Today, more people than ever are using mobile devices to research, shop, connect via social media, and complete so many other tasks. That’s not changing any time soon. The use of mobile devices is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years.
In response to this, Google has changed its algorithms to prioritize mobile-friendly sites. That’s in addition to consumer demand for sites that people can easily navigate from their phones.
So what does that mean? Of course, people should be able to use your website on mobile without having to pinch and zoom. However, there’s much more to being mobile-friendly than on-screen readability.
To help you decide whether your site is truly mobile-friendly, keep reading. We’ve compiled the most important features of websites that are useful to mobile users.
Thumb-Friendly Layout
The majority of mobile users interact with websites and apps using their thumbs. Good design practices will consider this.
Start by thinking about the thumb zone. What’s the thumb zone? That’s the area of a mobile screen that is most accessible and comfortable for the user’s thumb to reach. It’s generally on the bottom portion of the screen, oriented somewhat to the user’s left.
This is based on the most common technique of holding the phone in the right hand with the thumb at the bottom right of the phone. Ideally, users shouldn’t have to stretch or change hand positions to tap on key navigation buttons.
Speaking of buttons, these are the next thing to consider. It may be tempting to resize buttons for mobile so they are smaller. In reality, the buttons will need to increase in size to make them more visible and easier to tap.
A Call to Action (CTA) That Pops
Most mobile internet use is very purpose-driven. Users want to consume information quickly, then act on it. You can help them accomplish this — and increase conversions — by making your CTA text and buttons stand out.
Use bright colors to make your call to action visible and feature it prominently. Don’t expect mobile users to scroll through content to find your CTA button.
Fast Navigation to Key Information
There’s some information that should be easy to find from any screen on your mobile-friendly site. This includes:
- Contact information
- Navigation
- Hours of operation
- Help content
- Product pages
- Checkout
If you can’t display the information directly on the screen, add easy-to-find navigation buttons with descriptive text.
Mobile Features
Mobile devices aren’t just portable computers with smaller screens. They are unique pieces of technology with their own capabilities and features. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to integrate mobile features into your mobile-friendly website.
For example, you can add tap-to-call or email features that make it easy for users to contact you. There’s also:
- QR code scanning
- Connecting to social media apps
- ID and credit card scanning
- Biometrics
- Photo sharing
Mobile users have also become accustomed to features like progress bars, pull-down screen refresh, and swiping.
Simplicity
There’s no getting around the fact that you just don’t have much screen real estate on a mobile device. Your design should take this into consideration by eliminating “fluff” and including only the most pertinent information on your screen. Consider hiding navigation and drop-down menus to save space.
Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly Today
Do you need a simple, intuitive mobile design? We can help! Contact Net Profit Marketing to see how we can improve your mobile site and boost your conversions.
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