This is the first official week of summer, and as your customers are out and about enjoying the warmer temperatures, they’re turning to their mobile phones to search. With 88% of consumers conducting local searches on their smartphone,¹ it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. We’ve created this summer guide to help you and your business have the best summer yet.

BBQ season is all about relaxation, but these days it’s not enough to throw a few hot dogs on the grill and wait for your friends to arrive. Nine out of 10 people say they’re likely to turn to their phones in the middle of a task for help planning a special event.² There are several ways for you to be there for your customers in these I-want-to-know moments:

• Anticipate customer questions, and provide them with the most relevant answers.
• Make sure the answers are easy for users to find.
• Help them beyond their initial information search; continue offering information throughout the decision-making process.

All BBQs require supply runs, and in these I-want-to-buy moments, your customers are looking for a site that makes shopping easy – whether they’re on the go or already walking through the aisles in your store. To help you connect with customers during these moments:

• Deliver a message using search terms that your customers are actually using. 
• Measure all of your customers’ actions, including online, in apps, and in stores.

For a unique and memorable BBQ, customers may want to explore unfamiliar shops, and in these I-want-to-go moments, location and mobile go hand-in-hand. Use of the search term “near me” has increased 92x since 2011,³ and 80% of those searches come from mobile devices.⁴ Here are some tips that can help you capture attention from curious locals:

• Use location-based keywords in your advertising strategy.
• Use messages that include your location and on-site availability of products or services.
• Include information that customers might find important when making a decision about where to go, including store hours, directions, and pricing.

Let’s say a customer has bought all the food and supplies for their BBQ, but doesn’t know how to use a grill. You can build customer loyalty and secure future business by being there in I-want-to-do moments to with these tips:

• Use online video: With “how-to” searches on YouTube growing 70% every year,⁵ consider making how-to videos to better help your customers.
• Make sure your online videos can be viewed from any device, including mobile.

With these mobile tips, you can stay connected to your customers all summer long. For more tips like this, and to find out how prepared you are for summer, visit Test My Site.

Posted by Soo Young Kim, Head of Marketing, Get Your Business Online

1. How Advertisers can Extend Their Relevance with Search, Google/Ipsos, May 2014, n=115-233 for smartphone
2. Consumers in the Micro-Moment, Google/Ipsos, US, March 2015, n=5,398, based on internet users
3. Google Trends, May 2011 - May 2016
4. Google Data, Q4 2014
5. Google data, Q1 2014- Q1 2015, U.S.