The number of mobile users are fast increasing and mobile traffic on websites are right up there as well. Sadly many sites that are out there are not optimized for mobile traffic, and some can’t handle it all.
Over the past months, we have seen mobile traffic across the sites we manage more than double. Some sources claim that mobile traffic makes up ~50% of all traffic, our numbers suggest that it is not that high, but it is growing.
While many websites look just fine on a mobile device, one thing we’ve noticed is that the conversion rate for mobile devices is drastically behind that of non-mobile. The trickier on-screen keyboard explains part of it, however most of the time this can be traced to forms not being mobile friendly (and in most cases, unusable on a mobile device).
So make sure you take a look at your analytics information and take a look at the mobile segment (advanced segments). See just how much, and how well your mobile traffic is doing. Actually While you’re at it, take a look at the audience->technology->browser & os tab, and look at the conversion rate for each browser (you have set up goals right?). Looking at this can sometimes help you identify problems with specific browsers &| screen sizes &| flash version.
Speaking of Flash version, let’s discuss flash.
We am not a big fan of flash to begin with. Reliability issues, poor SEO, inconsistent user experience are just some of the reasons. To add to that, flash on mobile is a dying breed. Apple doesn’t support it, nor is it available for blackberry and a major chunk of mobile traffic is from an apple device. All told 42% of all traffic from the sites we manage don’t have flash (mostly mobile, with a few desktop clients). If your site relies on flash, stop and think about this for a moment.
Sites that have flash navigation, rely on flash for conversions, are entirely built with flash are losing 25% of all visitors. This number becomes even worst if you look at the restaurant industry where a fancy flash site has almost become the norm.
Most people looking for a restaurant will do so on their phone, so the % of visitors without flash jumps to roughly 60+% at that rate it might better to simply not have a website.
Before doing anything, look at the numbers. If you don’t have numbers, try looking at your site using an iPhone or iPad. If your site doesn’t work well for mobile devices, look into getting the site redone without flash, and using responsive design. If that is not possible (usually for budget reasons) look at finding a way to make your content/conversion process more accessible to mobile users.