As we’ve mentioned before, the world of Internet marketing changes so quickly, it’s easy to get confused and just not want to participate. Of course, this is the mistake you want your competitors to be making, because there’s frankly no way these days to lead your local market — or even just maintain your place —without a consistent and dedicated Internet marketing plan.

On the other hand, it’s just as easy to think you’re sitting pretty once you’ve checked some of the big boxes. Your website is optimized for search engines and for maximum customer engagement and conversions. Your pay-per-click campaign is properly targeting the clientele you’re looking for. Your emails get positive responses and generate leads, your social media presence is growing, your online reputation is stellar.

So you’re covered, right?

Well, you would be — in 2008. Here’s where we remind you once again that the future isn’t just the Internet. It’s been here for a while. The future is mobile. Now that even your German Shepherd has his own smartphone and tablet (only a slight exaggeration), you need to be making a concerted effort to target mobile users.

Google is very cognizant of that fact, which is why you must be too. Not long ago, Google advised that it will be rolling out an update (yes, yet another update) that will penalize sites that perform poorly on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Obviously, that’s bad news if you have a site that rocks on a standard desktop Web browser but is nigh impossible to navigate on a smartphone. But it’s great news for any business that has invested in improving its mobile presence.

This is as good a place as any for the stats: Nine out of ten American adults have mobile phones. (We’re honestly surprised the number isn’t higher.) More than 60 percent of those phones are smartphones.

Several major studies predict that by 2015, that 60 percent number will have increased to 80 percent.Basic phones are going the way of the dinosaurs. Internet use is rapidly becoming a mobile thing, not a desktop thing.

We’ve been saying this for a while, but it becomes truer every day: You need to be promoting your business where your customers will be looking for you. Many of them are now looking for your type of business on smartphones and tablets. If they get a fast, convenient experience when checking out your competitor and a slow, inconvenient experience when
checking out you… it’s not hard to do the math.

Google outlined a number of factors that will be considered in its mobile-focused update, but one of the big ones will be site speed. Mobile sites are expected to load and respond quickly, so be certain yours does.

There are many more factors than we have room to get into here, but the section that follows, Some tips for optimizing mobile SEO, has some solid suggestions, and your Ring Ring Marketing professional can always help you determine whether you’re positioned to come out (hopefully not) behind or (hopefully) ahead when Google shifts its focus more heavily on mobile.