In May 2012, JD Power & Associates announced that 54% of wireless customers in Canada currently own a smartphone (up from 36% in 2011).1 Practically a standard in the workplace, smartphones are used to stay in touch with the office through email, text messages and don’t forget, the phone. It’s also very useful to access data through the Internet. And on the go, smartphones are now a GPS.
A recent American study by Google2 indicates that 70% of all smartphone users connect with businesses. They go online to access companies’ website, find a business phone number and look the business up on a map or find directions.
Is your website as smart as your phone?
In everyday business life, chances are that when a business smartphone user looks up your website, he or she wants to call you or get directions to one of your locations.
No need to redo your website to satisfy that need. Here are some quick tips to answer smartphone needs.
- Put your phone number in the top section of your website. Make sure it is easy to find and displayed in large font. Make sure to use the 10-digit format (123-456-7890). It will facilitate the call function of the smartphone when available.
- Your office location also needs to be located quickly and easily, for example near the phone number or in the footer. Have the full address on one line with the postal code. It will be easy to copy and paste in Google Maps. Better yet, insert a Google Maps link or insert a widget in your contact page.
- In the case of multiple branches, have a Contacts page with clear and easy navigation and contact information for each branch. Keep in mind that smartphones, even if they offer high resolution, are small devices. Do some tests!
Implementing these suggestions is easy and doesn’t require much time, effort or money. They will certainly help your clients and prospects reach you!
Finally, check out your web analytics and evaluate how many visits are made to your website via smartphones and tablets. You may notice that there are more and more of them. Investing in a mobile version for your website could happen sooner than you think.
