Full Transcript
Lauren: So I was talking to a friend who owns a boutique in downtown SLO, and she's like, stressed out about the holidays. But not about inventory or staffing... she's worried her website isn't ready. And I'm thinking, what does that even mean?
Honor: Welcome to the 805 Web Minute with Lauren and Honor... We make interwebs and website stuff make sense... Let's get into it.
Honor: Okay so your friend is actually smart to be thinking about this now. Because here's the thing... the holidays are make-or-break for most small businesses. Like, 93 percent of small businesses say holiday sales are vital to their success.
Lauren: Oh wow, so it's not just like a nice bonus... it's the whole year riding on a few weeks.
Honor: Exactly. And here's where it gets interesting. During peak holiday shopping days, 70 percent of the traffic to websites comes from mobile phones.
Lauren: Wait, 70 percent? So like, most people aren't even on their computers?
Honor: Right. They're on their phones, standing in line, sitting on the couch, in bed at midnight doing last-minute shopping. And if your website doesn't work perfectly on a phone, you're basically invisible to most of your customers.
Lauren: That's like setting up a beautiful store display... but putting it behind a door that only opens for 30 percent of people who try to walk in.
Honor: Perfect analogy. And it gets worse. Here's a stat that surprised me... 53 percent of users will abandon a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load.
Lauren: Three seconds? That's like... nothing!
Honor: I know! But think about it... when you're scrolling on your phone and something's taking forever, what do you do?
Lauren: I hit the back button. I'm gone. I'll just find another option.
Honor: Exactly. And during the holidays, there are plenty of other options. So you've got this perfect storm... most traffic is mobile, most people are impatient, and if your site is slow or broken on a phone, they're going to your competitor.
Lauren: Okay so... how bad is it out there? Like, are most websites ready for this?
Honor: Here's the good news actually... no. 65 percent of major retail websites fail basic mobile performance tests. And these are big companies with big budgets.
Lauren: Oh! So if you actually get this stuff right, you're already ahead of like two-thirds of your competition.
Honor: Exactly. It's not about having the fanciest website. It's about having one that loads fast, works on a phone, has your correct hours and contact info, and makes it obvious what people should do next.
Lauren: So what's the one thing my friend should do right now?
Honor: Pull out her phone. Load her own website. Can she read everything without zooming? Do the buttons actually work when she taps them? Can she find the phone number or address in under three seconds? If anything feels awkward... that's what her customers are experiencing.
Lauren: That's so simple but I bet most people never actually do that.
Honor: They don't. They built the site on a computer, they look at it on a computer, and they forget that 70 percent of their holiday visitors are on phones.
Lauren: Okay so the moral of the story is... before the holiday rush, pull out your phone, load your website, and if it's slow or weird or hard to use... fix it now, not in January. And if you don't have time to deal with this yourself... give YouGrow a call!
Honor: Yeah, we build fast-loading websites specifically designed for mobile first. 79 dollars a month, everything included... hosting, updates, security. You need holiday hours posted? Just email us. Need to add a gift guide? We handle it. Most changes happen within one business day. And I'm right here in Arroyo Grande... local support, local number.
Lauren: I love it. Alright, this has been 805 Web Minute. Thanks for listening!