Did you know that more than 60 percent of online searches are now carried out on a mobile device? Thus, if your business lacks a mobile-friendly website, you’re at a major disadvantage compared to your competitors.

Moreover, mobile searches play a greater role in answering consumers’ questions earlier on in the purchase journey. By contrast, desktop searches are generally for brand-specific or navigational purposes.

Today, we’re going to take your small business to the next level by discussing 10 critical tips on designing a mobile-friendly website!

Simplicity Is Key

When designing website pages for mobile use, it’s best to keep things simple. Although having an array of complex features may work better on desktop, the opposite applies to mobile.

Mobile users want an answer right away. They don’t want to have to search for what they’re looking for. Therefore, you should get straight to the point.

Avoid using distracting features such as flashing lights and animations. The last thing you want to do is have a user leave your website due to its interface.

Pay Mind to Website Loading Time

Website loading time can be the difference between a great website and a poor one. According to Google, the average mobile loading speed is 15.3 seconds. However, they recommend aiming for a load time of fewer than five seconds.

People have short attention spans, especially when it comes to locating information. Having a slow website can result in a high bounce rate and decrease your website's rankings in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Make Use of Google Search Console

Google Search Console is of the most efficient tools when it comes to analyzing your website. This is because Google Search Console analyzes your website in the same way that Google bots crawl and analyze your website.

Fortunately, it also comes in handy when it comes to optimizing your website for mobile usability. If any errors arise, Google Search Console will alert you right away so you can sort out the issue.

Some examples of mobile errors that Google Search Console will alert you about include:

  • Content is wider than the screen
  • Clickable elements are too close together
  • Text is too small to read
  • Slow mobile speeds

Google Search Console will also provide remedies to fix these issues. It will also specify the exact pages or articles to which the issues apply.

Pay Mind to Sizing Issues

It’s important to note that just because a website looks good on a desktop doesn’t mean it will look good on mobile. Fortunately, the majority of WordPress templates automatically scale and optimize for desktop, mobile, and tablets.

However, you should always test your website on mobile to see how it appears. You can do this on your desktop by dragging the edge of the page you’re on and making it as skinny as possible. This is how it will appear on mobile.

Optimize and Compress Images

Although images can make your article and web pages more appealing, they can also slow down your website tremendously. Thus, you must optimize your images to ensure quick loading times.

You can compress your images using certain WordPress plugins such as ShortPixel Image Optimizer, WP Rocket, and EWWW Image Optimizer. If you don’t use WordPress, you should utilize Photoshop, Canva, or other image editing software to give you full control over the size and quality of the images on your website.

Of course, if all else fails, you can hire a professional web designer or coder.

Have a Content Marketing Strategy

When it comes to planning a mobile marketing strategy, creating good content should be your number one priority. You should create clear, concise, and easy-to-read content for optimal results.

You should also ensure your most important content shows up first. The last thing you want is to have users overlook the places you want them to land on. Therefore, you should put your most important messages right in front of them.

It’s also important to exclude any fluff from your content. Many business owners believe that having longer content is better, but this is not always the case. Your goal should be to answer your user's queries quickly and clearly and proceed to lead them to your sales funnel when applicable.

Keep Navigation Simple

Navigating through a website on a desktop is easy with the help of a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. However, a mobile phone lacks these luxuries.

When designing website pages, you should make navigation as simple as possible. Rather than requiring users to enter text to locate what they’re looking for, provide buttons, drop-down menus, image selections, or lists. This will make your mobile website much more user-friendly.

Avoid Excessive JavaScript

Although JavaScript offers the ability to create a rich interface with many custom features, you should avoid overdoing it when designing small business websites.

Unfortunately, JavaScript runs differently on different web browsers and devices. For instance, your website may look perfect on an iPhone but look like a jumbled mess on an Android. Although you shouldn’t avoid JavaScript altogether, you should use it with caution.

Make Your Contact Information Easy to Locate

When it comes to designing small business websites, you want your contact information to be easy to locate. This is especially relevant for local businesses that rely on phone calls and emails for leads.

Make sure to include everything from your address, phone number, email, and business hours. The easier it is for users to locate this information, the higher the likelihood they’ll become a customer.

Consider the Size of Your Elements

Always consider the size of your website's elements. If you’ve ever visited a webpage with text that was difficult to read, you probably didn’t stick around to read the full article.

The recommended font size for mobile websites is 16px. If your text is too small, iOS browsers will automatically zoom in on one side of the screen. This will force the user to manually zoom out.

You should also pay mind to the size of the buttons. Bigger buttons typically produce the best results. You should aim for a minimum size of 44px by 44px.

Creating the Perfect Mobile-Friendly Website for Your Small Business

Creating a mobile-friendly website can be the difference between a successful business and a failing one.

It’s critical to have a website that is optimized for both desktop and mobile alike. Some things to keep in mind when optimizing your website for mobile include text, navigation, content, and simplicity. You should also avoid pop-ups, distracting elements, and overdoing Javascript.

If you're interested in letting the pros do the dirty work for you, be sure to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with one of our specialists! We can help you create a full-service, search engine optimized, custom website for your small business!