As an HVAC professional, you know web design can make an enormous difference in generating leads, boosting conversion rates, and maximizing profits. You may already have a professional website with an attractive layout and strong calls to action. But have you stopped to check how well your website leverages mobile internet traffic?
About two-thirds of all global digital traffic passes through mobile devices. Smartphone users commonly browse online shops and research services on the go. Your website’s mobile-friendliness may make the difference between winning and losing clients.
So, what is a mobile-friendly site, and how does mobile-friendliness help your HVAC company? Learn about mobile-friendly websites in this post by Relentless Digital, a digital marketing agency that offers top-rated web design services for HVAC companies.
What Are Mobile-Friendly Websites?
When you access a non-mobile-friendly website on your mobile phone, you may notice that the content is too wide for the screen, the text is too small to read, or the links are too close together. A mobile-friendly website avoids this type of frustrating experience for users of mobile devices.
Today, many websites are mobile-first, which means that the web designer starts with the mobile site version and then adapts it to desktop computers when building a site. A mobile-friendly website functions well on smaller screens—i.e., mobile phones or tablets. This includes more than just shrinking the desktop website to make it viewable on smartphones.
Creators of mobile-friendly websites often use adaptive or responsive web design methods. In a responsive site, text, graphics, and other elements size and shift fluidly to adjust to the user’s device, be it a phone, tablet, or desktop.
Web design professionals may implement the following strategies to achieve a mobile-friendly website:
- Choose templates that work best on mobile devices
- Pare down non-essential content
- Avoid pop-ups and Flash
- Space out links
- Use larger fonts
Above all, it’s essential to test your responsive design website on desktop, mobile devices, and tablets to make sure it performs well on every device.
9 Ways Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Devices Can Help Your HVAC Business
Making your website user friendly and easy to navigate for all visitors on all devices makes perfect sense. Now, let’s dive deeper into how a mobile-friendly website helps you promote and run your HVAC service.
1. Higher Search Engine Rankings
In November 2016, Google switched to mobile-first website indexing. This means that Google’s ranking algorithm will primarily evaluate the mobile version of a website for ranking. Content relevance, mobile speed score, and ease of navigation all contribute to a website’s positive ranking signal.
Today, Google’s top search results display pretty much only mobile-friendly sites. This is true for both mobile visitors and desktop users. A non-mobile-friendly website won’t achieve a high ranking even in a desktop search. Mobile-friendly websites rank higher because they provide a streamlined user experience across devices.
That’s why, even if hypothetically most of your internet traffic still comes from desktop queries, a mobile-optimized website is a significant ranking factor that will make search engines favor your site over competitors who offer a less-than-stellar experience on mobile devices.
2. More Pageviews and Fewer Bounces
Occupying one of the top spots in Google’s search results allows potential customers to find you. However, once prospective clients click on your link, your website’s performance will make or break the deal.
You want to keep people on your website long enough so they can learn about your services and call you or schedule an appointment online. To achieve that, your website must provide a great user experience on mobile. Mobile-friendliness includes fast loading, a visually appealing mobile display, and convenient navigation.
A mobile-friendly website helps reduce your bounce rate. “Bouncing” is a web term that means a user accesses a website but navigates back to the search results without interacting with the website or viewing its other pages.
Bouncing often happens on a non-mobile-friendly website because of insufficient load speed or poor display of crucial information. An annoying pop-up that takes up the entire mobile screen can also make a user tap back to the search engine.
3. More Repeat Visitors
Converting a visitor into a customer often takes multiple website visits, and the first of those will probably occur on mobile. Potential clients may first come across your website when they’re looking for information about a specific HVAC service or product (“Which AC is the best choice for extremely hot weather?”)
Successful HVAC professionals understand the power of content as a positive ranking factor. Many top HVAC websites run blogs or produce video content that provides valuable information for their target audience. When potential clients read your in-depth article about energy-efficient air conditioners, they perceive your site as a trusted authority.
When users move from the research stage to the ready-to-buy stage (“AC installations near me”), they may run into your site again or even remember your company name. Then there’s a higher chance that they will choose you as their HVAC contractor. This is far more likely to happen if your website has delivered mobile-friendly content on the first visit.
