According to Statista, more than half of the global web traffic comes from mobile devices: meaning not being mobile optimized is limiting your reach by more than 50%. It may be preventing you from getting more traffic as well. Google takes mobile optimization into account when ranking their websites.
As the name implies, having a mobile-friendly website means that content appears well not just on desktop computers but also on smaller mobile devices.
Optimizing your website and content for mobile is a must and we’ll touch on some key points to get there easily.
1. Use a Responsive Theme
If you are just getting started, then installing a brand new responsive theme is an easy solution that can set your new site for success. For an established site, moving over the content or updating the theme can be more difficult; but worth it in the long run.
A responsive theme is already set up to optimize for any type of device. Being built in this makes adding to your site simple, without any need for custom setup. A downside of a responsive theme may be its limitations in terms of customization, but this is something that can be of little concern in exchange for a mobile optimized site. If you are looking for both a custom & mobile optimized theme you may need to do some more customization for each platform
2. Use Simple Menus on Mobile
You don’t want visitors to have to scroll or zoom in and out to see all the navigation choices. Everything needs to be concise and fit on one screen. Evaluate your current website, and try to simplify the menu options for mobile users.
It may be worth it to have two different navigation options, one for desktop and one for mobile. This ensures that the user can use your site regardless of platform with an easy interface custom to their device.
3. Be Mindful on Sizing
Navigating a website from a desktop or laptop computer is different from mobile. You’ll be browsing a screen on a small screen, so buttons need to be easily tapped. Make sure to be mindful of spacing as well to ensure users don’t press the wrong buttons.
Images also need to be organized in a way that doesn’t ruin the feel or look of your site. Overly large images can take up to much space taking away from written content. Images too small, may make your site unattractive. Leaving images alone may cause the site to have too much blank space ruining the user experience from visit to conversion.
While this can be a pain to customize for each platform, it’s worth it to ensure that the user gets a great image experience regardless of platform.
4. Have Mobile Friendly Content
On a desktop with more space you can read long articles with ease, with blank space and room to gloss over valuable content. On mobile the same valuable content can seem overbearing with a tighter overall screen space. With normal sentences seeming long, breaking at awkward places.
For mobile or small screens, it helps to have content that caters to each different type of platform. Smaller sentences and less word content for mobile views, to ensure that users can gain the information they are looking for without being overwhelmed.
5. Build using Percentages
This is a little more on the technical side, but it simply means to use responsive design & code. Instead of having everything a fixed pixel width or height, having it be based on a percentage or other width can make page elements easily alter base on the screen size.
This is where the custom changes are in effect, since doing all this can be a little daunting, it can benefit to start on more important elements (like images) to ensure you get responsive look to the site.
6. Be Aware of Site Speed
Research shows that 53% of people will abandon a mobile website that takes more than three seconds to load. On both desktop & mobile this is a big deal, and for mobile it can seem more likely for someone to switch sites if yours takes too long to load. With mobile apps ready at a user’s disposal you run the risk of users switching to apps or other sites more quickly given the attractive alternatives.
Ensure your site is running smooth, and without any hiccups, this should keep them on your page without switching at the tap of a finger.
Mobile optimized are definitely the standard not the exception, and you want to ensure your site caters to all users on all platforms. These methods enhance the mobile user experience, and can allow for more conversions without limiting users to make decisions on desktop.
Your business or brand could see engagement & conversions on your site with users on the go straight from their mobile device. If you think you’d benefit from a more mobile optimized site, reach out to a project manager to see what your site could use.
