How Having a Mobile-First Mindset is Shaping A New Generation
What Does it Mean to Have a Mobile-First Mindset
Having a Mobile-First Mindset is a marketing language for how the field of websites and mobile phones are shifting; It simply means that mobile version of a website becomes the starting point for Google searches, and starting point for how they determine rankings.
Bridget Randolph from Moz.com wants to make it clear, however, that this does not necessarily limit desktop sites, but now a non-mobile friendly experience could negatively impact the rankings of a website.
It’s important to recognize the switch Google has made in order to adapt to the influx of users browsing from a mobile device. Before, all desktop sites were considered to be the primary version while all mobile sites were labelled as a secondary choice for users. With the desktop being the fundamental site for all searches, this allowed marketing professionals and businesses to strategically curate SEO’s while also allowing the site to be more developing, leaving the lighter things for mobile sites- if they were to have one.
So what does that mean going forward? Essentially, this strategy is still in its early stages of development, Randolph says, and that means it is not anything to panic over. It is even suggested by Google that if your mobile and desktop sites are similar in what they perform then companies might even have to make any changes to the way they structure their websites.
However, it is becoming increasingly more important to make sure all mobile sites and their website counterparts have been developed to load quickly with a design that enables viewers to interact in a simple, responsive way.
The Proof is in the Data
With marketing strategies being shaped to implement a more mobile friendly experience, it is important to look at the numbers; where are their similarities in trends and how do companies use this to their advantage?
Google has recently delved into the minds of Generation Z consumers to understand the dynamics of this mobile-first phenomenon.
“While millennials were mobile pioneers, teens are mobile natives.”
While their experience with technology allows them to utilize the accessibility of a smartphone, the studies Google has conducted suggest that there is a difference between ethnic groups and even an evolution in their digital behaviors. Of all teens surveyed, smartphones rein supreme with 78% of all teens acknowledging that they use a smartphone over any other device; laptops come in second with 69%. However, Google also looked at the way these numbers shift with different age groups within the Gen Z category and their ethnicity. For example, teens ages 18-24 are registered at 87% for smartphones as their primary device; then, within that category Black teens are labelled as 79% for using smartphones while Hispanic teens are at 81%.
Teens are now using their phones to conduct their online purchases as well. Google reports that 53% of all teens within the Gen Z age group conduct shopping online compared to the 43% of other age groups.
Overall, there is a new thriving market for companies to capitalize on when it comes to appealing to the younger generations. Adapting to and providing mobile friendly sites inevitably allows them to gain more traction on their platform.
Ways to Structure Your New Mobile Friendly Site
So, having a mobile friendly site is now an important factor for businesses to consider while developing their online presence. Here are a few tips and design strategies to make a well functioning, mobile site.
A Table of Contents- Having a table of contents is not only a super easy way to fit a lot of information in a space without overwhelming a user, it also keeps things organized and allows a user to freely navigate through different spaces of different content.
Expandable Content- This design tool is similar to the table of contents in functionality and appearance. It allows users to choose what content they would like to look at, while also showcasing all the different avenues they can take to browse the site.
Tabs- Tabs are another way to allow a user to control their display, while it does take up more space on a presentation level, it does provide a clear and concise avenue for the viewer.
Those are a few simple ways to change a display to be more encompassing of a smartphone. Then, when translating these changes to a desktop, there does not even have to be all that many switches as those designs can transcend the mobile experience.
By: Sara Skwaryk