Small businesses in Walnut Creek often have limitations bigger businesses do not have. One limit they may experience is a smaller advertising or marketing budget. Even with this limitation, it is possible for smaller businesses to have a mobile website and use search engine optimization (SEO).

Smart phone and tablet technology has made it possible for people to access the internet at any time and from anywhere. It is common for people to frequent businesses that offer free Wi-Fi so they can stay connected. Since people are connecting to the internet with such regularity, it is important for small businesses to have a mobile website.

Think about it, if you already have a website and you do business through it, it makes sense to have a mobile website for use on a cell phone or tablet. Your current customers will be able to continue doing business with you while they are away from home and new customers will be able to find you. Since mobile websites are formatted for these devices, users can find the information they want and call you within minutes to place an order or make an appointment to see you.

Google recently completed a survey of mobile internet users. They found that nearly 95% used their mobile phone for looking up local business information. The report also stated that 88% of those who used their mobile device to find a local product acted on what they found within a day. Additionally, 79% of mobile users also accessed the internet for shopping with 74% of those actually making a purchase. As you can see, having a mobile website can greatly affect your Walnut Creek business!

Look at your marketing or advertising budget. A mobile website does not have to be expensive to be effective. In fact, Bay Area Online Marketing would like the opportunity to work with Walnut Creek businesses to set up a mobile website. When you consider the potential return-on-investment (ROI) – possibly as much as 15% – a mobile website makes sense.

Your mobile site does not have to be a duplicate of your website. In fact, because the screens are smaller, you want to have only the necessities included, those things that will help your customers see your products, where you are and how to contact you.

You may also want to check your current website for mobile compatibility. Some websites were built to make them mobile compatible or at least mobile compatible with some tweaks. Work with your website developer to see if this is possible. It is not necessary to create a mobile website if your current site is compatible.

While you are tweaking your website or creating a mobile website, it is important to keep search engine optimization in mind. Even though Google does not penalize mobile websites, we recommend rewriting content so it will fit the mobile device and it is accessible by people on the go. Remember to use your SEO keywords in your content, which will enable mobile users to find you on mobile search results.

A small business in Walnut Creek may not have the advertising or marketing budget of larger companies, but that does not mean they cannot benefit from having a mobile website. Using SEO and your mobile website, your customers will continue to find you no matter where they are when they are on the go.