Providers race to rank

YARMOUTH, Maine - Seventy-two percent of the respondents to a recent HME NewsPoll say their websites are mobile-friendly.

That's a good thing, because in April, Google tweaked its search algorithm to make mobile-friendly websites rank higher in mobile search results.

It's also a good thing because 78% of respondents say more of their customers are using mobile devices to find them.

“During the first quarter of 2015, over 30% of our web traffic was mobile—21% mobile, 10% tablet,” wrote Gary Sheehan, CEO of Sandwich, Mass.-based Cape Medical Supply.

Overall, 64% of Americans now use smartphones, according to the Pew Research Center.

Like Sheehan, 67% of respondents say they track how their customers find them, a data point that helps them make better business decisions.

“We can tell which type of device and much more from Google Analytics,” wrote Sam Clay, owner of Clay Home Medical in Petersburg, Va., who is in the process of updating his company's website.

Besides boosting the search rankings of providers, mobile-friendly websites also improve the experience of users, says one respondent.

“Having a mobile-friendly site allows for better education through the addition of a simple navigation layout,” wrote the respondent. “Computers are not always accessible, so ensuring our patients have instant access to this information was paramount.”

Not all respondents are concerned about Google's new ranking system, however.

“Patients are captured via contracts with payers,” wrote James Roache, president and CEO of Advanced Pharmacy Solutions. “Not one has gone to our website.”