Why mobile website optimization is critical for plumbing & HVAC businesses

Take a look around a crowded restaurant sometime or pretty much anywhere else for that matter, because it’s everywhere — people literally engrossed in their mobile phones … seemingly oblivious to the outside world.

I used to look at older couples in diners reading books instead of conversing with one another, and I felt a bit sorry for them. But now smartphones have completely taken over and are locked in the hands of more than 4.8 billion people, lowering the need for actual human interactions. But there is a way to capitalize on this digital dependency, and I am here to show you how.

Josh Nelson talks mobile optimization.

I was speaking to my wife the other day while driving the car, and since I was focusing on the road I didn’t glance over to see what she was doing. After I ended my one-sided conversation, I asked her a question and was met with, “I’m sorry what were you saying? I was ordering that new table from West Elm.” Since people are constantly on their smartphones and three out of every five consumers search for goods and services through this medium, businesses big and small need to optimize their websites for mobile use.

When someone has a plumbing or HVAC issue their first reaction will be to reach for the phone, so they can call in a professional. Since the Internet is already intertwined with their mobile device they will most likely start scrolling through the list of companies in their area. This is why it is so important that your plumbing or HVAC website is mobile-friendly.

As you may already know on April 21 of this year Google constructed a new algorithm that had people rushing around like madmen to get their sites optimized for mobile use, as they were faced with a severe drop in rankings if they did not comply.

If that isn’t reason enough to update you website you must take into account how your visitors will react if they are ready to opt for your services, but open up your page only to find that they have to go through major hoops to get the necessary information.

If viewers have to pinch their screens just to look at your services or scroll endlessly for a number they will have to write down instead of just being able to hit a click-to-call button to reach your direct line, 80% of them will go somewhere else. You will be losing so many potential customers simply because you did not take the time to orchestrate this crucial change.

Search for something online and you will notice that the highest-ranking companies have a mobile-friendly stamp of approval just to the left of the description of the goods or services they are trying to sell. If you are just starting to build your website I suggest you design it with your mobile customers in mind first and then go back and take a look at it from a desktop perspective, as you need to cater to both mediums.

Once this is all said and done, how do you really know if your website is mobile-friendly? Google created a free tool where you can simply input your site’s URL and it will tell you whether or not it is ready for smartphone use. You may also want to check out how your site will look on various cellular devices like an iPhone or Android. There is another tool that you can pull up on your computer, which is found at mobiletest.me, this allows you to choose several different brands and styles of phones, and by simply typing in your domain you can see how your website looks on each one.

Maybe you are a bit old-fashioned and feel that your website is fine the way it is, but the fact of the matter is whether you like it or not cell phones are not going anywhere. So if you choose not to follow my advice the only person that will suffer is you. I don’t want to see anyone’s business take a massive plunge simply because they failed to make mobile optimization a top priority, so do your due diligence and get it done.