[INFOGRAPHIC] Mobile-Friendly Websites for Manufacturers: The Time is Now
by MGB2B
Tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices have shifted the way in which potential customers find and interact with brands online. Now, the biggest name in the search engine game is taking that shift to the next level. In April 2015, Google implemented a change to its algorithm (commonly referred to as “Mobilegeddon”) which places much greater emphasis on whether or not a website is “mobile-friendly”. Basically, it means that if a website is not deemed mobile-friendly, it will not rank well on mobile-based search results. Since mobile usage is continuing to grow at a rapid pace (in 2014, it equaled desktop usage for the first time), this could spell trouble for companies whose websites are behind the times.
To see just how much this change could impact local B2B marketers, we took a closer look at the web presence for a number of manufacturing companies here in Connecticut. Our goal was to see how many mobile-friendly websites for manufacturers existed in the local landscape, as a bellwether for regional and potentially national trends. Using a sample set of 400 Connecticut-based manufacturing companies, we tested the URL for each company using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool; the results were shocking.
Mobile-Friendly Websites for Manufacturers in Connecticut: 76% of Connecticut manufacturing companies do not have mobile friendly websites.
Among the websites tested, 76% were found to not have a properly formatted, mobile-friendly web presence. That means that over ¾ of Connecticut-based manufacturers risk losing their ranking in Google unless they make some immediate changes to their websites. This is only compounded by the fact that recent industry studies have shown 77% of B2B Decision-makers (read: executives) are now using their smartphones to research outside products and/or services. Furthermore, when researching information on suppliers, we see that 56% of B2B buyers are going directly to websites, while 38% are utilizing a search engine.
At the end of the day, this is clearly not just about search engine rankings, it is truly about missing out on new business leads. Missing growth opportunities. For some manufacturers, this can mean the difference between being able to compete in today’s global economy and simply fading away into obscurity.
The time to act is now. Mobile-friendly websites for manufacturers are no longer a “nice-to-have”, they are a must-have for any company operating in the manufacturing space today. Take the next step toward growing your business and learn more about implementing a mobile-friendly website design for your company.