What Exactly Does it Mean to Have a Mobile Website?
If you’re not sure that your site should be mobile-ready in 2015, here’s your wake-up call: 2014 was the first year that mobile online traffic exceeded desktop traffic. Google has taken notice and is designating whether a site is mobile-friendly or not right in its search results.
Even more staggering: while there are about 2 billion desktop devices in the world, there are more than 5 billion mobile devices, with a variety of screen sizes, resolutions, and internet/data capabilities.
You can check if your website is mobile-friendly with this test from Google.
But what exactly does it mean for your website to be mobile-friendly?
Is your mobile website tappable?
Making sure individual elements are tappable is crucial to mobile websites. People on smartphones blame their fat fingers for clicking on the wrong thing, but you should make it as easy as possible for your user to get to where they want to go. This means placing links far enough apart so the user can tap on the right thing.
Does your mobile website have simple and direct navigation
Related to tappability, make sure to have a clear menu bar and navigation that is optimized for mobile use. Have your most important links in the menu first and create as few clicks as possible to get people to the main pages for your website.
Did you properly size your text and site for mobile screens?
Your users want to do as little pinching-to-zoom and horizontal scrolling as possible. Make sure your text is legible without anyone having to zoom in or squint. Google suggests to “use a base font size of 16 CSS pixels. Adjust the size as needed based on properties of the font being used.”
Are your calls to action prominent on your mobile website?
There are certain directives you want users to take once they come to your website and you don’t want to lose anyone on the mobile version of your site. Keep your calls to action front and center, and make sure any forms are as streamlined as possible.
Are you using the technology that’s best for mobile?
Not all website tech and languages will transfer well to mobile. Flash is basically dead, as anyone with an Apple mobile device will have confirmed in the past few years. Flash websites are also another thing that Google is warning people about directly in search results.
How easy is it to search your site?
Help your users find exactly what they’re looking for in the easiest way possible by having a search form on every page. Make sure the results are relevant and that you provide filters to help users narrow down their search results.
C-leveled can help you adapt to the mobile revolution. Contact us today!
