10 best practices to make a mobile-friendly website
Companies need to create mobile-friendly sites to reach customers since more people use phones to access the Internet.
According to Statcounter’s research, an optimized website designed to appeal to mobile visitors can help your ranking on search engines, as mobile devices account for approximately 60% of internet traffic.
Your website should provide different experiences based on the device visitors are using to access it. Mobiles are smaller than desktops, so a mobile-friendly site should adapt its layout accordingly for optimal user experience.also check out best mobie frienly website designer in bhayandar
Desktop viewing provides users larger screens and features unavailable on mobile devices, such as Adobe Flash or pop-up screens. Mobile-friendly websites contain features tailored specifically for mobile use, such as navigation and click-to-call capability—plus, they load quickly!
Here are a few strategies for making your website mobile-friendly.
1. Implement a responsive layout
Websites should adapt to whatever device a visitor uses and display relevant content while changing designs as necessary, adapting from a two-column desktop layout to a single-column mobile design without impacting loading speeds if they use responsive design principles. When developing or upgrading websites, ensure your theme supports responsive mobile views for optimal results.
How to make Your website Mobile-Friendly (or otherwise compatible)
Here are a few strategies for making your site mobile-friendly.
Responsive websites also contribute to search engine optimization (SEO), as Google rewards mobile-friendly websites with higher rankings in the search results. When ranking websites, Google uses algorithms that focus on ranking sites based on mobile-rendered views of web pages rather than desktop views.
Wix and Squarespace, two e-commerce website builders, feature mobile-responsive themes that can be modified. WordPress also provides flexibility when customizing sites.
If your website doesn’t work properly on mobile devices, add the Viewport Meta Tag. This tag allows it to scale effectively for different screen sizes.
Add this code to your head tag to ensure the website will scale appropriately across a range of screen sizes.
2. Website Speed Optimization
Speed is vital in drawing in viewers. According to Portent, websites that load in under one second have three times higher conversion rates than those that take five seconds or longer.
Visit BrowserStack SpeedLab to test your website’s loading time. Simply enter its URL and click Get Free Report. This tool can also help measure its speed. Its score on both desktop and mobile will also be displayed. Tests should be run twice: once on desktop and once on mobile.
Hosting videos on third-party platforms and embedding them directly into your site are two ways to increase website speed; YouTube and Wistia are famous examples of hosting videos.
Discover more about the different types of videos that can help your business connect with its target customers.
3. Compress Images
Remember compression when uploading images to your website to reduce file sizes and increase download speed. Compressing images significantly decreases data consumption, resulting in faster website speeds for visitors. Kraken.io provides a free tool that enables image compression without losing quality; JPEG 2000 or XR formats produce smaller files than PNGs while still producing quality output and increasing site speeds accordingly.
Lazy loading is another method in which images are only loaded when necessary; images below the fold, where users can access content without scrolling, will only load if the user scrolls down the page to view them.
4. HTML5 offers an effective alternative to Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a widely used animation program that is not compatible with mobile devices. HTML5 offers an ideal alternative to Adobe Flash for websites.
HTML5 makes it possible to complete many online actions without browser plug-ins, including embedding videos and music and creating animated content. It allows for seamless media streaming.
5. Avoid Pop-ups
Pop-ups may work well on desktop websites but should be avoided on mobile devices.
Pop-ups may be tricky for users to notice on small screens and are uncontrollable – for instance, when users leave your website or click Contact Us. Furthermore, users may find it challenging to close pop-ups on mobile devices since the X at the bottom corner is often not visible.
6. Alter the button size and position
Buttons that are too small or located incorrectly on mobile sites can make navigation difficult, as people most often use their thumbs to navigate. Therefore, buttons must be large enough for thumb use.
Your website buttons should also be placed near the bottom so users can easily hit them with their thumbs when scrolling.
7. Opt for fonts that are large and legible
On a smaller display, more than the recommended font size of at least 14 pixels for desktop computers may be required to read comfortably. Test this on your mobile device to determine whether you can read it comfortably.
On a mobile phone, try to avoid using new fonts, such as script fonts; they may not be easy for readers to read. Be consistent with your font style and bold individual lines where necessary.
By using black text instead of different colors, users can quickly identify whether their background color differs or if there are reflections, such as sun glare, when viewing their device outdoors.
8. Spread Out Links
We all know it can be hard to click a link with just your thumb, so space out your links so users can more easily locate what they are searching for.
Limit the number and type of links on your mobile site to reduce blue. Also, limit redirections from other websites to improve user experience; when linking away from your domain with links like, “Click Here for Company XYZ’s New Website!” and let visitors know they’re leaving yours – for instance.
9. Simplify web design
Aim to avoid overstuffing any one page with numerous calls to action, which can become overwhelming and hard to navigate, especially if there are too many choices. Only include functions that users will actively seek out, like contact forms, on that particular page.
Make your design user-friendly to ensure smooth navigation. White space helps visitors see content at a glance. Update any outdated material to avoid cluttering the page and disorienting visitors.
When creating menus, avoid long lists of features and options. Although it might seem straightforward, a menu with all navigational features takes up considerable screen space on smaller devices. Instead, consider using a hamburger button, which opens a larger menu, to reduce clutter and save space.
10. Continuously test the website on mobile devices
There are various methods for making sure your website is mobile-friendly. Before making this commitment, test how well it runs on both Android and iOS devices.
Google offers a free Mobile Friendly Test that lets users test each page on their website. This is an easy and efficient way to check for changes or ensure that any updates work as intended. Be sure to do it regularly, particularly after updates have taken effect on your site.