How to Make your Website Mobile Friendly.
50% of online users search for content using their mobile devices.
So, when designing your website, remember that half of your potential customers are viewing your website on their phones. That is why building a responsive website is so important.
What is a responsive website design?
A responsive design simply means your website can adapt and respond to different screen sizes and devices—making it easy to read, navigate, and engage on any size screen. When selecting a template or website platform, make sure it has responsive technology. Or work with a web developer who can implement responsive design techniques so that the layout, content, and images adjust dynamically to fit various screen sizes.
Here is a guide to making your website mobile friendly:
Simplify the Design
Mobile screens have limited space, so it's essential to simplify your design and prioritize the most important elements. Consider a minimalist approach with clean and uncluttered layouts. Focus on essential content. Use whitespace strategically to create breathing room and improve readability. An experienced website designer will know how to alter the design so that your mobile version looks good.
Customize Navigation
Mobile navigation should be intuitive and easy to use with a single thumb or finger. Prioritize scrolling and replace complex drop-down menus with simple and visible navigation menus. Consider using sticky or fixed navigation to keep it accessible while scrolling. Provide clear headers and sections, and avoid overcrowding the navigation with too many options.
Optimize Typography
Select legible fonts on mobile screens. Script or unique fonts might look good on a large desktop but not on a small screen. Use fonts that are easy to read and don't compromise legibility for a cool design. Consider increasing line spacing to avoid cramped text.
Create Easy-to-Access Call-To-Action Buttons
When creating your buttons, make sure they are large and have enough spacing around them to prevent accidental taps. When buttons are pressed, provide visual feedback, such as color changes or animations. Also, make sure that form fields are easily selectable and fillable on mobile devices.
Optimize Images and Media
This goes for both desktop and mobile. You will want to compress and optimize images to reduce load times. People on mobile expect fast loading times. You can use resizing tools like img2go.com, which also has a Chrome extension. Regularly test your website's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
Consider adding a search function
If you have a store or a more complex website, consider adding a search function to make it easy for your visitors to find what they are looking for.
Last Word
By following these steps, you can design a website that provides a user-friendly experience for mobile users. Remember to continually monitor and optimize your website as new mobile devices and technologies emerge. I like using Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to see how optimized my client's websites are for mobile viewing. You can test a single page on your site or several web pages and see exactly how Googlebot views the pages when determining search results.