When it comes to people viewing your website, don’t assume that everyone is sitting behind a desk. Since more than 50% of visitors are using a phone, your site needs to be mobile first!
Your website is no longer something people visit when they sit down at a computer. Your business is being searched for wherever your potential customer happens to be.
People use phones to ask things like, “Hey, Google… who serves pizza with outdoor patio dining around here?”
And who are these people searching on their phones?
For a Northern Michigan business, that might be:
- Tourists standing on a sidewalk in Petoskey
- A family at their vacation rental
- Someone sitting on the beach at Sturgeon Bay
- Friends in a car heading toward Harbor Springs
- Locals trying to find a business while running errands
They’re using the device in their pocket. Right now.
Nobody says, “I’ll Google it when I get to my desktop”
Twenty years ago, the typical search journey looked more like:
- Go home → sit at computer → open Google → search → visit website
Today’s mobile search trend is more like:
- Need something now → pull out phone → search
Today’s search trends don’t wait for a desktop computer.
Google and AI Overview give you instant answers
When you search, quite often your answers are on Google and not someone’s website.
For example, you do a search on Google for:
“best coffee to go near me”
“jewelry and gift shop in Harbor Springs”
“things to do with kids near Petoskey”
“are there any boat rental in the area?”
“what restaurant is open now near me”
“where can I buy <insert item here>”
In the results, Google might show you a map of businesses, Google Business Profiles, customer reviews, photos, phone numbers, and websites.
And that’s all from just one search.
Website + SEO + Google Business Profile
To show up in one or all of the results I mentioned above, a strong local search presence relies on connecting your Google Business Profile with your well-optimized website.
Your website, SEO, and Google Business Profile aren’t three separate marketing projects.
They’re three parts of the same customer journey.
For example, picture the actual customers.
A family or group of friends are vacationing in Northern Michigan.
They’re spending the afternoon exploring and wandering.
Suddenly, they need a certain product or they want to get a pizza or their group wants to swim at the best sandy beach.
They aren’t going to say:
“When we get back later, I’ll fire up the computer and do some Googling.”
It’s 2026. They want the answer now.
So they reach into their pocket.
Because their phone is the computer.
Your website and your Google Business Profile can help people that have phones in their hands find you.
Mobile Search is More Spontaneous
Tourists and locals alike don’t always plan days ahead. They’re out and about.
Their local-search behavior is about:
Solving the need I have right now, in the place where I am right now.
I’ve seen people standing downtown or sitting at a picnic table trying to find what to do next.
And you know tourists in their hotel are using their phones to search for the first stop of their day.
“What should we do in Petoskey today?”
“Hang on, I’ll Google it.”
Mobile First is How we Build Websites
After reading how people search now, does having a mobile first website make more sense?
If I have to pinch and zoom around a desktop-style website, I will bounce. Most likely to the competitor’s website.
Mobile usability is no longer a nice “extra.” It’s a requirement.
Visit your own website on your phone.
Is the experience good or bad?
A tourist’s search may start before they ever gets here.
However, once they’re here, their searches become even more immediate and location-driven.
So you need to design for both:
- Planning: “What should we do when we visit Northern Michigan?”
- Visiting: “We’re here. What should we do right now?”
As a web designer, I have to consider how people will find your website on Google.
I’m not picturing customers sitting at a desk.
I see them holding a phone while walking downtown, sitting at the beach, or planning from their hotel room.
They need an answer right now, and they’re asking Google.
An optimized website and Google Business profile will make sure your business shows up, gives them the information they need quickly, and makes the next step incredibly easy.
Remember, your customers aren’t sitting at a desk waiting to find you.”
Think pocket, not desktop.
