The truth about mobile-friendly websites in B2B

In our work with mature small B2Bs we sometimes find ourselves debunking myths about the role of mobile in lead generation. We also hear horror stories about attempts to build mobile-friendly sites that went terribly wrong. If you are a B2B, here are some important truths and nuances about mobile.

Myth: lead generation doesn’t happen on mobile

Forget investing in a comprehensive mobile strategy, some B2Bs strongly believe having even a mobile-friendly website isn’t important for their business.

Could they be right?

The answer is best found in their website data. For our clients, visitors viewing the website on a mobile device ranges between 10% and 40% of their total traffic. Across the board, this traffic source has consistently grown over the past few years, and we can confidently predict traffic from mobile will continue to grow as a percentage of overall traffic. But even considering the low end, 10% of visitors is too large a number to ignore when you calculate how much goes into attracting these visitors in the first place.

Some people have expressed to us that people coming to their site through mobile aren’t “real” buyers. But the stats say otherwise: not only are people doing their work at all times of day and night, they are also using their phone to conduct their buying research. 

In 2015, Google reported that 49% of B2B buyers who are using their mobile devices to do product research are actually doing so while at work. What’s more, if you increase your marketing activity, this number is likely to lift. 

One of our clients has gone from 10% of traffic coming in via mobile in 2012 to 42% in 2016 as a result of publishing more content, being more active social media and running more digital ads. And, of course, we have to account for the change in buyer behaviour that everyone is seeing as being a factor too.

At Hop Skip, we build mobile-friendly sites for all of our clients, no matter how big or small they are. If you are not well versed in website development, you may not know the difference between a mobile website and a responsive website. This nuance was the downfall of a B2B owner we spoken with a few weeks ago. He hired a web designer to create a mobile site as part of his website refresh, when what he wanted was a responsive site. 

What is the difference between a responsive website and a mobile website?

A responsive site is a website that’s coded to adapt to the viewer’s screen size (desktop, tablet, and mobiles of all sizes). Most, if not all, of the site content and functionality are available to the mobile visitor.

A mobile website is a distinct copy of your website that is slimmed down for mobile users. When someone looks at your site using a mobile device, the server will show them the mobile website rather than the desktop version.

Mobile sites are becoming a thing of the past because responsive sites are more user friendly for visitors and administrators. Also, having a responsive site increases the likelihood that your site will be included in search results when someone is Googling on their mobile device because search engines are rewarding companies that have responsive sites.
 

Responsive sites are a must-have for selling in B2B. If your current site isn’t responsive, it’s time to change that so that you don’t miss out on leads or opportunities to engage customers and re-engage past customers. When working with a website designer, be clear about what you want, and make sure your designer is following the latest mobile-friendly site recommendations released by Google.