a mobile site, you are shutting out a significant portion of potential viewers.
Before we cover the most important reasons to prioritize mobile optimization, let’s review what mobile optimization means.
What Is Mobile Optimization?
The aspect ratio of your computer screen is dramatically different than the aspect ratio of your phone. Computer screens are horizontally oriented, and while smartphones can be oriented either way, most single-hand users prefer the vertical orientation. This drastic difference means that any site designed for a desktop is going to look really strange on a phone. Accessing desktop sites on a smartphone is a bad experience for the user, which is why mobile optimization was born.
A website that is optimized for mobile will automatically reformat itself based on how it is being accessed. If it is being accessed on a smartphone that is being held vertically, the content will adjust so that it can be displayed vertically. If the phone is turned on it’s side, the site will reformat again to a horizontal orientation. In addition to orientation, sites that are optimized for mobile are much easier to navigate. Page navigation is often replaced by hamburger menus, and buttons are often made larger so that they are easier to see and tap without a mouse.
Overall, mobile optimization is the process of ensuring that your site looks good and is easy to navigate, no matter how someone chooses to access it.
Why Mobile Optimization Is Important
The number one thing that makes mobile optimization important is user experience. You never want to create a bad or frustrating experience for your clients and potential clients. Beyond that, mobile optimization is incredibly important for search engine optimization. If you want your site to appear on a relevant google search, you need to optimize for mobile. A few years ago, Google began considering mobile optimization in their search algorithm. This means that even when someone is searching on a desktop computer, Google takes mobile accessibility into consideration. If your site is not optimized for mobile, you risk being killed by your competition in search results. Two websites can have very similar content, and domain authority, but if one is optimized for mobile and the other isn’t, Google will display the optimized site every time.
How to Optimize your Site for Mobile
The good news is that mobile optimization is not difficult. Prior to Google making mobile a priority, conscientious site creators would have to hire a developer to manually optimize their site. Today, mobile optimization is built into most website templates. Automatic optimization happens on most WordPress and Squarespace themes. If your site is more than five years old, make sure that you have installed the latest version of the theme you are using, and that mobile optimization is available.
Remember, you want people visiting your website whenever they feel the desire to. If someone passes a billboard with your name on it and Googles you, you want them to have a good experience. If someone sees an ad on a social media channel and clicks on it, you don’t want them to struggle to navigate your site. The last thing you want to do is force people to remember your URL the next time they are in front of a computer because the reality is, most won’t, and you will lose a potential customer before you ever really had them. Mobile optimization is a vital part of digital marketing – it is not a place to cut corners.
If you are looking for expert website advice and/or support, leverage the Abogados NOW team. We can help to get your website set up for success.
