Here at MHC Websites, we have outlined and examined many issues and themes regarding the online presence of manufactured and mobile home and RV communities. Broken features on a website, data out-of-sync, having no website, and security issues are just some of the concerns that we have addressed, much of which come directly from the source: community managers and owners.
One area of importance from a tech perspective is how customers reach you. We have arrived at a point in time on the Internet where site visitors no longer are sitting in front of a personal computer or a laptop to search for business. Over seventy percent of customers use mobile phones. That means that your business website needs to be mobile-ready.
To casually suggest that “you’re missing out” if your business website is not mobile-ready deemphasizes how important it is to be so. It’s not just that you should be, but that you must.
Imagine a couple driving around to check out various manufactured home communities in and around a region known for such layouts. That couple will be using a mobile device to find names, addresses, phone numbers, directions, and the ever-popular photo gallery to as many destinations appealing to their aspirations.
Is your business website ready when they are?
A Mobile-Ready Website
Modern websites should adapt, or respond, to various screen sizes. This means that a menu design for a desktop computer must be usable on smaller screens. Most menus have a button to press to see the menu, and the sizes of the menu selections should be large enough to be easily pressed with a finger.
Google scans your website and runs a mobile test. If it fails for any reason, it will impact your search engine ranking factor. Here is the Google Mobile-Friendly Test that you can run yourself. Enter the web address (URL) for your website and click “Test URL”.
Running the Google Mobile-Friendly Test
Running the test will take a few minutes as it reads the code for the site, interprets the web page code, and then renders it on a virtual device with a mobile size screen. You can run this test on any page on your website, but the homepage is the most relevant, so give that a start and see how everything works. Then you can run it for other pages on your site as well.
Results you may see if your site is not mobile-ready
Common results are that the menu selections are too small, or too close together to be easily pressed with a finger or other pointing device. Also, if the text is too small to read, your site will be too difficult to use. It will also be reflected with a low score and that will affect your page ranking.
Google is in the business of serving up relevant websites when someone conducts a search. They will serve up a website with a better score first. Here is an example of a website that is not mobile ready.
Imagine pulling up this webpage on your mobile phone. Just like in this image, it will be difficult to use and you will likely be on to the next website. If this is how your website looks, you are missing out on converting a website visitor into a customer.
What you can do to fix it
This example may seem extreme; however, it is all too common. This website is old enough that it does not have any adaptable qualities and building a new website is in order. There are plenty of low-cost options out there if your budget is tight.
If your results are just about the size of the text or buttons that are too close together, a little bit of design code can adjust that, and you will likely be okay when you run your next test. If you are not familiar with writing website design code, there is always someone around locally that could put in a few hours and fix that stuff up for you.
Mobile-Readiness Will Bring Customers to You
Devices evolve, user experiences change, too. Mobile phones are the new personal computer, and they are going along for the ride. Ensuring that your business website is mobile-friendly will help you keep pace with the evolution of technology and the modern consumer.
Drive folks to your manufactured or mobile home community or RV resort with a mobile-ready business website.