As a small business owner, I have to keep my business ahead of the competition – though it isn’t always easy. Most of my customers are making quick decisions based on the information that is available online. However, I find it can be really challenging to keep up with the rapid advances in technology.
But I don’t let that stop me, and neither should you. One easy place to start is by making sure your customers can reach you when they’re browsing on their mobile devices.
Web surfing behaviour has changed a lot in the past few years. As smartphones and tablets gain popularity, more people are surfing the internet on the small screen. For example, 66 per cent of Canadians use smartphones.
Customers use their smartphones and tablets to learn about your business, such as your product or service, hours of operations and ways they can get in touch with you. They want to find out about your business at their convenience, wherever and whenever they want.
Despite how important this platform is, there are currently a staggering number of business websites that aren’t mobile-friendly. This means that you can get the competitive advantage if you make sure your website is mobile-friendly now.
Follow my three ways you can create a mobile-friendly website to get more business here.
Web Developers
If you need to create a fully responsive custom website, web developers are the one of the best ways to go about it. This method saves considerable amount of time, but it may be expensive for some small business owners. If you have a limited marketing budget, doing it yourself is a great option.
Use Responsive Themes
For me the best solution was to find a ready-made website template that was fully responsive and closely met my design needs. Most of these templates are easy to customize and do not require any coding background. Businesses like WordPress offer many such templates for free.
Install Plugins
If you use WordPress platform, you can use various free and premium plugins to make your site fully responsive. Plugins are add-ons that perform specific function to enhance the feature of your website. In this case, you want to find the plugin that will make your existing website fully responsive on all screen sizes.
Learn More
Are you taking advantage of Small Business BC’s wide selection of seminars for entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized business owners? Space is limited, so don’t miss your chance to register today.
And if you want specific questions answered for your business, make an appointment to meet with a Small Business BC Business Advisor or Small Business BC Business Plan Advisor now.