4. More Content Shares
Users will discover your content, services, and products in two significant ways: through search engines and shares. If you want your content to reach more people, it must be helpful, informative, and easily shareable.
Here is how this works. Let’s say a website visitor runs across a unique offer you’re running on your website (“20% military discount for veterans and active-duty service members”). The visitor wants to share this information with a local friend who is a veteran. On mobile, users can forward your page link to a friend with a couple of taps.
Investing in a mobile-friendly website makes it easier for people to spread your content through social media and messaging apps. This gives you valuable organic traffic and helps you expand your client base.
5. More Opt-Ins
Until fairly recently, mobile users would typically research a desired service or product on their smartphone and then switch to the website’s desktop version to complete an order or book a service. However, more and more HVAC clients pass through the entire sales funnel, from awareness to purchase, on their mobile devices.
Monthly service subscriptions, third-party management, and even mobile apps that connect customers to local HVAC technicians signal a shift in HVAC service models. To keep up to date with technology, you must ensure that your mobile-friendly website provides an outstanding experience for smartphone users, from landing page to opt-in form.
Service opt-in forms should be clear, concise, and easy to fill on mobile. A customer who was nearly ready to book an HVAC inspection may back out at the last moment if they see a lengthy form with a dozen required fields. For an HVAC professional, that’s like leaving money on the table.
6. Easier Contact
Mobile websites have the enormous advantage of multiple contact options at the user’s fingertips. Desktop users may email you or fill out a contact form, but they still need to pick up their phone if they want to call you. This switching between devices may lead the prospective client to lose momentum. They may save your number for later but forget to contact you.
In contrast, mobile users only need to tap your phone number or email to get in touch with you. They can do it during lunch break at work or while waiting for an appointment. Therefore, a mobile-friendly website is like holding out your door to the HVAC customer and saying, “I am always at your service.”
7. Cost-Effective Marketing
Leading HVAC companies use internet marketing to grow their business. They hire SEO agencies, invest in PPC advertising, and run social media campaigns.
However, while paid ads and content marketing can give you web traffic, your site does the work of converting visitors into clients.
Suppose you receive a glossy printed invitation to an event that promises gourmet food and premium champagne. Then, when you arrive, you get soggy hamburgers and flat soda. That’s how users feel when they follow an enticing ad to a website that won’t load or display correctly.
If you have a limited marketing budget, start with making sure that your website is mobile friendly. A superb user experience will give you a higher ROI when running an ad campaign.
8. A Better Chance Against Your Competition
Whether you are launching a new HVAC business or planning to expand your share in an existing market, it’s always helpful to analyze your competitors’ actions. Look at successful HVAC service providers in your area. How are their websites performing?
Chances are, you will discover that your competitors already have mobile-friendly websites with a smooth, responsive design and interface. Your site must measure up to this standard if you want to gain a foothold in the local market.
9. Keeping Up With Google’s Algorithms
As the largest global search platform, Google constantly changes and updates its algorithms to achieve higher accuracy and a better user experience. Mobile search has changed the way many people use Google.
Mobile device searches are more concise, practical, and location-specific. Search results may differ between a desktop and mobile phone, even for the same term.
Mobile site indexing is geographically sensitive. Google’s experts explain that query results may differ slightly between devices because mobile device users may be more interested in local information. For instance, users will often search for “HVAC services near me,” and Google will use the device’s location to deliver local mobile-friendly search results.
Because of this, it is imperative to make sure that your business website works well on mobile and that your Google My Business and local directory listings appear correctly in all device formats. An inaccurate listing that pops up on a Google mobile search can make you lose a customer.
Learn more about the reasons why your local business listings need to be accurate.
Create a Mobile-Friendly Website With Relentless Digital
A mobile-friendly website is essential for achieving more leads, happier customers, and higher profits. Relentless Digital’s web pros can ensure your business website’s optimal performance on mobile devices.
Are you ready to make your HVAC business soar? Call Relentless Digital at (262) 393-4241 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.
