51.3% Internet Usage Comes from Mobile And Tablet…

8 Things You Need for A Killer Mobile-Friendly Website

You already know your company needs a mobile-friendly website (otherwise you would not be researching this) so we won’t spend time trying to convince you of something you already know. Instead, we’re going to point out 8 things to consider when thinking about your mobile website (though there are a lot more things to think about) and then invite you to contact us for a free consultation so we can help you launch your optimized mobile website.

1. Great Mobile Sites are “function over form”

While everyone wants to have a pretty mobile website, the BEST mobile-optimized sites are built from the function up. That means the development team understands the purpose of the site and what you want your users to do (shop, click, call)…then they build a site that accomplishes that goal.

2. Performance is the new “Sexy”

Having all the “bells & whistles” (video, animation, audio, etc.) on your main website may look “sexy” on a desktop with high-speed unlimited bandwidth, but for a mobile-optimized site, the “sexy” should come from great performance on limited bandwidth. Optimize the content and design so it looks good and is easy on your customer’s monthly data plan.

Read more on “How To Make Your Websites Faster On Mobile Devices” by Johan Johansson.

3. Simple is as simple does

Get down to business and focus your site on the goals you have for your customer. When a user hits your site, you should have it designed to easily drive them to their end goal in as few taps as possible. Deep sites with hundreds of pages can create confusion for the user and they can get lost in your site. Simplify your message and process and get right to the point – focus your navigation. Your mobile customer will love you!

Read more on “Responsive Menus: Enhancing Navigation On Mobile Websites” by Rachel.

4. Don’t build an app when a website will do

Mobile apps are great and they provide very rich user experience, but you don’t need an app that does the work of a website. You can free your company from some of the unintended headaches of building and maintaining a cross-platform mobile app by focusing your web content and leveraging the technologies of the web. Unless you’re delivering dynamic user-based content from databases, and processing specific user-focused notifications, updates, and tapping into the native functionality of the phone, otherwise a mobile website will work great and save you money.

5. Good Design Drives Engagement

Help your user out by designing the mobile site to help them get to what they want easily. That means clear navigation, obvious goals on the pages, and a focused end objective for each interaction. Make your store easy to shop, your media content easy to watch, and your information easy to find.

6. Define Brand and Ditch The Template

Let your company brand and personality shine through on your site…templates will not do. That’s right, a generic template is not doing you or your company any favors. If your site looks like a thousand other sites, it becomes noise to the user. You didn’t build your company from a cookie cutter template, why have a site that’s built that way? Your customers want to see your company (the company they recognize and love) clearly represented on the screen. Ditch the template and embrace the unique personality of your business.

7. Usability on any screen is key

Having a “mobile-optimized” site is more than just looking good on a phone screen. Your site should flex and adjust to fit ANY SCREEN/ANY TIME. The site should adjust no matter if your users are on their phone, on their PC desktop or on a smart TV. Make your site as flexible as your business, and you’ll pick up more customers in the process.

8. Streamline your content

In a mobile-optimized world, users don’t have time or patience to scroll through endless content in search of what they want. Many companies find that shifting to an optimized website means editing down the content to the bare minimum and focusing on their core message to the user. This is a MUST DO for any company who wants to be a player in the mobilized world. Read more on “7 Ways To Make Your Content Mobile Friendly” by Brian Sutter.