Editor’s Note: This is the second of a three-part series focusing on ways to enhance your digital presence and be seen by more plan sponsor prospects. Part 1, providing tips on using LinkedIn, can be found here.
In 2015, Google announced that for the first time in history, more searches were conducted on mobile devices than on desktop computers.[1] Since that time, mobile search has continued to increase – so much so that Google has announced that starting July 1, 2019, they will begin a new initiative called “mobile-first indexing.”[2] This means that your website’s mobile version just became very important.
If you want your website to appear favorably on Google’s search results, visitors, then keep reading.
Before we go deeper, let’s briefly address why this is important. For one, Google is the largest search engine in the world. Second, how are you reading this article right now? Are you on your phone? If so, it’s a testament to the fact that times are changing. Third, when your plan sponsor prospects are searching for information, over 52% of the time, they are conducting that research on their phones. When they Google you, your firm and/or your services, we want you to look your absolute best.
Confirm That Your Site is Mobile Friendly
To discover whether your website is mobile friendly, click here. This test is a convenient and free way to learn if your site is mobile friendly, and whether there are any issues to improve. If so, no worries; simply contact your website team and bring this to their attention.
QC Your Mobile Site to Look Your Best
With the confidence that your website is mobile friendly, take out your phone (if you haven’t already) and pull up your firm’s website. As a firm that creates websites, we know that beautiful desktop websites do not always translate to beautiful mobile webpages. Actually, from our experience, it takes a lot of additional work to create a great mobile site.
Read more commentary by Rebecca Hourihan here.
Now that you have your mobile site on your phone, look around. The No. 1 most-visited page is probably your home page. How does it look?
Next is your “About Us” page. How does that one look? Many times, biography photos are either too large, too small, off center, out of order and/or suffer from a myriad of other layout snafus.
The No. 3 most-visited page is generally the blog. Take a moment and tour your mobile site and ask yourself: How does it make us look? If it’s anything shy of amazing, then take a screenshot and text it to your website team for updating.
Do Prospects Really Visit Our Mobile Site?
Yes, mobile websites are often the first place prospects visit to conduct research. Think of it like this: A CFO prospect is at a conference. She gets an email on her phone with a favorable introduction to you. What do you think she is going to do next? She is going to visit your website to learn more about you. And since she’s traveling, she’s using her phone to do so, she’s visiting your mobile website. What is her first digital impression of you?
This is why it’s important to conduct a mobile site audit, so you know that a visitor’s first experience is excellent.
In the age of immediate access to the world in the palm of your hand, you want your mobile presence to demonstrate professionalism, expertise and knowledge. When your plan sponsor prospects are Googling for information, you want their mobile experience to be enjoyable – and one that continuously reinforces your valuable services.
Thanks for reading and Happy Marketing!
Rebecca Hourihan, AIF, PPC, is the founder and CMO of 401(k) Marketing.
Footnotes
1. “Building for the next moment.” Google Inside Adwords, May 5, 2015.
2. “Prepare for mobile-first indexing.” Google Search, May 29, 2019.
