Small Business Websites and Mobile Devices - 5 Tips to Increase Sales

  • Added:
    Oct 07, 2013
  • Article Views:
    2956
  • Word Count:
    568
Cell Phone Cameras
Cell Phone Cameras
Photo by compujeramey

Has your small business website done well in the past, but your sales have dropped off in recent months? The problem may not be your product. Instead, you may be losing sales because your website does not support mobile phones and other mobile devices. Fortunately, you can bring your website into the world of mobile devices by following a few simple tips.


Desktop computers, laptops, and notebooks are not dead, but users are increasingly using their smartphones and other mobile devices to search for information on the Internet. The techniques used to create compelling websites for viewing on large screens does not transition well to the small screen on a smartphone. If potential customers using a mobile device cannot easily find the information they are seeking on your website, they will quickly move to one of your competitor’s websites. In this day and age, your small business presence has to be oriented towards mobile devices as well as desktops.


Making your website more user friendly for mobile devices may not be as difficult as you think. These 5 simple tips can help keep smartphone users on your website, and that can mean an increase of sales in the process.


1) Less is Better – Most legacy websites have way too much information on a single screen to be useful for a smartphone. The best websites for mobile devices have streamlined information that allows users to quickly pick out the information they need. Consequently, you need to stay away from clutter.

2) Avoid Multiple Columns – A single column layout works best for small screens. By consolidating your information into a single column, you keep the user from having to scroll left and right. Most smartphone users would much rather scroll up and down to find their information.

3) Navigation Matters – You need to simplify your navigation for mobile devices. An elaborate navigation menu at the top of every screen does not work well for smartphones and tablets. A better methodology for mobile devices may be a dropdown list containing multiple menu options. Additionally, many user-interface experts recommend not providing full navigation on every screen. Instead, a simple link to get back to the home page may be more convenient for the users. A final navigation tip is to keep the navigation levels to 3 or less deep.

4) Data Entry – Most users have difficulty entering large amounts of text on a smartphone, so you should keep your data requirements to the minimum required to make the sale. You should use dropdown lists when appropriate, and if you can utilize information previously entered by the user, it would be to your advantage.

5) Multiple Websites – In a perfect world, a single website would be useable by both mobile devices and their larger cousins. Unfortunately, sometimes it just isn’t feasible. In those cases, you may need a website tailored for mobile devices in addition to your primary website. It will obviously be more work, but if that’s what you need to make additional sales, then that is what needs to be done.


As technology advances, small business owners who embrace the future will succeed, and those who hold onto the past may find themselves holding an empty bank account. Mobile devices are increasingly becoming the preferred methodology for searching the Internet for many users. By making a few changes to your website, you can keep your small business competitive in the new mobile device paradigm.

Author's Profile

Author Sam Jones always directs people to http://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/business_mobile_phones/ for more info on business mobiles


Please Rate this Article
Poor Excellent