Mobile Website Browsing is Here. Is Your Website Ready?

It is clear that today's internet users spend significant time viewing websites through their mobile devices and that the percentage will only continue to grow. Today's websites need to be conceptualized, designed and developed with all devices, from desktop to tablet and smartphone, in mind. Mobile websites need to be user-friendly, efficient and understanding of the needs of the user based on their device.

Why?

• More people are going mobile. Mobile devices now outsell personal computers. And it's only going to get more popular.
• People search on the go. People use their smart phones to determine where to shop, what to buy and more.
• Mobile websites are easier to develop than apps. Developing an app is a much more complicated than having a mobile site. You have to develop an app for iOS and for Android and apps are not found in search.

Tips for Making a Site Mobile Responsive

• Simplify your site. Mobile sites are quite different than a desktop site. Pare down the graphics, menus, text and overall look to take advantage to of the screen size of a mobile device. Make sure that everything is easy to navigate and read on a smaller screen; to keep visitors from getting frustrated if they can’t find what they’re looking for because the site is too complex for mobile use.
• Limit the scrolling to one direction. On a mobile site, make sure user only have to scroll in one direction to read or find what they are looking for. It’s aggravating to scroll both up and down and sideways in order to view a page on a touch screen.
• Make sure navigation is easy. Make sure your mobile site allows easy navigation by making links larger, allowing space in between “clickable” areas and anything else that helps those who are viewing your page navigate it easily. Nothing is worse than a bunch of barely-readable links too close together. It makes the browsing experience almost unusable.
• Don’t use too many images. When it comes to mobile sites it is best to use few images. When viewing a mobile page, the point is to get the information necessary. Save the larger design and branding for the desktop,
• Don’t forget to link the standard site to the mobile site, if the two are different URLs. If a user is navigating a site from something like a tablet, they may want to see the full site. Give them that option by linking it from the mobile version. This way, they’ll be able to choose what suits them best at that time.
• Consider the user's needs by device. Keep in mind that a mobile phone user is more apt to be looking for hours, directions, and phone numbers, but a table user may be more interested in shopping and reading.