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Mobile is now, not the future

desktop -> mobile -> IoT ->?

         

iamlost

9:39 pm on Apr 30, 2017 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



In many of the threads here at WebmasterWorld there is a continuing refrain that goes something like:
* most of my traffic is still desktop, I get very little mobile traffic
and/or
* my mobile traffic converts at a fraction of my desktop traffic
Then when it is suggested that the mobile context is different than desktop context and that perhaps mobile needs to be approached differently the refrain goes something like:
* my site's responsive!
and/or
* why would I want to chase such poor conversions?
and/or
* Google is mismatching their traffic and my site.

One can lead...etc. et al

Some very serious numbers to consider:
* desktop sales have basically plateaued. It is a mature market. As a consequence the number of desktop users is going to be relatively flat for the foreseeable future. As that pie is no longer getting bigger the only way of increasing one's share of the desktop pie is to take it from someone else.

* last (2016) Cyber Monday saw ~3.5 Billion USD in sales. ~30% was by mobile.
---last Single's Day (China's Cyber Monday) saw ~18 Billion USD in sales; ~85% was by mobile.
What this shows is two critical information points:
1. mobile is NOT a negligible traffic/revenue stream.
2. mobile in the US has an enormous potential upside (if certain legacy structural problems are run around or over).
---eg: last American Thanksgiving's twin eCommerce 'holidays' of Black Friday and Cyber Monday WalMart's traffic was 70% mobile; purchases were 60% mobile.
What this shows is that beating the current 30% average is very possible.

The desktop with it's large screen, keyboard, mouse in a fixed location is a very different critter than a small touchscreen on a street corner or doctor's office. Sometimes the information desired is similar but the presentation or interaction needs to be different, sometimes the information itself needs to be different.

Forms are a huge pita whether desktop or smartphone. One benefit of mobile is that forms generally are being revisited and unbelievably simplified. The typical desktop form has over 20 input boxes. The newest mobile versions (which perform as well on desktop) have ~5.
Plus they've inverted address inputs putting zip/postal code first. Why? because that allows the site to auto complete several other address requirements. Then as visitor inputs street address an autocomplete drop down based on the foregoing usually means that only 2-5 key inputs plus a click are needed.
Plus only one name input is needed - and that allows for everything from one to a dozen - let the software do the heavy lifting, don't offload onto the customer.
Plus inline verification.
Plus input mask or scan for credit card info.
Plus smart default masks.
Plus...

Now take similar thinking and apply it to every single interaction between your site and the visitor.
* can it be made easier? simpler? more obvious?
* what brought the browsing public? the buying public? can/should I provide more?
---how+w5
* what are the contexts of the browsing public? the buying pubic? can/should I (better) target specifics?
---how+w5
* most buyers use 2 to 5 different devices before buying. Can/should you track more/better? Can I short circuit 'normal'?
* etc.

The initial switch to mobile has been shifting from desktop but the benefits traction is actually both ways.

Backing up a bit to that 2 to 5 device usage. Many/most webdevs think of mobile and desktop as separate entities. Almost no one here (or elsewhere) seems to consider web enabled TVs or automobile screens or the increasing number of idiotic IoT appliances. The web is in yet another transition and if one can't get mobile right (after a decade) or even desktop (after a couple) future success has to be considered rather bleak.

The 'easy' route of uploading content of n-quality in an it all looks similar bog awful stock CMS and cutting and pasting ad/af network code means that one is competing with 99% of the same stuff against 99% of competitors. It is, quite frankly, a race to the bottom jerked up by an occasional Google algo 'quality' change. Yes, it can still work; although mostly it doesn't. Or so say the numbers. And forum angst.

To succeed - and I don't just mean with Google - one needs to offer significantly better value than your next few competitors combined, to have both the quality and the ability to become a niche destination and not merely a query result.

You may not be 'killing it' with Google but someone in your niche is.
You may not be 'killing it' with mobile but someone in your niche is.
You may not be getting 5-10-20-40% return traffic but someone in your niche is.
You may not be achieving 5-10-20-40% conversion rates but someone in your niche is.
And that means that you have a lot of work to do.
Me too.

phranque

10:17 pm on Apr 30, 2017 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



i'd like to highlight one of the points you made as i've been wondering why this hasn't long been promoted for usability on the desktop as well:
they've inverted address inputs putting zip/postal code first. Why? because that allows the site to auto complete several other address requirements.

i think this is one example of how "mobile first" thinking can help desktop conversions as well.

keyplyr

2:46 am on May 1, 2017 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



One important thing I've learned: Mobile users think much differently than desktop users... even if they use both. Website owners can't use desktop thinking on mobile users; doesn't translate well.

• Prior to launching a responsive layout, I saw very low traffic from mobile*. However, I bit the bullet, dug in, read everything I could and after a year of preparation (and helpful advice) I launched the site responsive.

• I saw mobile traffic slowly creep up.

• Then it took approximately another year to learn what mobile was all about. I did more reading and research, A/B testing, asked a lot of questions and started tweaking the mobile presentation to work better for users.

• I saw mobile traffic slowly creep up.

• Mobile users are very different than desktop users. They want direct, succinct & simple presentation of information, but I had to make it interesting and not just a watered-down version of my desktop layout. This took creativity. How do you find creativity...? Imitate, assimilate & innovate :)

• I saw mobile traffic increase more, and sales started to convert for mobile devices.

• I then targeted Social Media where mobile is huge. I got some of my content on several mobile apps, linked images & photos to articles shown at FB, Twitter, photo sharing sites, etc.

I'm now seeing 50/50 mobile to desktop weekdays, and 80% mobile on weekends. Desktop users have decreased 20% to 30%. Desktop search referrals have also decreased, yet my mobile traffic continues to creep up. Overall traffic is way up.

*Conclusion: Mobile traffic was initially low because I had nothing to offer mobile users.

Mobile is the next big thing & it's here now and growing more robust each day.

NickMNS

1:29 pm on May 1, 2017 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



@iamlost Great post! I fully agree.
I have always said that figuring out the key to monetizing mobile traffic will be the key to success in today's environment.

You just need to look at the discourse here on WW, to see that many people are stuck in the desktop mindset and their only reaction is to rail against G, as if G is one day going to roll back the algo to 2009, I think speaks volumes. If you are looking for away to jump ahead of you competitors this is one. Natural selection will run its course.

Mobile first, AMP, PWA's this is where the web is headed.

There are many challenges ahead (read opportunity):
as Iamlost points out forms is a big one.
Viewability for ads is another. How do you keep an ad on small screen long enough to be seen bu the user without it being so obtrusive that users is forgets about the content?