5 Things to Remember When You Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

Browsing the web via mobiles is no longer the future. It is already the norm among millions of mobile users in the west and is seeing massive growth in Asia as well. With India standing second in the world in terms of the number of active mobile users in the world, the trend is only expected to swing further upward. With Google’s latest update, mobile friendliness has become a must for all websites. So, how do website owners make their websites mobile friendly?

In this article we give you five ways by which you can make your business website mobile-friendly:

1. Make sure your developer is clear on the objective

You need your website to be mobile-friendly and your developer or the development team needs to be very clear on this. This means that the website should incorporate smaller layouts and designs according to it. For this, the web developer needs to have the experience that it takes to actually see through the development process. Look for sample website that the developer has built, go through them in detail, and proceed further only if you and your team are fully convinced as to the competence of the developer concerned. 

2. Keep it simple

It’s not the time of animations and flash anymore. They are past. With customers keen to look at an app for only as much as a few seconds, you need to eschew long text and the like. Use images wherever possible, and if you need to explain something to the customer, do it through videos. Focus on the smaller but important stuff like highlighting your company logo and contact information so that the user may contact you when needed.

3. Use short forms with drop-down menus

Short forms and drop-down menus are the order of the day. They not only make the job easier for the user, they are also more attractive. Try using a long form and see how difficult it is if you have doubts. Cut the text and have radio buttons instead.

4. Focus on finger-friendly navigation

Mobile usage happens on the go. When you design your app remember that users are going to use the app when they are going out for a stroll, waiting for their train or having their lunch. So your app needs to be easy on the fingers and thumbs of the users. Make sure you have large buttons for form submission. Eschew longer menus as well.

5. Give each page a quick call to action

This is important from the usability point of view. You need to give your customers the option of taking quick actions like signing up for a subscription or downloading an eBook. Don't include call to action that are complicated.

8 Tips to Make a Mobile-Friendly Website!

A mobile-friendly website is not something to be decided upon today. Post Google’s search ranking update, it has become imperative for everyone to have a mobile-friendly website. But for those of you who have not begun it yet, there is still time left as Google’s is only a real-time dynamic update which means you can recover any lost traffic provided your website becomes mobile-friendly soon.

Making a mobile-from website is not as complex as it is made out to be. In fact, the key is in keeping it simple. Simplifying content and streamlining the design process are key to getting your strategy right. Here’s what you should remember while designing a proper mobile website.

1) Keep things simple. It is important not to use too much content on your website as it puts off users. Whenever you want to detail an issue to the user, use a video. It always clicks.

2) Choose the foremost information to include: direct means of communication (e.g. phone numbers, click-to-call function, online booking); main information about services; locations on a map. Long bios and other texts of secondary importance should be left solely for a desktop website. Include only the things your visitors are most likely to look for.

3) Users need to access the pages they need as quickly as possible, and with minimum actions. Enable easy navigation. This means users must have sufficient space so that they don't click the wrong icons or buttons.

4) Do not ask your users for too much text input. They don't like it. Not one bit.

5) Reduce the number of pages without stuffing in lot of information in one page. Ensure that your design allows your users to tap and swipe around your website easily. Also avoid excessive use of images, popup and Flash.

6) Liberally use your company logo and colours in your website. Making good use of images is an essential component of a good mobile-optimized site.

7) Keep in sight a link to the desktop website. Many visitors may want to proceed there for the information that is left out in the mobile version.

8) Check how your website works on a number of mobile devices: Smartphone’s and tablets running various platforms. Screen size is important when you’re dealing with mobiles.

These are just some of the things that you need to keep in mind as you go along. But once you get these basics right, you can rest assured your development strategy is on the right path.