Mobile Web Browsing- The Future

Some 12.6% of total website traffic was generated via mobile device in the fourth quarter of 2011, up 102% from the 6.3% recorded a year earlier, according to the Walker Sands Quarterly Web Traffic Report. As of late, websites and services are getting a bigger chunk of their traffic through mobile web browsing, and in fact some sites have even reached the 50 percent mark in this regard. This kind of drastic jump in data points towards one thing: A world in which developers and publishers have to think mobile first as the standard for web browsing shifts to smaller devices that can be carried around. At the very least it will shortly become an equally important part of the development process, instead of being tacked on at the end or made into an app.

With how easy it has become to simply pull out a phone and browse through websites at high speeds, the world of retail has changed significantly. Someone with a smart phone can basically do all of their shopping and research while they’re out and about, meaning a mobile website can make or break a sale without the individual even coming through your doors! Let’s say someone needs to buy new floor mats for their car. Instead of heading down to the closest auto parts store, they can pull out their phone and actually research which close by auto shop has the best prices on floor mats. This changes everything! Not so long ago, they would have probably just gone to the closest shop and assumed the price was the same as everywhere else. Now you can actually gain local foot traffic that you wouldn’t normally get from a mobile website.

3 Tips to Drive Local Traffic with a Mobile Website

According to a Google Analytics 2010 study, 33% of mobile searches are local, with people looking to access local content relevant to their GPS positioned location, and 61 percent of those users actually called the business.

1. Include a click-to-call phone number. One of the most important things to keep in the back of your mind during the development of a mobile site is that the person viewing it is mobile. It seems completely obvious, but it’s easy to forget this fact and start adding unnecessary features that would appeal more to a desktop user. A lot of the time the person is just there trying to find a way to contact you, so a click-to-call phone number is a must. They’re on the go and they want to talk to someone at your store, make it as easy as possible for them!


2. Include a mobile optimized part catalog. While often visitors on your mobile site will just be looking for contact information, comparison shopping is also an extremely common activity on mobile devices. They may be visiting a few locally owned automotive shops’ websites in order to gauge who has the best prices. For these instances, you want to make sure that browsing through your catalog is easy to do! Create year make model lookup dropdowns that take up the entire screen so they are easy to read and press by the user.


3. Get rid of the “fluff.” During the process of creating a mobile version of your online auto parts store, it is crucial to remember that you’re doing just that; making a mobile version. Take away all of the content and design aspects that aren’t important to the average mobile user, and present them with the easiest to use experience possible. Excess images and flash applications are a good example, as they will slow down your mobile site significantly, and the user probably won’t even pay any attention to them if they’re in a hurry.

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