At this point, up to 70% of web use occurs on mobile devices such as phones and tablets. What this means is that when designing a website for your business, you need to make sure that it’s optimized for mobile devices.
Wondering what this entails? Then take it from website optimization services: here’s everything you need to know about creating a mobile optimized website.
Think Vertical
Computer screens are wider than they are tall. As such, when designing a website for such a screen, it’s common to build it horizontally.
Cell phones are the opposite; they’re taller than they are wide. So, instead of utilizing a horizontal design for a mobile device, you should be using a vertical design.
This way, the user will be able to easily see what’s displayed on the screen. They won’t have to zoom in on particular parts of the website. This will increase usability and thus make for as enjoyable a user experience as possible.
Employ Prioritization
Because mobile-friendly web designs are vertical in nature, they can really only display one design element at a time. You’re not going to be able to fit an entire page’s worth of information on the screen. You’ll instead have to scroll down when you’re in search of further information.
This is why, when creating such a design, you need to employ prioritization. In other words, you need to decide which design elements are most important and then include them toward the top of the web page.
Why? Because these are the design elements that will be seen first by the user. If you want their experience to be as simple as possible, you need to ensure that the most popular parts of your website are easy to spot.
Start out with a header, follow with a picture, and then be sure to have a call-to-action button available. After that, you can post the less eye-catching information.
Consider Using a Scroll-to-Top Button
One of the downsides of mobile-friendly web designs is that, when using them, you’re not always in a position to quickly utilize the main navigation menu. The screen simply isn’t big enough to keep the menu visible while you’re scrolling.
So, how do you get around this problem? One thing to consider is using a scroll-to-top button. This is a button that travels with the user as they scroll down. This way, if they want to access the navigation menu, they can click the button and be expedited to the top of the screen.
An alternative to this is to use a sticky header. This is a header that travels with you as you scroll down. This way, you don’t even have to go back to the top of the screen. You’ll be able to utilize the navigation menu regardless of where you are on the website.
Our advice is to play around with both options and determine which one you like best. The former takes up less screen space; the latter increases ease of use.
Keep Media to a Minimum
Generally speaking, phones are directed to slower servers than computers. As such, websites tend to load slower on phones than they do on computers.
How do you increase load speed on a phone to ensure that it’s equaling its computer-based counterpart? By keeping media to a minimum. This includes pictures, videos, and all other types of media.
Not only should you minimize the number of pictures and videos used in your web design, but you should also reduce the quality of these pictures and videos so as to make their file size as small as possible without greatly compromising appearance.
There’s a balance here that you need to strike, especially when it comes to image and video quality. You don’t want to get to the point where your videos and images are blurry or pixelated.
To help reduce the file sizes of your media, make them smaller, compress them, and even consider converting them to different file formats.
Allow for Voice Search
These days, more and more websites are giving their users voice search capabilities. Voice search enables users to find the information they’re looking for by simply speaking into their phones. For instance, a user might say something like “services page”, thus leading them to the website’s services page.
This can take typing, clicking, and scrolling out of the equation entirely, greatly increasing the usability of your website. Your website users will find information faster and thus remain pleased with your company.
Cache Data
Another thing you can do to increase load speeds on mobile devices is to cache users’ data. This makes it so that after a user has visited a page on your website, your server remembers who they are. This way, when they come back to that page, it no longer has to load fully; the cached version can be displayed instead, allowing for maximum load speed.
Caching data on a website can be done in a variety of ways. If you’re making your website from scratch, you can use services like Squid and Varnish. If you’re making it on a CMS like WordPress, there are endless plugins for you to utilize.
Keep It Concise
Our last piece of advice is to keep it concise. By “it”, we mean everything included in the design. Looking at a website on a mobile device is an experience of convenience and thus commands convenience every step of the way.
Utilize short headers, simplify your navigation menu, keep images and videos to a minimum, and cut down on the amount of reading that the user has to do. The quicker it is for the user to engage with, the more effective it will be in converting sales.
Need Website Optimization Services?
Do you need help optimizing your website? Need website optimization services? If so, look no further than Bipper Media.
We’ve created countless websites for countless clients and know exactly how to optimize a website from a mobile device. With our help, you’ll reach a bevy of new clients and customers through phones.
Contact us now to get started on your user friendly website!
Bipper Media 855 Gaines School Rd Suite A Athens, GA 30605 706-350-1063
