Great Connections for Summer 2017

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GREAT Connections
SUMMER 2017 3
Is Your Website
Mobile
Friendly?
If the answer is, “No” or “I’m
not sure,” this article is for you
Grab your smartphone right now and go to your
company’s website. Is there a lot of text? Do
you have to pinch or zoom in to read it? If so,
your users may get frustrated and go elsewhere.
The desktop version of a website is often difficult to view and
use on the small screen of a smartphone or tablet. Given the fact
that many of users will visit your website on a mobile device,
it’s important for them to have a positive experience when they
get there.
Keep in mind that mobile usage in the U.S. is growing. StatCounter
reports mobile usage was 42 percent in June 2017, up from 31 per-
cent in June 2016. By contrast, desktop usage fell from 61 percent
to 48 percent during the same period.1
Mobile-Friendly Features
What makes a website a mobile-friendly one? Generally speaking,
it’s designed with features including:
• Larger text which is easier to read on a smaller screen
• Mobile-friendly navigation which quickly displays the most
relevant content
• Touch-friendly buttons and page elements, placed far enough
apart to be easily tapped
• Faster download speed
• Avoidance of software (like Flash) not typically available on
mobile devices
Benefits for Your Company
In addition to improving the user experience, having a mobile-
friendly website can provide your company with other valuable
benefits. Topping this list is improved search visibility, meaning
your company may appear higher up on the list when prospects
search for the products/services you offer. This is because Google
uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal and favors these
types of websites in its search rankings.
If your small business has not optimized your website for mobile,
doing so may help you improve your results and increase your
bottom line.
New Great Plains Communications Website
Great Plains Communications is “practicing what we preach.”
We recently launched our new website which includes a mobile-
friendly design along with expanded content for business and
residential customers.
We invite you to check out our website at www.gpcom.
com to see our improvements firsthand. To find out if
your website has a mobile-friendly design and get rec-
ommendations from Google, visit
webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly.
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