Mobile optimized websites are designed for the small screen, with the needs of mobile users in mind. According to Google, users expect their mobile experience to be as good as their desktop experience.
A mobile-friendly site can help your business connect with customers and increase sales, but a bad mobile experience can drive customers to the competition.
According to Gartner, among the world's leading information
technology research and advisory companies, by 2013 more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online. But if someone is looking for your company, what will they find?
technology research and advisory companies, by 2013 more people will use mobile phones than PCs to get online. But if someone is looking for your company, what will they find?
Click here for a Google tool that will show how your website looks on a smartphone. For a full report on how mobile-friendly your site is, use the W3C mobileOK Checker. Enter the URL to test; it will show whether your website is mobile-ready or not, and make recommendations on how to rectify issues.
Need to make some changes? Here are some tips for identifying and implementing the best strategy for your business.
First, ask yourself:
- Who is using your site?
- What are users doing when they get there?
- Where are they accessing the site from?
- When do they look for your site?
- Why do users come to your site?
Now, make the most needed information from your website prominent and accessible. Here are a few things to consider as you re-design:
Keep download time in mind. Avoid background images and combine smaller images into a single file.
Go from "clickable" to "tappable." Use whitespace and chunky buttons to be surre that tappable elements can be easily pressed with a finger. Remember, there is no "hover" on a mobile device. Hover states on a desktop site need to be re-worked for mobile.
Optimize for vertical scrolling. Single-column layouts usually work best. It helps for managing limited space on the small screen, and also allows scaling between different device resolutions and flipping between portrait and landscape mode.
Think in collapsible terms. Stack chunks of large content in folding modules that allow the user to tap open the content they're interested in and hide the rest. Check out the mobile site for Major League Baseball. At the top of the page is a button labeled "Teams." Tapping this extends the page, listing the 30 teams vertically in the single-column page.
Provide interaction feedback. Give users obvious feedback about actions that are occurring. For example, it's common to see a white-colored link turn fully blue on the iPhone when tapped. Use animated loading images to indicate something is in progress.
Want expert help? Give us a call; we'll develop and implement a web strategy accessible to all users, regardless of device.
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