Automated Website Performance Tools – 6
This is the last automated tools post for December. I don’t think any of us are concentrating that much now!
So first to wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year and thanks for stopping by.
In the New Year I plan a round-up of how-to books about Kindle publishing. Ebooks have revolutionised book publishing, and are a great way to expand a business’s and website’s reach. So ignore them and run the risk of getting left behind.
But first, our sixth automated tool.
Just to recap on the first five automated tools we’ve covered so far.
We’ve checked a site’s HTML code, its loading speed and whether there are any broken links, its page rank and how to see your site as a spider sees it.
I hope one or more of these tools will have proved useful. Remember that automated tools are best when used in conjunction with human analysis – ie common sense.
You’ve probably heard a lot about responsive websites and how mobiles are increasingly being used for ecommerce. Here’s an inspired automated tool from Hubspot that let’s you see your site as it appears on a mobile.
How good does your site look on a mobile?
So, your site looks perfect when displayed on your desktop. But how does it appear on mobiles and tablets?
A responsive website design, where a site works on different platforms, such as desktop, tablet and mobile, used to be an optional extra.
However, website traffic on mobile devices is on the rise.
Each quarter, WalkerSands, a Chicago-based B2B social marketing agency, issues a Mobile Traffic Report. Its Q3 2013 report shows that visits from mobile devices now account for 28% of total website traffic, up 67% since Q3 2012.
Source: Quarterly Mobile Traffic Report, Walker Sands, 3Q13
This trend is set to continue. According to a Google survey of 1,088 US smartphone internet users in July 2012:
- 74% of mobile users say they’d be more likely to revisit a site that is mobile-friendly,
- 96% of mobile users have visited a site that doesn’t work well on their device,
- customers are more likely to buy online when a site is mobile-friendly, with 61% prepared to leave if it isn’t.
In November 2013, a report from Google in partnership with Nielsen researched the purchase process. It found:
- mobile users who make a purchase visit mobile websites at least 6 times during the purchase process (even if they later go on to buy through a desktop or table),
- 93% of people who used mobile to research products go on to make a purchase,
- 55% of consumers using mobile to research want to purchase within the hour, while 83% want to purchase within the day.
Therefore, it’s no longer optional to ensure that your site is mobile-friendly!
Here’s how to make sure it is.
Device Lab is a brilliant new tool from marketing software company Hubspot. It’s still in beta (being tested), so keep a lookout for the latest version. Just tap in your url and Device Lab will display your homepage on 5 different devices: the iPhone 4 and 4s, iPhone 5, Nexus, Samsung Galaxy and iPad.
Perhaps you’ll find that images that looked good on your desktop now fill the whole of a mobile screen. Have you remembered ‘click to call’? Can essential information be accessed in one or two clicks?
For those of you with a Google Analytics account, WalkerSands offers a step-by-step guide to determine your site’s mobile traffic.
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