A mobile website is a must in 2017! So many people use their phone to browse the internet these days, that even your non-techy grandma can tell you that no online presence is complete without a perfectly built mobile website. But knowing how to build them is one thing and implementation is another.

After someone finishes creating their website, most assume that optimization for mobile browsing is done automatically. While technological developments make building a full site into a mobile one very smooth, important distinctions between regular and mobile web still require some special attention and design fines.

If you’re going to optimize your site for mobile, you better do it right. In this article, we cover all the steps needed to ensure that your mobile website is performing at its best!

How much time do consumers spend using mobile media?

Mary Meeker’s annual spring updates on mobile are a must-read if you follow consumer adoption of technology platforms, so we decided to use some of the key findings from the latest KPCB mobile technology trends. In short. mobile digital media time in the United States is significantly higher at 51% compared to that on a desktop which is 42%.

Understand mobile optimization and content development

Along every step of the way, you need to remember that mobile browsing has its own set of specific rules. Two considerations should guide your mobile content plan. The first is that site visitors are accessing your site when they’re out and about, and most likely while in a rush. The second is that the very small screen size completely changes how someone will interact with your content. Even if they’re scrolling leisurely while relaxing at home, they never get to enjoy the convenient features of a full-screen experience.

This means your mobile-optimized content should provide immediate and detailed answers to questions. Content hierarchy is extremely important – the most important messaging should always come first! For one, visitors should never have to search all over your website to find what they’re looking for. But in addition to that, business owners should prioritize visual branding too. You want to get an immediate and correct message across to your target audience.

The golden rule is that good mobile offers a clear and succinct experience, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of its visual quality. Whether on a big screen or a small screen, appealing and fun content is your top priority as a website owner.

Make sure your target audience can easily contact you

Mobile website users will always expect fast and simple access to the most important data that your mobile website offers, and that includes your contact information. If your users need to contact your business and are unable to easily find how to do so, they will lose patience and decide to move on. The best way to out this fire is to add these items to the top of your mobile website. This should show your phone number, address, contact email, and social media links on a convenient and clean area, letting your site visitors know that they are more than welcome to contact you.

Provide a clean mobile website navigation experience

In the area of mobile devices, size is always a challenge. There is absolutely no room for error here. When you design your website’s mobile navigation menu, you must consider the limitations of how small a mobile screen is and try to make the most of their little available space. But don’t panic, you don’t need to start measuring pixels now. Make sure your most relevant pages are included in this menu. 5 to 7 items should be fine. Any more than that and they may have a navigation issue.

Optimize your images to load fast on the go

If you thought that your visual content is important on desktops, wait until you start designing on the mobile site. Small file size images that are optimized for mobile screen sizes can increase the design and user experience exponentially. There are plenty of image optimization tools online that can help you with this process. This mobile image resizing tool will save you plenty of time and effort and ensure your media loads super-fast. You don’t want someone with a metered or low data plan, or no WIFI connection waiting around for a 3mb image to download and appear. A 3mb image will take ate last 10 seconds to load and kill their experience in a heartbeat. When an image is optimized, it’s size should be around 500kb. We guarantee it will load instantly on any type of data connection

Pay attention to readability

The most beautiful and organized content in the entire mobile universe would always fail if site visitors are having a hard to reading it. With mobile screens, this is even more acute than with larger ones. It’s not only your website’s font size that matters. Different font family’s themselves provide a different reading experience altogether (How to choose the right fonts for small screens).

Other important factors in providing a relaxing readability experience is color contrast and the right amount of spacing. Your site colors should form a harmonious combination, with fonts and background colors working together rather than fighting each other. Leaving enough space in your paragraphs, and between texts and other elements, is important as well. Large amounts of text that seem to have no beginning or end are just too painful to read through.

Offer fast navigation with site search

The mobile web is all about quick interaction and fast results. Navigating a mobile site in search of something is more tiresome than any other device, but you can make it easier by adding a search bar. This allows your site visitors to quickly type in what they are looking for. The search bar saves them time and minimizes the number of steps your visitor will need to take before getting what they want. Everyone loves shortcuts, right?

Don’t overwork your visitor

Great websites typically invite visitors to engage by soliciting some kind of action. With mobile website design, these interactions should be designed a bit more cautiously. Typing on a mobile keypad is, well, not the most fun thing to do. Keep that in mind when you add elements that require the input of your audience. If you use signup forms, for example, try to limit the required entry fields. If you are asking for your visitors’ feedback on something, give them a choice of icons or emojis they can tap instead of asking them to type it out.

If You Still Are Unsure Where To Turn

The Digital Agenda Web Development Agency provides Professional Mobile Web Design and Optimization to small businesses, brands, and professionals. We are Mobile Website Design Experts committed to delivering the best Mobile experience that engages your customers, gain traffic, and promote your brand. We build value and help our clients to achieve their unique business goals by connecting sustainable online technologies, clean visual design, and exceptional customer service. Explore our other solutions such as Real estate website development, Plastic Surgery websites, Medical website design, or Contact Us Today!