Mobile Search Is Important to Credit Union Marketing
Credit unions! Are your websites optimized for mobile search? With a total number of estimated smartphone users in the US topping 224.3 million in 2017, there’s no doubt that we’re all doing more and more daily business on our phones.
A recent consumer insight report from Hitwise estimates:
- 73% of potential homebuyers reach for their phone when looking for mortgage information,
- 65% check best interest rates, and
- 58% search for car loans.
And while we know people have been moving to remote and mobile banking for years, now they are searching and comparing options for big financial decisions on the small screen as well. Just imagine what’s going to happen this weekend. People are going to be out in your community, looking at new homes. They might see something they like, but are concerned about what their mortgage payment might be, so they start shopping for rates online while they are in the driveway of their potential new home.
Just down the street, another young couple is looking to buy a new car because they are expecting their first child. While the dealer has financing options, they want to know what they can get- and if they can get a better deal without going through the dealer. They may be checking out loan rates while they are on a test drive- not waiting until Monday morning to call your office.
New Mobile Responsive Concerns
This means credit unions not only have to be concerned about where they show up in search results, but also have to worry about how websites perform on mobile devices. Google estimates that 1 in 5 searches in now location-related and over 53% of people will abandon a website choice if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. It means you not only have to make sure you have done everything you need to to show up on a search, but then your website pages also have to load quickly and deliver the answers consumers are asking, at the moment they need the answer to the question most.
Google AMP
Google has a project called AMP- Accelerated Mobile Pages. While a lot of the work that needs to be done to make a web page fast-loading is technical and best led to your web developer, you need to make sure you are pushing them to make key pages on your website easy to load and easy to navigate. Likewise, AMP-powered advertising on other websites also increases conversion rates, so you also want to make sure your pay per click campaigns are likewise AMP’d up, so to speak. Google has a variety of case studies showing how beneficial AMP pages can be for businesses across the board, increasing mobile transactions, click through rates and revenue.
Your credit union might not have extended hours or long hours on a Saturday. Few banks do, either. However, having AMP pages for your website that show up quickly on mobile and provide consumers with the information they need, faster and more efficiently than your competitors, will not only increase your traffic, but it will lead to better search position and conversions as well.
Need Help?
If you’re concerned about how your website performs on mobile, and want to AMP up your marketing, give us a call or email us here at Epic Marketing- we’ll bring you up to speed in no time!
