Surprisingly, many businesses today still don’t have a mobile-friendly website. And, if you’re one of them, NOW is the time to get with the times. There are two primary ways to create a mobile website: responsive design and mobile templates. A responsive design requires you to have one website that automatically adapts to all screen sizes, no matter what device. A mobile template, on the other hand, requires you to have a second mobile-only website.

Responsive design is far and away the most popular method for designing a mobile website. It’s also most likely to benefit your business, and here’s why:

Mobile Usage is Massive
If you find it hard to believe that people are using the Internet on mobile devices, consider these stats from Smart Insights:

• More than half of local searches are performed on a mobile device.
• In the United States, 25% of internet users only access the internet on a mobile device.
• 61% of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience.
• 25.85% of all emails are opened on mobile phones, and 10.16% are opened on tablets.

User Experience is Essential
According to Google’s Think Insights on mobile, users are 60% more likely to leave your mobile website if they have a frustrating experience or don’t see what they’re looking for. If they have a positive experience with your mobile website, they’re 67% more likely to buy a product or use a service.

Social Media
By now, you should know that social media is a marketing mainstay. And, if you’ve been using social media as part of your strategy, there’s a good chance you’ve seen an increase in mobile traffic. That’s because a staggering 55% of social media consumption happens on a mobile device.