In terms of digital consumption, behaviour and expectations, the COVID-19 pandemic propelled us 5 years into the future. There was always going to be a time when ordering online became the norm, working from home took over from the commute and Zoom catch-ups replaced the water cooler, but it was not going to really bed in until 2025, according to many experts (Gary Vaynerchuk being one) (Vaynerchuk, 2020). However, now, thanks to COVID-19, we have arrived there early. So, what does this mean for aesthetic business owners, and why is mobile such a key part of the problem and/or solution?
Before getting into the problems and solutions, let us be clear about what exactly ‘mobile experience’ means. Put simply, mobile experience refers to any and all interactions between a person on their smartphone and a business in the digital world. This means social media content, websites, online stores, payment portals, content, clinic software, email campaigns and more.
I would be willing to bet my house that all readers own a smartphone; it is probably either in your other hand or perfectly placed near this copy of the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing right now. It is the go-to device for initial queries and, of course, where time is spent on social media (for more hours each day than any of us would like to admit).
Over two-thirds of website visitors in beauty are on their mobile
Statistics from Perficient.com (2020) show that over 70% of websites visitors in the beauty sector are using a mobile, and Google data shows that over 60% of all Google searches are done on a mobile phone. Laptops or desktops are no longer the primary devices for searching or browsing online.
Yet, despite all the evidence and data reporting how important and dominant the mobile device is, so many aesthetic clinics and their web designers still focus most of their attention on the experience and look of their website, software, email campaigns and content on a large screen, and neglect the crucial mobile experience.
Think about your own experiences interacting with other businesses online. How patient are you if you come across a website or booking system that either doesn't work at all or is very slow and ‘clunky’ on a smartphone? Do you stick with it, or do you move on? Amazon understood that the mobile experience is important years ago, and one of the best examples of this was their introduction of the ‘Buy with one click’ option. In that one move, they saved users minutes by no longer having to complete their personal and payment details each time.
Mobile experience: critical for reputation and Google rankings
Mobile experience is important because it is often the first impression a potential patient has of your business, and it can be off-putting if it is a slow, confusing or frustrating experience. Over time, this kind of poor experience can affect a brand's reputation and customer retention rates.
Mobile experience is also incredibly important because of search engine optimisation. The mobile-friendliness of your website is one of Google's most important ranking factors that it uses to determine your position in its search results. Mobile-optimised websites hold much higher positions on Google than those that are designed only for desktops. Not only that, but it is the mobile version of your website and its content that Google indexes by default, not the desktop version.
» A responsive website changes its layout, content order and navigational elements according to the screen it is being viewed on «
The most important elements of the mobile experience that Google look at to determine your rank are:
- The content experience: do not hide content from your main site on the mobile version
- Speed: your site must load quickly on a mobile cellular connection (3G, 4G or 5G)
- The visual/interface: your mobile site needs to feel more like an app, with an easy-to-use menu, intuitive navigation and functionality, etc.
Local search is king on mobile
According to data from Think with Google, 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby go on to visit a business within a day (Think with Google, 2016). For aesthetic clinics, this is vital. Therefore, it is not only vital that a website is optimised from a content, speed and interface perspective to rank well on Google, but it is also critical that business owners ensure it is built to be easily and appropriately indexed by Google Local and Google Business listings (these are the listings that appear at the very top of Google search results, along with a map).
Where to start
With so much riding on mobile experience and optimisation, this raises the question of where practitioners should start and how exactly is this all achieved.
First, it is important to understand what state your website is in right now, and there are some free tools you can use to check this within minutes. They will even give you some pointers as to how to improve the technical performance (warning: it can get a bit geeky, so it may be likely that a credible web designer/developer will be needed):
- Test one: Google's Page Speed Insights Test (https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights)
- Test two: Google's Mobile-Friendly Test (https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly).
