If you’ve got a website, then let’s face it, the vast majority of people are going to be browsing it through their smartphone. We’re second screeners, on-the-go browsers, and the only real-time, when we’re enjoying the internet on a desktop or laptop, is when we’re at work.
For some industries, that means desktop is still king, with more B2B type sites still seeing that as their prominent method of usage. However, for many others, it’s mobile-first. And if you’ve got a website, it set up for mobile is a must.
But what does mobile first mean? And what are the four key pieces of advice you need to make your mobile website a success?
Make it responsive
Creating a mobile website is easier than ever before these days with a number of website builder platforms having specific tools to allow you to create a mobile site or make it responsive. The latter is a must.
With every smartphone having a different sized screen, as well as bringing the likes of tablets into play, a website needs to be able to adapt to that.
Making a website responsive will allow you to make all the information you need available on-screen, without compromising on the layout. The layout will adapt to each screen size accordingly, meaning any smartphone can browse your site comfortably.
Ditch the pop-ups
Rather a feature to go without is pop-ups. They can be highly annoying on desktop devices where they are easy to close, never mind on a smaller screen. It’s been proven that few users will spend the time to find the close icon, but rather just leave the page.
If you can help it, avoid these at all costs!
Aim for speed
Page speed has always been an important aspect of a website. Not just from a user point of view, but Google too. Your website is much more likely to rank in a search engine if it loads quickly, but also people will stick around on it.
For mobile users especially, want results quickly and won’t want to be standing around waiting for a purchase to be added to a cart or for a table at a restaurant to be booked. It can be the difference between a sale and a loss of one.
Simplicity is key
With users operating in such a small space, simplicity is a huge part of website design. Most website builder templates will keep things simple and easy to navigate, and any web designers working on your website will do the same. Or at least they should…
Your mobile site should be quick and easy to get around, with button sizes large enough to tap without the need to zoom in and swipe around. With a simple design, you will also be able to enlarge text sizes, again making it easier for users to read. A rule of thumb is to typically use a font size of around 14px or larger.
Keep it simple, and you know you’re onto a winner.
