Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in the middle of nowhere, you already know about the mobile website trend.

If you haven’t jumped on board, you’re missing out. Now, it’s not so much that mobile is a trend. Having a mobile or responsive site is now a necessity if you plan on staying competitive.

You might not realize how many visitors you’re missing out on at the moment. Even if you’re a brick and mortar store, mobile puts you a more even playing field.

Half Of Your Traffic’s Gone Mobile

Mobile phones have overtaken laptops and desktops with a 50% share of web traffic. Laptops and desktops come in at 45%, with tablets at 5%. After all, it’s much easier to carry a phone with you than a tablet. Think about those numbers for a moment. Why would you only let your business be available to 45% of potential visitors? It’s like having people line up for a new restaurant, but turning over half of them away for no apparent reason.

You’re missing out on 50% of Internet users by not going mobile. That’s a percentage you can’t afford not to have your site in front of.

Quick Research Happens On Mobile

Whether they’re shopping online or in a brick and mortar store, consumers are turning to their smartphones to make decisions quickly. Google calls these micro-moments. In 2016, consumers searched for the “best” products 50% more than in 2015.

While price comparisons are a large part, online reviews are often what consumers are searching for. After all, when five 60” TVs seem so similar, how do you decide? You look at reviews to see what real owners think. In fact, 88% of consumers rely on online reviews just as much as any other type of personal recommendation. In one survey, 90% of consumers use their mobile device to see reviews and compare prices while shopping in retail stores.

When consumers are comparing products and stores, will you be on the list? Without a mobile site, you may not even show up in search results. This means all those potential customers are heading to your competition.

Google’s Punishing You

It might sound childish, but Google punishes non-mobile friendly sites. While you might think you’re still doing fine on desktops, consider this. Traffic is a part of Google’s search algorithm. If you’re not showing up in mobile search results, you’re not gaining any traffic from those users. This means less traffic overall, which could bump you to page two or even worse on desktop search results. Being on page two is like getting stranded on a deserted island no one’s ever heard of.

Visitors Leave Non-Mobile Sites

Think about the last time you were viewing web pages on your phone. When you encountered a non-mobile site, you probably left, didn’t you? Sites that aren’t responsive or built for mobile are difficult to use on mobile devices, especially phones. No one enjoys having to scroll back and forth just to read one line of text. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to click any links or menu items without zooming in.

With so many websites turning to a mobile friendly design, visitors don’t have to just deal with the hassle. Instead, they load your site, see it’s not designed for their device and move on to the next result from their search.

The problem is, you’re not just missing out on those visitors. You’re also missing out on traffic from all the people that one visitor would have referred your way. Every satisfied visitor and customer is a potential marketer. They share their experiences and purchases on social media and by word-of-mouth. This means you’re missing out on a chain reaction of potential customers.

It’s easier than ever to turn your site into a responsive design visitors will love. Unless you just have too much traffic and too many visitors to handle, it’s time to go mobile before your competitors take over.