5 Reasons Your Architecture Firm Needs a Mobile Website
5 Reasons Your Architecture Firm Needs a Mobile Website
Discover why a mobile version of your website is vital to your success as an architect
Architecture firms build innovative structures that prioritize great design and functionality, but sadly, their websites often look like they were made 15 years ago. One of the most common errors that architects make is relying on Flash technology to create interactive portfolio websites.Although Flash websites might have cool bells and whistles, they usually aren't mobile-friendly. And having a mobile website is no longer a competitive advantage – it is a necessity in the age of smartphones and tablets.
1.Mobile web usage is exploding
Having a mobile website is vital considering that mobile usage has overtakeen desktop. Global mobile traffic now represents roughly 13% of all Internet traffic (source: Forbes). Since there's a good chance that people visiting your architecture firm's website are on a mobile device, ensure that people are able to view your portfolio and read your content easily on a variety of mobile devices, from the iPhone to the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
2.Desktop websites don't provide a user-friendly experience on mobile devices
Visiting a website that is designed for viewing on desktop computers and laptops could prove to be a frustrating experience on the small screen of a mobile device. Some problems that desktop websites pose on mobile devices include the images being too large,text being too small, pages taking too long to load, etc.
One way to prevent mobile users from experiencing information overload is using a mobile-specific website design that delivers a more productive and user-friendly experience by cutting down on content, image resolution, and page load times. Your site can detect traffic from mobile devices and automatically redirect users to the mobile version of your site.
3.Not having a mobile website could cause you to lose business
If you ignore the mobile boom and don't make an effort to provide a user-friendly experience to mobile users, you could end up frustrating potential clients and giving them a bad first impression of your firm. If that happens, prospects might leave your website,never to return.
4.Give your architecture firm a competitive edge
Having a mobile-friendly website gives your prospects one more reason to pick your firm over the competition. People are more likely to stay on your site and explore your offerings if your site is easier to navigate via a mobile device. A mobile-friendly website also expands your reach by allowing you to connect with approximately 115 million smartphone users and 74 million tablet users in the United States alone (source: Mobile Marketer).
5.Increase conversions
Mobile-specific website features,such as tap-to-call and location-based maps, strengthen your calls to action and increase your mobile website's conversion rates. On the other hand, a standard desktop website typically has too much content and is too difficult to read and navigate on a mobile device, so it isn't likely to convert browsers into buyers. According to Google, 67% of mobile users say that when they visit a mobile-friendly site, they're more likely to buy a site's product or service.
Invest in a Mobile Website for Your Architecture Firm
As the mobile web continues to grow, there is more and more to be gained from having a mobile website. When you use efelle's FusionCMS content management system for architects, you are given access to a mobile web module that adds a mobile-specific website to your database. This module pulls information from the same database as your desktop site, eliminating the need for you to enter different content for each version of your site. For more information about our mobile websites for architecture firms, please give us a ring at 206.384.4909 or swing by our contact page.