Dental News - 3 reasons your website should be optimized for mobile device users

Diana P. Friedman, USA

Mon. 6 May 2013

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According to Pew Internet, 45 percent of American adults owned a smartphone as of December 2012.[1] As these powerful devices increasingly make their way into the pockets and purses of your existing and potential patients, it’s a business imperative that your website deliver the experience these users expect. A strong mobile presence helps you get in front of prospective patients at the moment they’re looking for your business, and capture their attention once you have it.

On the other hand, if your site doesn’t look good or function properly on a smartphone, it won’t take long for patients to move on to one that does.

Not sure if mobile is important to your practice? Here are three reasons you could be missing the boat — and missing easy opportunities to attract new patients to your practice.

Mobile is where your patients are

Many of your patients probably use the mobile Web; if they don’t, it’s likely just a matter of time until they do. 87 percent of smartphone users access the internet using their phones,[2] and U.S. smartphone users spend an average of 23 billion minutes a month on the mobile Web.[3] Mobile Web usage has exploded over the past few years and shows no signs of slowing: it’s currently the fastest-growing source of internet traffic,[4] and many industry experts project that mobile internet usage will exceed desktop internet usage by 2014.[5]

For many smartphone users, mobile has also become their preferred way to use the Web: 31 percent of current mobile Web users mostly go online using their phones.[6] A sesame Communications research case study found that a mobile website drove an average of 19 calls per month to the practice.[7]

With so many of your patients “going mobile” these days, it’s important to make sure they can quickly and easily access your site on their devices.

Mobile is how patients research — and make — buying decisions

More and more people are using the mobile Web to research and buy goods and services. In 2011 more than $106 billion in online purchases were made on mobile devices, and this number is expected to grow at least 42 percent every year through 2015.[8]

Even people who don’t buy anything on their mobile devices often use them to research future purchases. 92 percent of smartphone users seek local information on their device, and 89 percent have taken action after looking up local content.[9] More significantly for your practice, 52 percent of smartphone owners have used their phones to search for health information.[10]

Without a mobile-optimized site, your practice will have a harder time driving new and repeat appointments from the mobile Web. Mobile shoppers are more likely to buy something if the company’s site is optimized for mobile, and are more likely to return to a site in the future if their mobile experience is good.[11]

You may be driving away patients

Many mobile users now expect any brand they engage with to have a mobile-optimized site. Nearly half of smartphone users say that visiting a non-mobile-friendly site makes them feel like the company doesn't care about them.[12] Additionally, more than half of mobile users say they won't recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site.[13]

If smartphone users reach a site and see that it’s not optimized for mobile, what will they do? They might leave — 74 percent of mobile users are only willing to wait five seconds or less for a single Web page to load before leaving the site.[14] Or worse, they might visit a competitors’ site – 61 percent of customers who visit a website that isn't mobile-friendly will leave to visit a competitor.[15]

The bottom line is that not having a mobile-optimized site can hurt your relationships with current patients, and drive away prospective ones. As smartphone and mobile Web usage continues to grow, this will only become a bigger issue for dental practices without mobile-optimized sites.

The mobile Web is where many of your patients are, and where they go to find and research your dental practice. Optimizing your website for mobile will help you best capitalize on the mobile Web as a tool for building and strengthening relationships with patients. In selecting a partner to launch your mobile site, make certain they understand on-the-go patient online behavior and leverage your existing online practice brand and social media channels to optimize the impact of your new mobile site.

Note: This article was published in Dental Tribune U.S. Edition, Vol. 8 No. 4, April 2013 issue. A complete list of references is available from the publisher.

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