10 Reasons Why You Should Make Your Site Mobile Responsive

by Paradigmmedia | Feb 24, 2016 | Search Engine Optimization, Web Design

You’ve probably heard the term "mobile responsive" being thrown about a lot recently – and with good reason. Content is slowly moving towards mobile dominance, which means making your site mobile responsive is a bit of a no-brainer. But if you’re still not convinced, here are ten things to consider.

1. Google will reward you to go mobile responsive

Last year, Google made a change that had developers everywhere clutching their pearls in shock; it started giving priority in the search rankings to mobile responsive sites. There are lots of ways to make your site more mobile-friendly (and therefore help it to climb the SERPs) but the best way is through adopting a responsive design.

2. People are using their smartphones more and more

As reflected in Google’s mobile-friendly push, people are increasingly using their phones to shop, bank and book holidays and events – it’s thought that around 85% of people are now using their phones for these types of transactions. Giving your site a responsive design is an obvious response to this trend.

3. Responsive design adapts to tablets too!

The beauty of responsive design is that it adapts to any device – not just desktops and smartphones – which means tablet users won't feel left out.

4. Mobile-friendly = social media-friendly

Chances are, you already have a solid social media strategy in place, but have you thought about the fact that most people access social networks through their phones? You might have a great Facebook page but if your site isn’t streamlined for mobile use, it’s probably not going to do much good.

5. There’s no need for a separate mobile version of your site

If you want to go super mobile-friendly (and Google really thinks you should), you have two options: the responsive design route or a separate mobile version of your site. A responsive site might require more of an overhaul initially, but ultimately it will be cheaper than running two sites. It will also only require one URL and one SEO strategy, which makes things easier for you and your users.

6. You’ll only need one content management system

When you have a separate mobile site, content management systems are needed for both desktop and mobile versions. This means content updates always need to be made separately. With only one responsive site to manage, only one CMS is required and all your content exists in one place. This ultimately results in

7. Improved efficiency

Time is money, and the more time your hard-working staff are spending labouring over different content management systems, the more money you’re wasting.

8. Your users will be happier

Mobile responsive sites make the browsing experience much easier for your smartphone and tablet users, which means they’re far more likely to stick around and engage with your service.

9. Your brand will be strengthened

Creating a responsive site helps to strengthen your brand by presenting a clear, united front.

10. You’ll be moving with the times

One of the most important things about staying successful as an online business is keeping up-to-date with tech trends. If you can keep ahead of the curve and update at the same time (or ideally, before) your competitors, you’ll keep your edge and stay relevant. Click here to read about the hottest content trends for 2016.

If you’re stumped about how to make the transition to mobile responsive design, Paradigmmedia can help. We offer a range of services, including SEO assessment, graphic design and mobile responsive web design. For more information, visit our site.

Product, Offer markup, and Merchant Center

In structured data, a Product describes what the item is. An Offer describes how to buy it: price, currency and availability.

Google's merchant listing guidance requires a name, an image, and an offer with a price and currency. It recommends availability, shipping details, return policy, identifiers and brand. Only pages where a shopper can buy the product are eligible. Google's product structured data page adds that enhancements appear at the discretion of each experience and may change.

Eligibility is not guaranteed display. Google says the same about Merchant Center. Its free listings page states that approval to show products does not guarantee they will be shown. Free listings cover surfaces including Search, Shopping and Gemini, and surface availability can change.

Merchant Center's Diagnostics section lists problems by severity. Fix the ones that stop products from serving first.

One warning for WooCommerce stores. Your theme, an SEO plugin and WooCommerce itself may each print Product markup on the same page. Conflicting blocks send mixed signals. Check how many appear, choose one source of truth, and switch the others off. If you use Google's official WooCommerce extension, it syncs from your product fields, so fix the fields first.

A six-step audit

Select five products. Pick top sellers, high-margin items, products with variations and products customers ask about most.
Reconcile fields and feeds. Fill in the worksheet below for each product.
Validate structured data. Run each product URL through Google's Rich Results Test. Count the Product blocks. Check price, currency and availability.
Check diagnostics. Open Merchant Center Diagnostics and note issues on your five products.
Test variants. Select every variation. Confirm that price, stock, image and SKU change on the page and in the markup.
Review checkout. Confirm that price, shipping cost, taxes and return wording match what the product page promised.

A reusable catalogue-quality worksheet

Copy one table per product. Mark any row where the four sources disagree.

Field	Visible page	WooCommerce field	Structured data	Feed	Match?
Product name
Price (CAD)
Sale price and dates
Availability
Variant options and SKUs
Brand
GTIN or MPN
Material
Dimensions and weight
Compatibility
Shipping cost and timing
Return terms

Prioritized correction

Issue	Customer impact	Where to fix	How to verify
Price or stock differs between page, markup and feed	Shopper sees one price and pays another. Listings may be disapproved.	Product fields, caching, SEO plugin settings, feed sync	Worksheet shows four matching values after the cache is cleared
Shipping and returns missing or vague	Shopper cannot judge cost or deadline.	WooCommerce shipping zones, Merchant Center shipping settings, returns page	Test checkout to two provinces. Wording matches the page.
Variants share one description or image	Shopper cannot tell which size or colour they get.	Variations tab	Select each variation and confirm the page and markup change
More than one Product markup block	Mixed signals about the same item.	Theme, SEO plugin, WooCommerce settings	Page source shows one Product block
Invalid or invented identifiers	Product disapproved.	Product fields, feed	Values match supplier packaging. Diagnostics clear.
Missing material, size or compatibility	Common questions stay unanswered.	Product description and attributes	A stranger can answer your opening question from the page alone

A two-week plan

Week 1. Days one and two: choose five products and fill in the worksheets. Days three and four: gather shipping and returns facts from your own policies, then correct identifiers and fields. Day five: remove duplicate markup.

Week 2. Days six and seven: fix variations. Days eight and nine: validate markup and clear the Diagnostics issues you can. Day ten: run a full test purchase on each product. Then set a calendar reminder to recheck after your first holiday sales week.

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Request a product catalogue and feed audit

Paradigmmedia builds and maintains WooCommerce stores for businesses in Toronto, Calgary and across Canada. No audit can promise placement or sales. A catalogue and feed audit gives you a ranked list of corrections your store can act on before the holidays. Our GEO guide for small businesses explains the wider search context.

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Frequently asked questions

Does every AI shopping tool require structured data?

No source says so. Tools gather product information in different ways. Google lists Product and Offer markup to become eligible for its merchant listing experiences. Accurate markup helps machines read your page and gives no guarantee of display.

What should I do if my product has no GTIN?

Leave the field blank and provide the brand and, where the maker (is this marker) or maker)assigns one, the MPN. Never create a number. Google's specification says incorrect GTINs lead to disapproval.

How long should a product description be?

As long as it takes to answer a buyer's questions. WooCommerce's guidance says to aim for completeness and not worry about word count.