10 Ways to Make Your Website Mobile Friendly in 2018
With mobile device use increasing every year, it’s more important than ever to have a mobile-friendly site. U.S. consumers spend an average of 87 hours per month on their smartphones so it is imperative to make a site as mobile-friendly as possible. Here are 10 ways to make your site more mobile-friendly.
1. Optimize for Mobile from the Start
It is much easier to build a mobile-friendly site from the beginning than to update a site already created. If you’re using WordPress or another site-building platform, choose a mobile-friendly theme. If you’re hiring a web developer, look for one who is experienced with mobile phone access.
2. Use Tools to Check How Mobile Friendly Your Site Is
Google has two tools to help you check the mobile version of your site – its Mobile-Friendly test and its PageSpeed Insights tool. Plug your URL into both to see how your site does and take into account any recommendations the tools have for improvements.
3. Make Your Site Easy to Use with a Touch Screen
Since mobile users typically use touch screens, your site must be optimized for that. Set it up where all the elements function equally well whether the visitor uses a touchscreen or a mouse. This will ensure a favorable experience for visitors on your site.
4. Increase Your Font Size
Font Matters! No one likes squinting or zooming excessively on a mobile device. Try a bigger font for smartphone or tablet use.
5. Compress High-Resolution Images
Images commonly cause slow page loading times on mobile devices. When you compress high-resolution images, your pages load much faster.
“Compressing high-resolution images is one of the simplest ways to decrease page loading times, especially for mobile users. That can lead to a much lower bounce rate,” says SEO Expert Jason Berkowitz at Break The Web.
6. Make Buttons and Fields Bigger
There are few things more frustrating than trying to tap a certain button or field on a site, only to keep missing. Bigger buttons and fields keep visitor frustration to a minimum.
7. Embed YouTube Videos
Videos are everything in 2018. If you use videos on your site, it’s smart to embed YouTube videos. Another bonus is that YouTube video player works best on mobile devices.
8. Prioritize Important Information
Many visitors, especially mobile users, desire information on the go. Place your business details or other important information in a prime position to make it easier and more efficient for the visitors.
9. Test the Mobile Version of the Site Yourself
Tools can only tell you so much. The best way to verify that your site provides an excellent experience on mobile devices is by pulling out your smartphone or tablet and testing it first-hand. Ask your friends and family to share their experience on the mobile site with you.
10. Use Accelerated Mobile Pages
Accelerated mobile pages (AMP) allow your blog posts to load much more quickly on mobile devices, which can improve your rankings in the search results. You can start using AMP by installing a plugin on your site.
By making these few small changes, it’ll not only improve your site’s mobile-friendliness but will also result in a higher rank in the search engines. This, in turn, will better satisfy the growing market of mobile users.
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You might also be interested in our YouTube video on Digital Transformation
