The Importance of Mobile Optimization in CRO

Thanks to the increased distribution of smartphones around the world, an estimated 58% of global internet usage now takes place on mobile devices. In North America, desktop and laptop computers still hold a majority of the market share (53%), thanks to North American work life, but that is quickly changing.  

With so much of our online lives now taking place on our phones, the importance of mobile optimization for businesses cannot be overstated. When we say mobile optimization, we don’t just mean shrinking down desktop content to fit on a smaller screen. Optimization requires redesigning the mobile version of your website to create an efficient, user-friendly experience. Doing so, can not only drive engagement but is a key part of CRO strategy development.

What is Conversion Rate Optimization?

Conversion rate refers to the percentage of visitors that complete a desired action on your website. This could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or completing a contact form. Conversion rate is a valuable metric to inform you of how many visitors and potential customers move along the sales funnel. In other words, it gives an idea of how effective your website design is at converting leads into sales or other desirable actions. 

Conversion rate optimization, or CRO, is a marketing strategy that aims to measure conversion rate and take steps to improve it through optimization of various areas of your website or app. CRO marketing forms an essential part of a successful digital marketing strategy.

Why Mobile Optimization is Important for CRO

There are many steps that you can take to improve your website’s conversion rate. Nowadays, one of the most effective CRO strategies is to optimize your website’s mobile experience. The average conversion rate for most industries is around 2-5%, depending on the industry. Let’s take a look at some numbers to give you an idea of where these come from.

Dynamic Yield is an e-commerce platform owned by Mastercard that offers insights into website data and metrics like conversion rate and add-to-cart rate. According to their latest data:

• Over 70% of eCommerce usage took place on mobile devices in 2023
• eCommerce conversion rates on mobile devices averaged around 2-3%, compared to around 4% on desktops
• Add-to-cart rates are 1-2% higher on desktops
• Cart abandonment rates are around 12% higher on mobile devices

As you can see, there is room to improve conversion rates on mobile platforms generally, and these are average rates. If the mobile version of your website is not optimized, you are losing out on countless conversions. Mobile shoppers convert an estimated 160% more often on sites optimized for smartphones. You can imagine that the numbers above would look a lot more equal if every website was optimized for mobile usage. 

How Mobile Design Can Hinder Conversions

The main barrier for mobile devices comes in the form of usability issues. Issues like slow loading times, poor readability, and inefficient user purchasing experiences can lead to a loss of engagement from users. Each hiccup of the journey toward making a purchase or completing a call to action can push users off of your website. Most mobile CRO strategies therefore aim to optimize each step of this journey.

How to Improve the Mobile Experience for CRO

Keep it Simple

Every aspect of your mobile website should follow the principle that less is more. Some general guidelines for embracing simplicity on your mobile website include:

• Omit images from landing pages, or reduce the image file size to improve loading speed
• Text should be kept short and prioritize readability
• Use “read more” options on pages with large amounts of text
• Call-to-actions are important but should be limited on mobile websites to avoid using too much space
• Avoid or limit the use of pop-ups 
• Use bullet points where appropriate to make it easier to skim

Speed and Efficiency are Key 

User attention spans are short. Every second is valuable. ECommerce conversion rates decrease by 0.3% for each second that it takes your page to load. Loading speed is just one part of maximizing the efficiency of your mobile website. Simplifying web pages is one important part but there are some other strategies you can employ to improve efficiency, such as:

• Offer instant payment options
• Use geolocations to save users time entering addresses
• Simplify forms to require as little information as necessary
• Improve the navigability of your mobile website 
• Allow users to check out as guests 
• Use auto-fill form fields

Focus on the User Experience

User experience should always be the top priority in your mobile web design. The steps you take to optimize user experience will depend on your specific website. Working with a digital marketing agency specialized in CRO marketing can help you identify the best ways to improve UX for your website. Here are some helpful tips to give you some ideas on how to do this:

• Scale mobile pages for both landscape and portrait mode
• Use buttons instead of linked text to make it easier for fingers to click
• Include a search option at the top of web pages to make it easier to find desired content
• Add one-click sharing options
• Help users feel safe by offering varied and secure payment options 

Track CRO Metrics, Test, and Optimize

Once you have implemented some mobile CRO marketing strategies, the process toward true conversion rate optimization is just getting started. Tracking key CRO metrics will inform you about the performance of your website and help you identify weak points that can be further improved. Some conversion rate key performance indicators (KPIs) to keep track of include:

• Bounce rate
• Average time on page
• Click through rate
• Customer lifetime value
• Cart abandonment rate
• Cost per conversion
• Page speed

These are just a handful of the many useful metrics to help with your CRO strategy development. In conjunction with tracking metrics, it is useful to perform regular A/B testing on various elements to learn about what users respond to.

Improve Your Conversion Rate Today

The easiest way to improve your conversion rate is to work with a CRO agency. It can take a lot of time to implement a successful CRO marketing strategy. Let us take care of it. The team at Consultus Digital can help you develop a CRO strategy and incorporate it as a part of your greater digital marketing strategy. Contact Consult Digital today to get a proposal.