Last updated on 02/05/2022
So you are planning to start a new business website or want to upgrade your current website? We live in a world where information is at our fingertips and speed of access to that information is more important now than ever before. We carry a library of information in our pockets and mobile phones are becoming more and more powerful each year.
Access to a mobile-friendly business website is essential if you want your business to succeed.
So, let’s take a look at a few tips which you can use to build a website that is mobile-friendly.
Keep it short and sweet
When viewing your business website on a mobile device you want to keep the most important information at the top of the page, try to get your main message as high up on the page as possible and easy to understand what services you provide or products you sell. You can use accordions to place longer forms of written content like FAQs or other useful information, accordions will allow you to have lots of written content in a small space.
Example Website Accordions
Plan the website carefully
It is essential that you design your website as simple as possible. A lot of content, images, and clutter can slow down your website’s speed. This can be a major drawback and can affect your visitor’s experience. Thus, planning your layout is very important. Try to use image compression to speed up your website and limit the number of third-party tools you use on your home page and landing pages.
Image Compression Tutorial
Create your website for multiple devices
There are many devices that are available in the market like Mobiles, Tablets, Laptops and Desktop computers. In order to reach a larger audience, it is very important to make a website that is compatible with all such devices. Speak to your web developer about creating a responsive web design solution for your business.
Example Responsive Website Design
Thumb-friendly
Since most smartphones are touch screens. It is a good idea to design the website with buttons and menu navigation large enough that make navigating much more comfortable.
Use of icons
You can replace large text-based information with icons that use common symbols so users understand their functionality. For example, you can add a phone icon and when clicked load your contact number into the website visitor’s device or use icons to emphasise key points about your business.
Example Icon Usage
Contact details
Having your contact details easily visible on the website can increase your chances of conversions. Ensure users can access contact information quickly and easily. Create a dedicated page just for how users can contact your business. Place all your contact information on the page and a simple form for online enquiries.
Example Contact Us Page
Keep branding intact
Branding is very important for any company whether big or small. So, if you have a stand-alone mobile website, it is better to keep the look and feel of it the same as that of the main website. This maintains the trust factor among the customers. Moreover, they are able to identify the products and the company much more easily by seeing the same branding.
Fewer images and videos
Heavy files such as images and videos only make your website heavier to load. It loads slowly and thus leaving the customer irritated as your pages are loading too slow. The home page on your website should contain only the essential images required and avoid having video content if possible to speed up loading. Pages like blog posts can contain more images and videos if required but the home page should load as fast as possible.
Optimise for mobile SEO
Optimisation of mobile SEO is the most important. You should read, understand and follow the guidelines mentioned by Google related to SEO.
If you are not sure about what improvements you can make to your website then simply take a look at my blog post: 30 essential tips for improving your web design
Fast Website Hosting
You can build a website that is super fast and well-optimised, but if you are hosting your website on a slow web server then all your efforts will be for nothing. It is important to have a well-optimised mobile phone-compatible website but is it also important to host your website on a fast and reliable hosting server. A popular website solution is to build your website using WordPress. A WordPress website is a cost-effective solution as you build the website yourself and also update yourself with limited technical knowledge. Choosing the right web hosting provider can make all the difference, luckily I have used lots of web hosting providers can I can tell you for a WordPress website I would recommend siteGround.
SiteGround hosting can get a WordPress website up and running super fast, they also provide a free optimisation plugin, a free WordPress migration plugin and a free security plugin.
SiteGround hosting is stable, and reliable and provides good tech support and backup websites on a daily basis!
Here are some other hosting companies to consider:
Article by Pankaj Shah: DCP London Web Designers
