We are living in an era dominated by mobile phones; have you given any consideration to developing a mobile website? If you haven’t done so already, your competitors will certainly will. It’s likely that you’ll come to regret handing them your mobile visitors. If you are like most nowadays, you will find that the smartphone is something you simply cannot live without. It has been a constant companion in your life.
The issue is that creating a high quality website that is compatible with both large-screen desktops or laptops, as well as mobile devices, takes skill and patience. Savvy business owners realise the importance of having at minimum a mobile optimised website (if not also a mobile app), and the amount of traffic it can bring them.
If you are a business owner who does not have a mobile optimised website, you may not be aware of how much money you are losing out on.
25 percent of smartphone users expect to browse websites from their mobile devices at least once a day, according to the latest available figures. Because we’re a growth-centric business, when designing a website our primary focus is on developing a website that can generate an increase of up to 85 percent in customer engagement for our clients – delivering a mobile-optimised website plays a big part of this.
When is the right time for your website to get a mobile makeover? As a professional web development company, here are some things we suggest you look for:
Are you certain that your website is mobile-friendly?
Before we can determine whether or not your website requires a mobile makeover, we must first define what a “mobile responsive” or “mobile-friendly” website is.
A responsive website is one that is scaled to display its content on any screen size. It is when the contents of a page align correctly depending on the screen size – the text has proper spacing, does not overlap, and images are properly scaled.
Why do I require a mobile-friendly website?
If you have a mobile-friendly website as a reputable entrepreneur, you are creating a trust factor for your clients. If you are serious about your business, investing in developing a responsive website is critical because everything about your company can be found on it, and potential clients can see that you are serious about your brand by portraying professionalism in your online presence.
If the overall development is not responsive for any screen size, your design and content will be wasted.
Would you work with someone who doesn’t have a fully developed online presence? Most likely not!
Websites that are responsive rank higher!
If a website is optimized to be mobile-friendly, Google is more likely to prioritize it and rank it higher. Responsive websites provide a great user experience, which leads to users spending more time on your site and signals Google that your site has the content users are looking for.
By now, you already have a glimpse of what a responsive website can do to your business, you might still be wondering if you really need to do a makeover, we’ve listed these key points to consider:
- Keep Things Simple, Concise, & Easy-to-Navigate
The first thing to remember when optimizing for mobile is that the screens are smaller and more difficult to use and navigate than standard laptop or desktop screens. We need to keep things as simple as possible because we only have a limited amount of space to work with. What you must do is provide the most relevant and necessary information in order to make the entire user experience clear and convenient for your target audience. An information overload is a no-no. It may appear cluttered to readers and difficult to navigate for viewers. After all, we are only limited to small screens.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Avoid unnecessary information and get right to the point.
- Focus on the content that mobile users require the most.
- Your content should be concise and clear.
- When accessing more information, make sure visitors can easily click through navigation buttons.
- The main features of the website should be consistent (menu icon & options, back-to-home screen, etc.)
- By using accurate and catchy content and call-to-actions, you can guide your potential customers through the action you want them to take.
- Use no more than six form fields. Maintain a clean and clutter-free page at all times.
- Include a search bar to make navigation easier.
- Have An Easy-to-Scroll Feature
Have you ever seen a regular webpage on a phone? If so, you’ll realize how inconvenient it is to browse and navigate the site. The text and buttons are too small, and you have to pinch and zoom to see anything. These are things to avoid at all costs. It is inconvenient for your customers because they must struggle to comprehend what your website offers. You will lose a lot of consumers because of your bother.
Filling out surveys or long forms is another annoyance for mobile users. Instead of making your visitors fill out a long form, why not make it simple for them? Use check boxes and a scrolling menu bar to make data entry easier. By limiting the information on your page to only the relevant ones, you open up a lot of possibilities for improving your site (e.g., making your text size bigger for optimum readability). These changes allow for a seamless vertical scroll of the page’s content.
Make sure the action buttons are big enough for simple navigation. Never forget that your visitors will be using their fingertips instead of a mouse arrow.
- Incorporate A Large and Legible Font Size
Easy-to-read text should always be used to capture attention, minimizing the need to zoom in for a better view on the screen. If you want to impress your audience, you don’t want them to squint or not understand your writing completely. To eliminate this, use a font size point of 14 or 16. Keep the font style simple and universal. Focusing on style can hamper a page’s readability. Here is a comparison of the typefaces you should use.
- Use Imagery To Convey Your Message
In a space-constrained device like a phone, an image can be a terrific way to convey your complete message. A great photo can evoke an instinctive connection and experience in your readers that writing cannot. Choosing the right image can be overwhelming, so keep in mind the following:
- Select a captivating image and add a matching, smooth background.
- Use a simple and non-distracting photo or abstract image as your page’s background. Use a non-distracting photo or abstract graphic as a page background.
- Consider your website’s color scheme. Avoid bright hues. Any neon color on screen will be too bright. Make your page enjoyable to view at all times.
- NEVER let your text and background compete. Make sure the text color stands out in the background. Use patterns as a background with care. They may make your material hard to read.
- Remember to resize your images. Also, compress your images so that your viewers can benefit from faster image loading. TinyPNG and ImageOptim are two fantastic tools for decreasing image size without compromising quality.
- Also, develop an excellent sense of color. A decent color palette ensures that the colors you pick complement each other and blend seamlessly with your chosen image. This creates a visually attractive and non-distracting experience.
It’s Time to Make a Move!
The bottom line of this list is that marketers and business owners must always pay close attention to customer behavior. Consumers expect some consistency across all mobile devices. The message is clear: your company requires a mobile-friendly website. It’s already a requirement. If you don’t have a mobile optimization strategy in place, you should stop what you’re doing and address the issue. Optimize your website for mobile to stay relevant and to ride the mobile influence wave.
Is your website already mobile-friendly? Do you have any other suggestions for how to effectively mobile optimize your website?
Contact us and let’s boost your website’s online presence!