era when you could guarantee your visitors would look at your mobile friendly website from their desktops. Nowadays the internet is constantly in your pocket, used for everything from quick searches, to online shopping, and even social networking. If your website is not mobile-friendly then you are locking a massive number of users out before they even have a chance to view your content. It’s no longer a case of whether you want to, but whether you need to. This guide will give you an easy step to the process of making your website mobile friendly, and give you the opportunity to connect with all your visitors.
Mobile First Design Essentials
What is a Mobile Friendly Website?
screens found on smartphones and tablets. However, it doesn’t merely refer to a small desktop screen shrunk down; a good mobile-friendly website automatically adjusts its appearance, content and layout for a smaller screen that uses touch inputs rather than a mouse or keyboard. Consider the size of buttons – they’re much easier to press with a thumb and the font must be easily readable without lots of pinching and zooming. Loading times also need to be considered and not a detriment on the speed of a mobile connection. Ultimately, a ‘mobile friendly website’ is about producing a quality, easy and usable experience for your mobile friendly website users.
There are a few main ways that a mobile friendly website may be designed to be ‘mobile friendly’, which include Responsive design (where the HTML and CSS change to display appropriately depending on screen size, which is now the most widely adopted method of designing for all devices), Dynamic Serving (where the server sends different content/design based on the device requested) or dedicated mobile sites (that often have the ‘m.’ before the web address).
Whatever the solution, ‘mobile friendly website’ is one which keeps the mobile user in mind throughout the design process. Many people access the web on their phone through quick checks of their emails, searches on the go or to gain information on the move and if the website presents barriers, such as poor display quality or slow loading times, then they will leave and use the competitor.
Why it is Important for Your Website
Having a mobile-friendly website is no longer a luxury in the digital world we live in, but a necessity. The number of people who access the web from a mobile device is huge. A great percentage of web traffic now comes from mobile devices, and when you have a website that doesn’t respond to mobile devices, you are losing out on potential leads, sales, and customer engagement. Google, being number one search engine provider, also highly recommends responsive websites when they display search results, therefore having an optimized website is not only about satisfying users but also is extremely crucial for a better search engine ranking.
In addition to search rankings, user experience (UX) is very important. A website must be quick and easy to use. If visitors are trying to browse your website from a mobile device and they cannot browse it quickly, it’s likely they will click out of your page and go to the website of another of your competitor. Having an increased bounce rate would indicate to search engines that the users did not experience a positive encounter with the website and this could possibly decrease your search ranking. High user experience can increase a user’s time on site as well as leads and sales that they have converted.
The design of the mobile friendly website can be considered as an initial greeting for your potential customer. When you get the user to your website through their mobile, and if the website response well to the device, then the user has already got a good first impression and it will encourage them to stay on your page and take action. If the design does not respond to mobile device well, then it may create a bad first impression which in result will make users move to another page of your competitor’s. Ultimately, a mobile-friendly website will ensure a successful modern business by attracting visitors and ensuring they do not leave as quickly.
Building Your Mobile Friendly Website
Step-by-Step Guide to Designing a Mobile Friendly Website
While the task of building a mobile-friendly website may seem daunting, it’s actually achievable through a methodical process. The initial and most important step is to adopt a “mobile-first” mentality. This means creating your website for the smallest possible screen size and then adding more features for larger screens. This requires you to prioritize your most important content and functionality so your website’s core message and navigation are clear and concise on mobile devices. Ask yourself what it is users need to see and do when they reach your website from a smartphone.
Next is using techniques like responsive design. Responsive design involves the use of fluid grids, fluid images and CSS media queries. A fluid grid layout allows your content to automatically realign according to your screen’s width and fluid images will resize and resize according to the size of the screen. Media queries act as conditions in your website’s CSS telling the webpage what display options it should use at a certain screen size. Most website builders and content management systems like WordPress, Squarespace and Wix have built-in responsive templates which will greatly reduce the learning curve.
The last but by no means least step is rigorous testing. After you build your website be sure to test it thoroughly on different devices and screen sizes. Browser developer tools, like Chrome’s DevTools, allow you to simulate devices and you should test your website on real mobile devices and tablets. Consider ease of use; can people tap the buttons, read your text and successfully complete forms? Is navigation logical and is the website fast! Rectify any errors you encounter so users enjoy your mobile website.
