As per the latest statistics, last year mobile devices overtook desktop computers as the primary device to access websites. Though searches from desktops and laptops remained on a very high level on Google, but more and more people have started used their mobile phones to search on Google.
We all agree now that having a mobile website is no longer an option. It is a bare necessity. Now we will explain you in detail, how to prepare your mobile website easily.
- A mobile website is a must-have in 2017: Even if you have a mobile-ready website, it is very important to check the usability on various mobile devices. The fact that your website can be displayed on mobile devices doesn’t mean that your site is also easy to use. You definitely will get more page views with a mobile-friendly website. If your website is not mobile-friendly, people are more likely to leave your site. Similarly, people are likely to leave your site if it does not load fast.
- Google’s mobile-first index: Until now, Google ranked web pages based on the desktop version of the site. As per a recent announcement by Google, they are working on a mobile-first index, where they will rank web pages based on the mobile versions. For helping the audience, Google has published several articles and resources which can help them make sure that the web pages are mobile-friendly:
- Mobile-friendly websites
- Mobile-friendly test
- Mobile usability report
- Mobile optimization checklist
There are some things that you should check to make sure that your website works fine on mobile devices:- Use responsive website design: Google recommends responsive design to make sure that your web pages work with mobile devices. Responsive website design makes sure that your web pages “respond” to different screen sizes. The content is always the same but the design changes based on the size of the screen. The design of your website will be slightly different on desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones. You can simulate this by changing the width of your web browser window. If you use WordPress to create your web pages, just download a responsive template and adjust it to your needs. Other content management systems also offer responsive templates. Changing your website to a responsive design is the very first thing that you should do.
- Improve the speed of your website: The page speed is always important. Even if your website loads fast on a WiFi connection, it might be very slow on a mobile data network. A few things which one can improve in a mobile friendly page are: eliminate render-blocking JavaScript and CSS in above-the-fold content, enable compression, optimize images, minify CSS, etc. If you use WordPress, you can use plugins (cache, etc.) that will fix these things for you. Google recommends a page loading time of 2-3 seconds.
- Improve the user experience on mobile: Mobile users are goal-oriented. They want to achieve their goal quickly and easily. There shouldn’t be a need to zoom, there shouldn’t be a confusing navigation and the touch elements should be big enough.
Here are some things that you can do to make your mobile site easier to use:
- Make easy to see “Call to action” buttons.
- Keep the website menu short and simple.
- Home page link should be highlighted on all pages.
- Try not to distract website visitors from the main goal by adding promotions for other items etc.
- The site search feature should be easy to use.
- For e-commerce website, try to make the shopping experience as easy as possible.
- Streamline your forms and make them simplest possible for users.
- Never have any user do a pinch to zoom on a page.
- After preparing the web site, have it tested by real people. A Non-technical person who does not work with you might find things that you haven’t thought of.
Get a competitive advantage
Optimizing for mobile isn’t rocket science. It is some work to adjust your web pages but the results are more than worth it. Without a mobile website, your website is going to be invisible in the future.
