Websites were built for desktop computers to start with, but as the global smart device usage rate increased so did need for website owners to find other methods to fit the desktop experience into the much smaller display of a smartphone. Mobile optimised websites provide a much better experience with mobile devices.
Today, we expect to be able to do everything through our phones, from online banking, shopping, gambling, gaming and even watching our favourite shows. We expect every one of these sites to run smoothly and provide a pleasant user experience.
So what are the advantages of mobile optimised websites?
Mobile optimization is the process of developing a personalised site that perfectly fits the device used to view the website. Fitting the everything into the smaller display requires design consideration and code to rewrite the page on the fly. This allows a lot of business websites on the internet to provide the right level of user experience. How does yours measure up?
Why Is Mobile Optimisation Important?
Mobile optimisation is a must in the modern world. It is essential for both businesses and their customers and site providers. A fast, mobile optimised website will perform better on a mobile device than a site designed for desktop. It’s a well-published fact that a 1-second delay in load speed can result in a 7% decrease in sales.
Mobile optimised websites have mobile customers as their priority. They display customized web content perfectly suited to a mobile browsing experience. It also helps with SEO, as Google uses the load speed as an essential Search Engine Optimization ranking factor and also prioritises mobile-optimised sites over others.
Mobile website design means some design features that have worked up to now on websites viewed primarily on a desktop browser simply do not work as well on a mobile. The obvious difference is a narrow screen size. Whilst this can be overcome by “stacking” elements some other adjustments to things like font and button size may be required. Common mobile website features include:
- Simpler menus and navigation
- Prominent display of key information such as phone numbers/contact info
- Clear and visible calls to action
- Large and easy to touch buttons
- Quick loading
- Simpler forms
- Less text, more graphics
- Simpler designs
- Fewer pop-ups compared to a desktop website
How does your small business website measure up?
To check your website, take a look at Google’s mobile-friendly test. Simply enter your website’s address and see how your site scores. Not good? Don’t despair – a fresh new mobile-optimised templated site can get you green in as little as a week for just £50/month for 12 months. If your site scores well, then great. If not – then how about booking some TimeBank for us to give it a once over and see what can be done?
