Only two companies in the FTSE 100 have adopted responsive web design – allowing websites to automatically adjust when viewed on different devices – according to a study into the mobile experience, with not a single firm achieving top marks across the board.
The report, carried out by The Search Agency UK, evaluated the mobile sites of the companies to determine which were most closely aligned with established mobile marketing best practices.
Using its Mobile Experience Scorecard, the firm calculated a total score out of five for each of the FTSE 100’s sites based on five factors: load speed, site format, calculated download speed, social media presence, and app presence.
The analysis is based on both quantitative factors established by industry best practices and Google, and qualitative factors determined by its team of mobile experts.
The Tesco site emerged in first place with a score of 4.38 out of 5, Morrisons was second 4.12, while Shell came in third on 3.96. But some of the biggest brands in the world – let alone the UK – including Coca-Cola (0.36), GlaxoSmithKline (0.86) and SAB Miller (0.89) were slumped right at the bottom of the pile.
Of the 98 sites which do not use responsive design, 42 use dedicated mobile sites, while the other 56 do not provide a separate mobile experience from the desktop version of their site.
The report concluded: “Smartphone adoption is increasing at a rapid rate, and Google has announced plans to factor mobile optimisation into their ranking system. As a result, it is more important than ever to create optimised mobile sites.”
Last year an IAB report into responsive design showed only 11 out of the top 100 advertisers had implemented the technology. The IAB claimed the figure was “encouraging”, although not everyone is convinced the technology is worthwhile.
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