Tips and Best Practices for Mobile Friendliness
Simplify and be direct. On mobile, this is key to getting users what they want. Identify your content and the call to action that you would most like them to take. This element needs to be in a bright, obvious color and easily accessible to them, whether this is a button or a link. Keep copy clear and concise. Use simple, straightforward words without technical terms. Mobile users are likely to scan rather than read your copy. This is why it is so important to get straight to the point. Apply this same straightforward approach to navigation. A clear, well-organized, easily open and closeable navigation menu will make life much easier for a mobile user.
Optimize your images and other media files for quick load times. Large image files slow down mobile websites tremendously. Save them without a drastic drop in image quality. Take advantage of newer formats such as WebP.Lazy loading can also assist with quicker load times by not displaying images on a page until the user scrolls down the page to reveal it. Make sure any videos on the page do not autostart with audio.
Go touch friendly. Your buttons and links should be big enough so that a user is able to touch them with a finger without issue. A 44×44-pixel minimum size would be great, and the clickable elements need some space between them so the user is able to click just the one they wish. Think about the ‘thumb zone’. Place content that a user would be most likely to touch at the bottom or on the sides of the page so they can easily use their thumb to get to it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Forgetting about the mobile experience altogether is a huge mistake. It is similar to creating the most amazing, engaging storefront display but making the door to the shop too small to get in. Businesses are still developing with just a desktop site in mind, thinking the mobile user can just work with what’s available. This creates high bounce rates, angry customers and a huge number of potential sales lost forever. You should always keep in mind that a large part, if not the most part, of your visitors will view your site from their phones.
Another pitfall is using pop ups that are uncloseable by mobile device. It’s true that popups can be successful in grabbing leads and generating sales, however a popup that completely covers the screen and provides a not-so-obvious, not-easily-accessible close button for the tiny mobile screen is not just annoying it also has the potential to cause your website penalties from search engines. Always ensure that any popups used on the site are both mobile friendly and not so intrusive they hinder or annoy user experience, they must be easy to dismiss.
Not considering speed and performance on a mobile is a significant mistake. Mobile users are most often on the move and can have a weaker internet connection than desktop users. This will cause a user to leave even a beautifully designed site. Slow performance includes unoptimized images, over usage of scripts, and uncompressed code. Regularly testing the site for speed is important and a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights will be very helpful in assessing it and dealing with any issues found.
It can be clearly seen that designing a mobile friendly website has become a necessity and no longer a niche service. Embracing the concept of mobile first, adopting responsible design methods, and testing the website on numerous devices will contribute to creating an attractive, easily accessible website for all your users. Never forget that in a mobile driven world the website that performs on a smartphone is representative of the effort you put into your website and in turn to the customer. Spending the effort to make a mobile friendly website is essentially spending on customer reach, and user happiness.
FAQ
- Q1: What is the difference between a responsive website and a mobile app?
A: A responsive website is a single website that adapts its layout to fit any screen size, accessible via a web browser. A mobile app is a standalone application downloaded and installed on a mobile device, offering more specific functionalities and often offline access. While apps can be great, a mobile-friendly website ensures accessibility to everyone without requiring a download. - Q2: How do I check if my website is mobile-friendly?
A: The easiest way is to use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool (search for it online). You can also simply open your website on your own smartphone and see how it looks and functions. Pay attention to text size, button tapability, and how easily you can navigate without zooming. - Q3: Do I need to hire a web designer to make my website mobile-friendly?
A: Not necessarily! Many modern website builders (like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify) offer responsive templates that are mobile-friendly by default. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, there are thousands of responsive themes available. If you have a custom-built site, you might need a developer, but understanding these principles can help you communicate your needs effectively. - Q4: How does mobile-friendliness affect my SEO?
A: Google uses mobile-friendliness as a significant ranking factor. Websites that offer a good mobile experience are favored in search results. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re likely to rank lower, meaning fewer people will find you when searching on their phones.
