We at CrossRoads are taking a second (a split second) in the midst of our first whirlwind year to pat ourselves on the back for one year of service! To ring in our second year, we’ve launched our website, which we hope will not only be a place for prospective clients to learn about the CrossRoads team, but also where current clients look to for news on the latest marketing trends and information to help grow their business. We strive to be your marketing arm, the marketing yin to your business yang, and our website is a key piece of that partnership.

It’s only fitting that as we launch our own website, we share some tips to consider when either developing your own site or looking at the design and performance of your existing site.

While desktop computers still play a vital role, that mini-computer in your hand – aka phone or tablet – is now king. The latest data shows that mobile web browsing has now surpassed desktop web browsing (51.2% to 48.7%), according to web analytics firm StatCounter. What does this mean for business? When designing or re-designing a website, the mobile look, feel and functionality deserves as much, if not more, attention than the desktop site.

Another key behavior to consider is that 80% of smartphone users check their phone within 15 minutes of waking up, according to Constant Contact. Morning phone browsing is now reminiscent of the mornings spent reading the paper over breakfast. Chances are your audience is receiving messages about your company and your competitors before their feet even hit the ground for the day.

The look and feel of your mobile site is vitally important for hanging onto those potential customers who visit your site. With new information available at the swipe of a finger, decisions are made in milliseconds, and you have no time to waste when it comes to impressing visitors. Not only will a visitor leave your site if they determine it’s unfriendly, but they will search out a competitor with a more user-friendly site. And just like that, you’ve lost business.

While a site’s first impression is key, the customer data sites can gather is more precious than gold to a business. With the proper analytics, you can see when traffic is at its highest, whether people are coming to your site from Facebook, Google or some other site, which pages are frequented the most, how much time they spend on each page, and much MUCH more.

Here’s a fun fact – When would you guess the typical American is most engaged on their device – during their lunch break or after dinner? Most Americans are browsing after dinner, says Leanplum, a mobile marketing platform technology company, but, most marketing messages are sent during lunch, potentially missing a large portion of their audience. Like they say…the more you know…

Digital engagement is key to nearly any business these days, so staying on top of your customer needs, wants and behaviors will help your business communication cut through the clutter. If you need any guidance on designing a website that is not only valuable to your customer, the CrossRoads team is always here!