Having a strong and professional-looking website is essential for any business owner who wants to boost their sales. While many website owners have perfected the look of their website on desktop, they may have forgotten about the importance of mobile optimisation. Mobile browsing overtook desktop in 2016 and is most popular amongst younger demographics thanks to its ease and accessibility. If your website is inaccessible on a smaller screen, then you could be losing out on potential customers. To learn how to optimise your website for mobile, continue reading.
Use fluid layouts
Fluid layouts are the best option for your website if you want to optimise it for mobile use. Unlike fixed layouts, fluid layouts will change the width of your website depending on the screen size used to view it. Using percentages, the layout will adjust so that mobile users can view your website easily without having to scroll from side to side.
Make all content available
If a website layout is difficult to work with, some mobile web developers opt to hide some content from mobile users. However, this approach can be detrimental as you are not giving mobile browsers full access to your site’s menus and functions. Everything still needs to be available, however, you can simplify some elements. By reorganising or moving content to different screens, you can ensure that your mobile site has the same amount of information as your desktop site.
Think about touch
Desktop website users will use a mouse and keyboard to navigate your website. However, mobile users will use their fingers to touch the screen, and this is something you must keep in mind. For mobile optimisation, the website should be easily navigated by a range of finger sizes, meaning buttons and links that are large enough to press and plenty of non-clickable white space. Users shouldn’t have to struggle to press the option they want (or accidentally press something if it’s too big), or have to zoom in too much.
Optimise images
If your website uses images, bear in mind that they will look different on both mobile and desktop versions of your site. For mobile, you should reduce the size of images and use image compression. Doing this can drastically improve loading time, resulting in a better user experience.
Think social
Remember that many users may end up on your site after following links found on social media. If you have created a perfectly mobile optimised site, it is important that you make it easy for people to access it. Create a social media presence for your business and add a link to your website clearly on these accounts. This means that those viewing your business on social media can easily find and view your website for more information.
Test it out
Once you have completed the steps above, it is important to test out your mobile website so you can ensure that it is fully optimised. Using tools such as Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool can give you feedback and let you know if anything else needs to be changed.
If you are looking to create or redesign your website, then Healy Web Design can help. We are website designers in Essex who can transform your website for a great price. For more information, get in touch today.
