The fact is that for many people, mobile devices are more often than not, our main source of information, so it makes sense for businesses to switch gears and create content to reach clients and customers, suited to mobile devices.
When creating a website, it is best to keep in mind both desktop and mobile optimisation, as many business websites are fully optimised for desktops and laptops only. The reason being is that it is expected that your business website will, and should, look different on a desktop screen as opposed to a mobile device. Keeping that in mind, it surely makes sense to consider mobile optimisation for your website too.
But often, little thought goes into the optimisation of mobile websites, resulting in the website possibly loading slowly, the wording and images being misaligned, making it impossible to navigate, or even worse, the site crashing altogether.
This is enough to turn a potential client or customer away, and missing out on a client or sale is the last thing you want for your business. A neglected mobile site can hurt your brand as well as drive clients and customers crazy! As a result of a poorly optimised mobile site, users often end up getting frustrated and close the website to continue searching for the next business to provide the same product or service.
Mobile optimization for websites alludes to the above acknowledgement as it involves changing certain features of your website to be as user-friendly and as accessible to your clients and customers as possible. This usability and accessibility include the look of your website as well.
This is where responsive design comes in. Responsive design’s purpose is to accommodate any screen, big or small. The site is meant to fill the screen with information that is readable and clear. In order to present the content in a clear way, designers are required to adapt images to suit a number of different screen sizes.
A good tip to remember is that less is more when it comes to mobile. Considering mobile devices are not as substantial as a desktop, it is wise to make sure your site is optimised to load quickly, and that your web host is able to handle the traffic efficiently. Navigation is also very different on mobile devices as compared to a desktop computer because you use a mouse to navigate the site on your desktop, while you scroll with your fingers on mobile devices.
User experience is another important aspect to consider as the user should not feel frustrated when navigating the site. The goal should be to make it as easy as possible for a client or customer to find what they are looking for. If there are any complications, or the site is broken at all, you risk jeopardizing your potential client or customer base. Ideally, a well designed and optimised mobile site should be easy to understand and provide the user with all the information they need.
When embarking on your journey to make your site mobile friendly, don’t settle for a responsive site alone because a responsive site is not necessarily reader-friendly. The user most likely also values the content you’ve got to offer and will probably consume your valuable content on their mobile devices, rather than on a desktop. By adding and making a few simple changes to your format and writing, this is sure to improve your content’s mobile-readability to a large extent and make your website both appealing and interesting for the mobile user.
