If you are like most people, then you spend a lot of time on your phone. You might even use it more than your computer! This means that your website needs to be mobile-friendly in order to keep up with the demand for consumers who want easy access to information when they are on the go.
Mobile devices are quickly becoming the preferred way to surf the internet.
In fact, in 2016 over half of the web browsing was done on mobile devices. This is an important statistic for businesses to take into consideration when designing or redesigning their website.
If your website isn’t optimized for viewing on a mobile device, you could be missing out on potential customers and money!
Here is what you need to know about making sure that your site is optimized for mobile devices:
1). Make sure there is enough white space
When it comes to mobile devices, people are used to scrolling through information quickly.
Tip: Use a simple font like Arial or Tahoma and make sure the text size is at least 14 points.
Example:
- Use a simple font like Arial or Tahoma and make sure the text size is at least 14 points.
- Make sure there is enough white space so that people can scan through the content easily.
- Keep the page short and to the point.
- Avoid using flash or other multimedia that is not supported by mobile devices.
2). Use short sentences and paragraphs
When it comes to reading on a mobile device, people don’t want to have to scroll through long paragraphs of text. Break up your content into short, easy-to-read sentences and paragraphs.
Tip: Use headings and subheadings to help organize your thoughts and make it easier for people to scan the content. For example, you can use H tags like this:
Not only will the above code show the text in bold on web browsers (like Google Chrome or Internet Explorer) but it also allows search engines to read your content more easily.
Example:
- Keep paragraphs short and make sure sentences are easy to understand.
- Use headings and subheadings to break up the content into easy-to-read sections.
- Avoid using long paragraphs of text.
3). Keep buttons close together so that users don’t have to scroll too far
When it comes to website buttons, you want to make sure that they are easy for users to find and that they don’t have to scroll too far down the page in order to find them.
Tip: Place buttons at the top of the page or near the middle so that people don’t have to scroll too much.
Example:
- Make sure buttons are easy to find and that users don’t have to scroll too far down the page.
- Place buttons at the top of the page or near the middle.
- Avoid using large graphics or images that take up a lot of space on the screen.
- Use buttons that are big enough for people to easily tap with their fingers.
4). Test Your Site Using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Tool
Google offers a free mobile-friendly testing tool that will analyze your website and show you how well it performs on mobile devices.
The Google Mobile-Friendly Test is a great way to see if your website is ready for prime time on smartphones and tablets. The test checks the following:
- Are all of your site’s links fully functional?
- Does your site use a responsive web design so that it looks good on mobile devices?
- Are the text and images large enough to read without zooming in?
- Is there enough white space around page elements for easy navigation using touch screens, fingers, or thumbs?
If you don’t have time to check all of these items manually, the Google Mobile-Friendly Test is a great way to get started.
If your website fails the test, don’t worry – there are many things you can do to improve its mobile usability.
Websites that are not mobile-friendly may rank lower in search results on Google when users are searching from a smartphone or tablet.
Also, Google provides a mobile usability report in Webmaster Tools to help you diagnose any issues on your website and find opportunities for improvement.
5). Use a Responsive WordPress Theme
If you are not comfortable with HTML and CSS, use a responsive WordPress theme.
There are many responsive WordPress themes to choose from, and most of the popular theme providers have several options.
Just be sure to test your chosen template before you commit to it – not all themes are created equal when it comes to mobile-friendliness.
6). Choose a Reliable Web Host
If your website is hosted on an unresponsive web host, you’ll have a hard time improving its mobile usability.
Mobile-friendly hosting platforms are designed to deliver fast loading times and reliable performance so that visitors can access the content they want without any hassle – not just from their desktops but also from tablets and smartphones.
A good option for mobile-friendly hosting in the Cloud.
Cloud computing technology makes it easy for small businesses to scale their websites as needed, so you won’t have to invest in new hardware every time traffic increases on your site.
Plus, with cloud hosting, you can rest assured that your website will always be online and accessible whenever customers want to visit it – even if your primary web server goes down.
If you are looking for a reliable, mobile-friendly hosting solution, the Cloud is a great option to consider.
7). Improve Your Site’s Loading Times
One of the most important aspects of a good mobile user experience is fast loading times.
If your website takes too long to load on smartphones and tablets, visitors will likely give up before they’ve had a chance to see what you have to offer.
There are many things you can do to improve your site’s loading time, including optimizing images, reducing JavaScript and CSS files, and caching static content.
Cloud computing can also help by offloading traffic from your primary web server so that pages load faster for mobile users.
Google PageSpeed Insights is a free tool that can help you identify opportunities for improvement when it comes to page speed.
8). Enable Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
If you are looking for an easy way to improve your website’s mobile usability, consider enabling Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).
AMP is an open-source project that was created by Google to help websites load faster on mobile devices.
AMP allows web developers to create pages that are stripped down of all nonessential content and rely on a simplified HTML markup language. This results in pages that load almost instantly – perfect for smartphones and tablets.
To enable AMP for your website, simply add the amp-HTML prefix to your page’s URL. For example, if your website is located at “example.com”, you would need to access it using “amp-example.com”.
Google provides a comprehensive guide on how to set up AMP for your website.
If you are looking for an easy way to improve your website’s mobile usability, consider enabling Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).
9). Create a Mobile App
If you are looking for a more permanent solution to the problem, consider creating an app.
Mobile apps are great because they can be used on any mobile device – not just one that uses a specific operating system or web browser.
Creating your own native mobile application may seem daunting at first, but there are many tools and resources available to help make it easier.
You can also hire developers who specialize in building custom mobile applications if you don’t have the skills necessary to do it yourself.
To get started with developing iOS apps, check out Apple’s App Development Guide. For Android development info, see Google’s Developer page.
Why you should optimize your website for mobile?
There are many reasons why you should optimize your website for mobile devices. First and foremost, it is important to make sure that your website is accessible to as many people as possible.
In addition, optimizing your website for mobile can help improve loading times and provide a better user experience overall.
Finally, if you have an app, it is critical to make sure that it looks great and functions properly on smartphones and tablets.
If you are looking for ways to improve the mobile usability of your website, consider using some of the tips listed above. By following these simple guidelines, you can ensure that your website is both accessible and enjoyable for all users – regardless of their device type or operating system.
Wrap up
If you are like most people, your smartphone is an integral part of your life. You use it for everything from getting around to watching movies and playing games.
But did you know that mobile devices account for more than 50% of all web traffic?
If you want to increase the number of visitors who buy or subscribe to your website, then it’s time to optimize your site for mobile!
When it comes to improving the usability of your website for mobile devices, start with these seven tips.
- Are the text and images large enough to read without zooming in?
- Is there enough white space around page elements for easy navigation?
- Are buttons and links easy to tap or click on a touch screen?
- Do all page elements resize responsively when viewed on different screen sizes?
- Is the text legible and easy to read on different types of screens?
- Do all page elements move when the user scrolls down the page?
- Are the website’s loading times fast enough for mobile devices?
If you are not sure how to answer any of these questions, use a mobile usability report in Google Webmaster Tools to diagnose any issues with your website and find opportunities for improvement.
Also, use our best free website builder tool, it creates mobile-friendly websites. And never worry about touching anything ever again.