These tests will let you know whether or not Google considers your site to be ‘mobile’ or not, and will also give a score out of 100 for a website's performance on both desktop and mobile. The ultimate goal is to get scores above 70 for both. This will take a website and, certainly, the mobile experience to another level in terms of user experience, speed, customer retention and Google ranking.
In regard to a website's design and build, it must be responsive. A responsive website changes its layout, content order and navigational elements according to the screen it is being viewed on. When you get beyond that basic premise, there are a number of elements of a design that need to be considered carefully to ensure a strong mobile experience:
- Make navigation easy and intuitive: consider a consolidated menu structure and look at how apps work for the ultimate in user interface design principles. Everything should be designed for touch navigation (remember: mobile users are not pointing and clicking with a mouse, they are using their fingertips). This can also include making sure that phone numbers are ‘tap to call’ (meaning that, when tapped, a phone call is instantly initiated on the user's smartphone)
- Keep a safe distance between functional elements to allow enough space for fingers and thumbs. Neither users nor smartphone screens like it when two functions are too close together. It can get very frustrating when trying to tap one thing, but something else happens instead
- Design a ‘lean’ site and make sure that your web designer or agency is optimising the code, theme, templates, functionality, imagery and videos for speed
- Use short forms: you can always ask for more information in a follow-up. The key is to make the visit as convenient and efficient as possible for the user
- Highlight calls to action (links, buttons and forms, etc): make it easy to identify them on a small screen, and for a fingertip to tap
- Make sure the text is a generous size and legible. Keep to just one or two text sizes on the mobile version of the website's design to keep it simple
- Break the text down into bite-sized chunks and use bullet lists and pullout quotes to make it easier for the eyes to rest on each section. Large blocks of text are unpleasant to find your way through when staring at a smartphone screen
- Avoid pop-ups, unless legally necessary. They are just annoying on a mobile website
- Images and videos are, of course, fantastic content and marketing tools, but be careful how these are implemented when it comes to optimising for mobile. Your video player should be responsive (change shape on smaller screens), use current technology (no flash) and be served by a fast video hosting platform (such as EOOVI.com or Wistia). Ensure images are optimised in terms of their file size and format. Avoid large JPG files, and, instead, look at Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) formats, or even Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) icons and sprites as alternatives to keep the website very ‘light’
- Keep the elements and layout super clean and free from clutter. I always ask myself, ‘What would Google do?’ (just look at their homepage—it is one of the most complex websites in the world, and yet, it just has a single word and a search box. Beauty in its simplicity —apply this principle to your own mobile experiences wherever possible, whether it be your website, next email newsletter or next Instagram story.
Mobile experience does not end with your website
Mobile experience is also your booking software, eCommerce store, social content, email campaigns and more. So, do not stop once you have a mobile-optimised website, make sure that the optimised user experience designed for the small screen continues through every part of your patient's journey with you, from when they find you on Instagram, through to booking a consultation or purchasing skincare products from your online store—the entire process should be an absolute joy and all from the convenience of a smartphone.
Make sure your next email campaign is built using a responsive template. According to data from HubSpot, mobile accounts for 46% of all email ‘opens’ (Kirsch, 2022), so do not risk annoying half of your recipients by not delivering them a beautiful experience of your email content.
Make sure your booking software is not causing unnecessary ‘abandons’ by being a frustrating experience on a smartphone and costing you lost consultations.
Audit each of these areas carefully. Test them for yourself on your mobile and ask a select group of trusted partners and customers to do the same. Take the feedback to your digital consultant or web agency and carry out a mobile optimisation project to sort out the whole lot.
I cannot stress enough the importance of this work and the return on investment it will bring in the coming months and years. It is vital for any fourth era (if you are not sure what a fourth era aesthetics business is, then follow The Aesthetic Entrepreneurs on Facebook to find out). business to have this level of digital maturity to survive and thrive in the aesthetics market of 2022 and beyond.
Good luck, and remember to think ‘mobile first’ with everything you do in your digital aesthetic business.