Does Mobile Website Design Really Contribute to More Sales?

April 21st 2015 will be forever known as ‘mobilegeddon’ – a day that witnessed Google’s biggest algorithm update in years. Google warned that after this date, websites that weren’t optimised for mobile would be penalised and experience a significant drop in page rankings. 

On reflection, businesses were right to be worried. Adobe’s report found that since the update, sites that aren’t mobile optimised have experienced a 10% decrease in traffic from mobile search results and a 35% decrease in visibility. It is worth noting, however, that the update on the whole has only affected mobile results and traffic. Desktop SEO visibility does not appear to be affected. While companies who have yet to invest in B2B mobile website design may be breathing a sigh of relief, don’t be lulled into a false sense of comfort just yet. Remember, 29% of your B2B site traffic comes from mobile devices, meaning this update affects everyone.

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest developments regarding Google's mobile-friendly update, you will have noticed that the majority of articles focus on the impact on site traffic. However, the most important metric for any B2B website design is leads and how many of these convert into sales.

So, bottom line – does B2B mobile website design really impact sales and lead generation? Yes - and here’s how…

Mobile audience in context

When and why do you access websites on your mobile device? During your commute to stave off boredom? Or maybe on your lunch break as a way to relax. Generally, the mobile audience does not have a lot of time to spare. Their browsing is more fast-paced and action-orientated than desktop users, who browse the web at a more leisurely pace. Mashable has discovered that 70% of mobile searches are followed up by a consumer action within the hour. While this research relates to the B2C buyer, HubSpot notes that it also rings true for the B2B market. Therefore, it’s safe to say that mobile users are more likely to sprint through the sales cycle and buy. 

Despite the technological advancements in modern mobile devices, small screen sizes can still potentially restrict experience. Frustratingly small buttons and complicated navigation menus can annoy mobile prospects, giving them a reason to bounce off your site. On the other hand, sites that have used responsive design can expect to see an 11% drop in bounce rate. Why is this important? Because the longer a prospect stays on your site, the greater the chance that they will buy. If visitors quickly bounce off your site, the likelihood of them clicking on a call to action or downloading additional content is slim, resulting in a poor conversion rate (and goodbye to sales!).

Impact on the buyer’s journey 

80% of B2B purchase cycles are completed before the buyer considers contacting the vendor, reports Forbes. During this time, your prospects are researching, comparing potential vendors and reading reviews. The early stages of the buyer’s journey present the first opportunity for you to supply prospects with nurturing content and begin progression through the sales cycle. Now also take into consideration the fact that 52% of prospects conduct this prior research on their mobile devices. If greeted with a mobile un-friendly site, chances are, prospects will visit a competitor. Mobile users are notoriously impatient and demand a fully-functional mobile site. In fact, most mobile prospects will wait six to ten seconds for a site to load before abandoning it!

With this in mind, supplying a fast and responsive mobile site that mirrors the quality of the desktop experience is essential. If you fail to supply this, prospects will be left with a bad impression of your site and 43% will go and visit a competitor – bringing a halt to lead generation before it has even begun. However, a staggering 67% of visitors will be more likely to buy your products and services if your site is mobile optimised – stressing the huge impact mobile has on sales margins.

Don’t forget about email

Email marketing isn’t technically part of your B2B website design BUT with 51% of your prospects discovering your site through email referrals, it really can’t be ignored. More than half of email reads occur on mobile (53% to be exact) and the rewards from email marketing are pretty phenomenal, with 43% of marketers voting it as their number one source for leads. In the past decade, the popularity of email marketing has surged (and so too has the number of emails in your prospects’ inbox). When sorting through an exhaustive list of emails, if yours happens to display awkwardly on mobile devices, or worse still, doesn’t open at all – it will get trashed (just like your chance of gaining a referral to your website.) 

Mobile visitors are likely to check their emails in a distraction-free environment, such as when travelling to and from work, and so are more inclined to read your email there and then. Research shows how 23.6% of all email openings happen within the first hour of delivery. Therefore, don’t give prospects a reason not to read the entirety of your email.