In the recent years, the mobile phones have seen a huge explosion. People now use their mobile devices to surf the internet and do shopping online. Therefore, it has become crucial for companies than ever before to develop websites that are optimized for mobile viewing as well. It’s not all about building a mobile website, but it’s more about enhancing the user experience with the brand. We are in the age where it has become important to create a differentiated and extraordinary experience for customers. So, there are a few additional things that you need to consider when optimizing for mobile. Let’s see what they are:
- Be responsive: Your visitors can access your website not only from their mobile phones, but from multiple platforms such as desktops, laptops and tablets too. So, you must also take care of how your website will appear on different devices, different screen sizes and different screen resolutions. This can be done by using responsive technology frameworks such as Bootstrap. The framework is a simple way to layout elements in a grid and then shift that grid based on different screen sizes. This creates a similar experience for the users no matter how they are accessing the site.
- Optimize performance: According to the surveys done by Akamai and Gomez.com – nearly half of web users want a website to load in 2 seconds or less. 79% of online shoppers who face trouble with site performance say that they won’t return to the site to buy again. So, it’s important to reduce the page loading speed of your mobile website to improve its performance and this can be done by stripping down the heavy media files such as images and videos. Image compression can dramatically reduce the size of your images (from 25% to 80%!) without losing their quality. Also consider replacing bulky JavaScript libraries such as Jquery Mobile with standalone JavaScript.
- Keep it simple: Keep your design clean and simple to make it more user-friendly. A cluttered layout is distracting for users and fail to convey the message clearly. Don’t go overboard with videos and graphics. Remember, your visual aids must add value not overshadow the main idea of the content. Keep your design focussed toward content to keep the users engaged in a right way. The smartphone screen is much smaller than that of a desktop PC, so keep the content concise and sweet on your mobile website.
The Bottom Line
It is expected that the number of mobile searches will increase exponentially in the coming months. This means that businesses need to prepare their websites for mobile traffic influx as well. Before putting your site online, consider how your layouts, product pages, service pages and content will appear on a smartphone, tablet or iPad. Other factors that you need to consider while optimizing your mobile website include text size, quality of images, layout design and mobile-friendly calls-to-action. Follow these tips to create a mobile optimized website that converts.