Why make a website mobile-friendly?
Making a website
mobile-friendly means making it functional on a smartphone. In many countries,
the number of smartphones has surpassed the number of personal computers. In
the United States, 95% of people with smartphones search for local information
on their phones. Having a mobile-friendly website has become a critical part of
having an online presence.
 |
| Make a website mobile-friendly |
If a website is not
mobile-friendly, it can be difficult to view and use on a mobile device. A
non-mobile-friendly site requires users to pinch or zoom to read the content.
Users find this frustrating. When frustrated, users may abandon the website.
When a website is
mobile-friendly, it is readable and immediately usable on a smartphone. This
ensures that visitors have a good experience on a site when they’re visiting
from their mobile devices.
 |
| Why make a website mobile-friendly? |
The
work to make a website mobile-friendly depends on a company’s resources,
business model, and expertise. Many website themes and builders, such as Wix,
take content and automatically make it mobile-friendly. Always check the mobile
version of your site to ensure the content reads well and is easy to navigate.
What
to know when building a mobile-friendly website
·
Make
it easy for customers to use.
Consider your
customers’ objectives. Do they want to be entertained by your blog post? Do
they need your restaurant’s address? Do they want to read your product’s
reviews? Design your website so it’s easy for them to achieve their objectives.
To do this, outline the
steps in your customers’ journey. Make sure they can easily take these steps
and achieve the journey on a mobile device.
In the example below, a
customer is trying to purchase a lamp. First, they click on a website after
searching for a lamp to buy. Then, they browse through a selection of lamps.
Finally, they purchase the desired lamp.
·
Measure
the effectiveness of your website by how easy mobile customers can complete common
tasks.
Make a list of common tasks customers make on your website. Then, have several people test doing those tasks. How easy were they to complete? Focus on consistency in your interface and produce a unified experience across all platforms.
·
Use
a responsive web design.
A responsive web design
means that the website uses the same code whether the user is on a desktop
computer, tablet, or mobile phone. The display adjusts according to the screen
size.
Google recommends using
a responsive web design over other design patterns. One benefit of using a
responsive web design is that you only need to maintain one version of your
site instead of two—one for mobile and one for desktop.
Top
three mistakes beginners should avoid
·
Forgetting
their mobile customer
Remember that good
mobile sites are useful–they help visitors complete their tasks. Don’t focus
solely on creating a mobile-formatted site and forget about providing full
functionality. A mobile-formatted site may appear fine on a smartphone,
however, if it isn’t as functional as a website on a computer, it may hinder
the user. Additionally, ensure that mobile formatting and functionality is
inclusive for those who don’t have access to a computer and do most of their
tasks on a smartphone.
· Implementing the mobile site on a different domain
Creating separate
mobile URLs significantly increases the amount of work required to maintain and
update your site. It also introduces possible sources of technical problems.
You can simplify your
website management by using a responsive web design. This design will serve a
desktop and mobile website on the same URL.
·
Working
in isolation rather than searching for inspiration
Before
you begin making your website mobile-friendly, review other sites in your
industry, such as competitors for inspiration and best practices. Learn from
features you find useful and not useful on their websites.
Credit to: Attract and Engage Customers with Digital Marketing
0 Comments