In This Digital Era, Your Website Needs to Be Responsive

Websites that aren’t optimized for access by mobile devices – which is known as being “responsive” – look and act awful on our mobile screens.

Mobile has won the game. Mobile devices are used to consume more content than desktops and laptops. Mobile is so prevalent that it’s now the default index for Google.

Yeah, but what about social media? Those stats are even more convincing in mobile’s favor. Each month, more than a billion Facebook users access the social network exclusively on their mobile devices.  So, if you’re a healthcare professional looking to grow your business, it’s time to stick your nose into your phone. 

You already use mobile

Professionals in the healthcare industry are finding their smartphones to be indispensable tools.

You already know and prefer this method of accessing Internet-based information. It’s what your new and existing customers want, too. There’s just one problem – and you’ve probably experienced it yourself. Websites that aren’t optimized for access by mobile devices – which is known as being “responsive”—look and act awful on our mobile screens.

Scanners

Quick math. The average person reads about 300 words a minute. The average time spent with your content on a mobile device is 57 seconds. That means you’ve got less than 300 words to communicate your point before people move on.

But wait, there’s also strong research saying that content with word count of over 1,000 performs better than short posts. Social media expert Buffer has posted research showing that posts that are 2,500 words or more actually do best for them. That’s true, and we believe it’s crucial – when the subject requires an in-depth dive. What this means is that you’ve got to write for scanners.

• Kick off with an article summary at the top.
• Be generous with subheads.
• Write short sentences.
• Include images.
• Bold important words when appropriate.
• Use bullet points to break up long explanations.
• Make friends with white space.

Mobile first

It’s time to change your approach to what’s being consumed on your website. The content as a whole is crucial. Nobody’s going to tell you to create less content. Every piece of content is another opportunity to be ranked on search engines and found by new customers.

It’s how you approach the presentation of this content that matters. Imagine everything about your website from the perspective of a mobile device you hold in your hands. That’s the portal. It’s how you’re being presented to most people. It’s time to turn things upside-down and adopt a mobile-first mindset.

Stop for a moment and think about how many times throughout the day you look at your smartphone’s screen. And, don’t think you’re an outlier. A recent survey shows that Americans check their smartphones an average of once every 12 minutes. The research also showed that some of us check our mobile device every 4 minutes.

Too many taps

Designing for mobile doesn’t mean just making everything look good on a smaller screen. You’ve got to reduce the amount of interactions that people have with the optimized content you’re sharing with them.

Users want a lot of options, but too many options will overload their brain, and too many interactions to figure out those options will cause people to bail. Hick’s Law (or decision paralysis) tells of the phenomenon: The more options a user has, the more time they will take to make a decision.

Don’t get too creative. Use symbols and forms that are commonly recognized. Make it easy to navigate through the mobile version of your website.

Need help? Consider hiring a professional web designer to get your website designed the way you see fit.

Is an app the answer?

In short, no. There are well over 10 million apps available for iOS, Android, and Microsoft mobile devices. What are the odds that a new or existing customer will download your specific app to have an “optimized” experience with you?

Tech Crunch reports that most of us use nine apps or less regularly, and only about 30 in total monthly. It turns out that mobile websites get more visitors than apps. com Score tracks usage, and reports that only upside to an app is that people may spend more time with it than with your mobile website.

Be there for them

Let’s jump in the time machine for a minute. Back in 2012, Google was already telling us that nearly half of consumers looking for healthcare providers with their mobile devices went on to schedule an appointment.

Mobile matters. Make it a priority. If you’ve got the content, transform it for mobile consumption.