Research shows that mobile devices drove 61% of visits to US websites in 2020, up from 57% in 2019. Team this stat up with the fact that nearly two-thirds of Americans now own a smartphone, and the need for your youth sports team’s website to be mobile-friendly is becoming an increasingly smart play. A non-negotiable one, in fact.
Youth sports websites are a great way to keep parents, players and coaches informed about registration, the latest announcements, and game schedules, enabling you to reach more people, save time and create a positive first impression. Read on for some more mobile statistics and how to make sure your website is mobile-friendly for next season.
Coaches, Players, and Parents Use Mobile Devices All The Time
Consider this, as of January 2021 there are 4.32 Billion unique mobile internet users. Whether using a smartphone or a tablet, today's internet users –and this includes coaches, players, and parents – prefer getting their information on the go.
A mobile-friendly site means you can easily share important information and widen your reach. Smart sports organizations understand the importance of having a sports website that is optimized for mobile.
Responsive Web Design is Cost-Effective and Flexible
It can cost up to $10,000 for a custom-designed website. Creating a separate mobile site only adds to the already pricey tag. When you've got uniforms, equipment, and a host of other expenses to juggle, how can you justify the cost of creating a separate mobile site?
The good news is it’s pretty easy and relatively inexpensive to build a simple website on a non-profit budget. Need to build a new website for a sports program? Check out this list of the Sports Website Builders.
Using a responsive website design strategy – an approach that makes web pages render well on a variety of devices and screen sizes – is a cost-effective solution that every youth sports organization should use. You will only need to invest in a single site design to appeal to all visitors and one that’s optimized for all devices.
Need to make updates or fix a typo? No problem with the flexibility a responsive designed website offers. Many modern website builders allow you to make changes to information from your phone any time if you don't have access to a laptop or desktop.
A mobile responsive website helps to make sure your website looks great on every device.
Consistent User Experience Across Different Devices Helps Build Credibility
What does consistency mean? According to Merriam-Webster, it is: “the quality or fact of staying the same at different times.” Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as the “quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way.”
Consistency in the context of your sports website means a constant, unchanging user experience. It means ensuring your site communicates in the same way, no matter the platform or point of contact. Consistency makes interactions and experiences more intuitive and less frustrating for users.
Inconsistent design is confusing and frustrating to visitors. How much time do you think they'll spend on your site if the site doesn't display properly on their mobile devices? Not very long. A mobile-friendly youth sports website means visitors have a positive experience and visit longer regardless of the device they use.
A consistent approach can lead to the following benefits:
- The interface is easier to navigate for parents, coaches, & fans
- Less confusion for people visiting the website looking for schedules, registration information, or player profiles
- Reduces slow loading speeds, saving users’ time and requiring less effort
- Reinforces a strong brand image and identity for your team – When colors, logos, pictures, and content look similar, visitors will automatically make a clear link between the site and the team
A Fast Loading Youth Sports Website Improves Overall Accessibility
If your website takes longer than three seconds to load, say goodbye to 40% of your site’s visitors. Don't risk losing out on potential new additions to your team because of slow website loading speeds... Something that can easily be fixed.
Imagine, you’re in the middle of training or out in the field on game day and you need access to the team schedule or other important information. You jump on your phone to pull up the site and it takes forever to load. When you need answers fast, you need a site that keeps pace. Research shows that most website visitors spend an average of 2 minutes, 17 seconds per visit. A fast website can help increase that dwell time so that users spend more time exploring the site.
Conduct a speed check to determine if your website is taking too long to load. If so, make effort to render your site faster. Your aim is to enhance the user experience because you want those users (who are always busy, always moving) to keep coming back. Imagine how many potential new players, sponsors, or fans you might be missing out on because your website is slow.
It’s not just your target audience that has a need for speed. Google also uses the speed of your website as a ranking indicator. So, if you want your website to appear in Google’s search results, it’s time to up your game and make sure your sports website’s loading speed is up to the mark.
Create a Mobile-Optimized Youth Sports Website With Jersey Watch
Getting up and running with your website can be quick, easy, and not expensive if you use Jersey Watch to build your website. Our drag & drop interface gives you access to all the tools you need to create a professional website in minutes without the need for any tech skills.
A Mobile-Optimized Youth Sports Website
When you build a website with Jersey Watch, your site is automatically mobile-friendly. That way, you can be sure all your information shows up correctly regardless of the device a visitor is using.
Customized Sports Website Design with Your Logo and Colors
Jersey Watch allows you to match the site to your team’s branding. You can easily select the color scheme, upload a logo, and add a unique tagline.
Your website should have a unique color scheme, images, and logo.
Online Registration & Payments
Our online sports registration software lets you quickly set custom questions to gather all the information you need from each player. You can also easily set prices and offer discounts.
No more trying to keep up with checks, cash, and receipts. Players can pay directly on the website. You can even give players flexible payment options by collecting payments in automatic installments. The best part? Funds are deposited directly to your bank account after the player pays.
Manage your registration and payments online using sports registration software.
Simple Communication Tools
Easily store and manage contact information for players and staff in one location. Rather than contacting everyone individually for important updates, the site lets you send bulk emails or text messages to anyone on your contact list. Additionally, your site is mobile-friendly meaning you won’t be tied to a laptop to make updates, you can send messages from your mobile device.
Scheduling
Easily create team schedules, schedule staff meetings and upcoming events for your youth sports website. Post these events on the website to keep everyone updated on important events.
Youth Sports Background Checks
You can order background checks directly from your site so everything is managed in one place. Checks include SSN validation and a National Criminal Search.
Save Time with the Fastest Website Builder Made for Sports
Coaches, players, and parents are all looking for ways to stay on top of things from anywhere with their mobile devices. If your youth sports website isn’t easily accessible from these devices, you are creating a very unhappy stakeholder and supporter base.
Jersey Watch enables you to build a modern, mobile-friendly website for your organization in minutes, literally. Our webpage templates are built for sports organizations so there's no heavy lifting on your part. A few clicks is all it takes to promote registration, schedules, and post-season events.
Learn to build a website for youth in this quick video.
