There’s no denying that mobile is the way your customers will connect with your business from this point moving forward. But since it’s still an emerging tactic, web designs for smartphones and tablets are struggling to make their pages appealing and user-friendly.
So, here are four basics you should keep in mind to enhance your mobile website design:
Strive for Simplicity. It’s always a good idea to keep things simple when it comes to mobile web design. To increase functionality, a mobile website should only include the most important content and in the most simplified way. Some easy steps you can take to prevent over-designing your mobile website include 1) removing large graphics, 2) eliminating lengthy copy, and 3) keeping the site to about 5 to 10 pages (as a very general rule of thumb).
Focus on Usability. Like simplicity, usability is another top priority when it comes to optimizing your mobile site. Visitors need space to select links and scroll through your pages. The more white space you provide them, the easier it is for them to make their way around.
The same goes for the size of links — the bigger they are, the easier it is for users to tap them. In addition, it’s a good idea to ensure that all the information you’ve included is categorized and sorted logically, making everything easy to find. Last but not least, verify that every button, image, and menu option is clearly legible and working properly.
Don’t Make Them Wait. One of the main reasons users abandon both mobile and desktop websites is due to slow load times. If your mobile website has heavy graphics, like videos or large images, loading time can significantly increase. It’s also important to remember that while the features of your website may appear fine on one smartphone, they may not render properly on another smartphone. As a result, it’s a good idea to test your site across multiple platforms.
Get Inside the Mind of Your Customer. It’s important to know what kind of information users who visit your mobile website will be looking for (such as location or business hours) and to plan accordingly. Google Analytics can help you get that data. Their analytics will show you where traffic is coming from, which sections of your site are most popular amongst users, and other information that’ll help you design an effective site for mobile. Using that data to optimize your mobile website design is a constant process that shouldn’t be overlooked.
More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to visit websites, so make sure that your mobile website is designed to meet the needs and wants of your viewers. By avoiding a complicated, dysfunctional and slow website design, users will stay longer and can easily browse around the site.