It is estimated that more than 2 billion people only use mobile devices to access the internet at the moment, and that number will very likely grow in the future. Other people find mobile devices more convenient for browsing the web – probably because we always have our phones with us. Therefore, creating a webpage that looks good on mobile phones and tablets is necessary.
Google implemented mobile-first indexing in 2020, which motivated website owners to invest in mobile optimization. It means that a page won’t be ranked if it doesn’t have a mobile version. But don’t focus on numbers only. Ensure that the page is user-friendly too. So if you are interested in optimizing your website right now, here are just some of the tips that should help you along the way:
1. A responsive design
With the everchanging screen sizes, one of the biggest challenges is organizing all the page content to look good on any device possible. It is where responsive design can help. The webpage will adapt itself and fit any screen, making the user experience much better. Responsive design is versatile, and all the components will arrange themselves automatically even when a user switches the orientation of the screen.
When designing a webpage, you have to consider the smaller screens. The overall aesthetic of a website shouldn’t be ignored either. Clean and elegant web pages are still the best choice because of how the elements are displayed. The navigation is easy, and most importantly, the call-for-action will be hard to miss.
2. No distractions
Let’s talk about the navigation menu. Since space is pretty limited on mobile devices, your goal should be to create a navigation menu that is easily accessible and simple. The visitors need to be able to find exactly what they are looking for quickly.
The content should be readable, so pay attention to the colors or the text and how it matches the rest of the webpage. Avoid bright colors that make reading almost impossible. Since the space is limited, some users might have trouble seeing the text. Double-check if every word is visible on mobile devices.
3. Optimized images
Optimizing the images on your website comes with several benefits. First of all, photos and graphics are the reasons why some websites load slower on mobile devices. Secondly, optimized images should boost your ranking. The visual side of a web page is here to add more context to the story of your brand or company, so use them properly.
They are powerful and sometimes work magic with just a call to action. Images should be responsive and resized according to the device. Those already using the responsive design mentioned above should do the same for the images.
4. No popups
Popups can ruin the user experience, especially if the close button is impossible to find. We are sure you have encountered this situation at least a dozen times, and chances are you didn’t return to that web page. Even if you did, you probably closed the tab as soon as you saw the dreaded popup.
Therefore, when you have to place popups on your page, at least enable a user to close it quickly. However, the best possible solution is to eliminate the popups altogether. Again, popups might include paid ads. Think about finding another location for them. But if you have to use the popups, test the website first and see how easy it is to close the popup window on different devices.
5. Make forms shorter
One of the biggest challenges is filling out forms on mobile devices. Many users struggle with this, but the solution is quite simple – include fewer form fields. That might sound impossible, but again, it will improve the user-friendliness of any webpage. Ask your visitors to fill out just the mandatory questions, and remove the fields that are not necessary.
Want to keep a question or two? Then use a drop-down because it will be faster and easier to tap on an answer while using a phone or tablet. Additionally, you could place checkboxes by the prewritten responses.
