In 2017, having a mobile-friendly website isn’t just an advantage – it’s compulsory.

 

If your website isn’t optimised for mobiles, customers arriving on your pages on their phones aren’t going to stick around. With Google, Bing and other search engines now giving priority to mobile-friendly results, smartphone users aren’t likely to come across your pages at all.

 

Making your website fit on a mobile screen – with text, images and links clearly visible without the need to pinch or scroll – is a good start. But there’s more to consider when designing a website tailor-made for your mobile users that improves convenience and conversions.

 

Why is being mobile-friendly essential?

 

Whether you have a blog, a promotional website or an e-commerce site, you can’t afford to ignore your mobile users. Today in Australia:

 

• 77% of people own a smartphone (Pew Research Center)
• More web searches are performed on mobiles than desktops
• 35% of e-commerce is carried out on mobile devices, and rising (Criteo)

 

Is your website mobile-friendly?

 

If you used a content management system like WordPress to build your website, the template you chose may already be adaptive to mobiles. If you built your website from the ground up, you’ll probably have to do the same again with a separate mobile site.

 

The easiest way to check how your site looks and feels on mobiles is to open it on your own phone. For a more detailed breakdown, Google can test your site and report back on what works and what doesn’t.

 

Google’s Principles of Mobile Site Design whitepaper offers more detailed insights.

 

How can you improve the mobile experience?

 

Navigation

 

 

• Only include the most relevant categories in top-level menus.
• Make your logo link back to your homepage.
• Place the search field near the top of the page.

 

Calls to action

 

 

• Make your CTA buttons big, obvious and easy to tap.
• CTA buttons shouldn’t interfere with other elements on the page.
• Include a click-to-call button on order forms.

 

Find out how to write the perfect call to action.

 

Promotions

 

• Avoid large promotional banners at the top of your pages.
• Make sure ads are distinct from your site’s navigation and calls to action.
• On apps, use dismissable banners rather than interstitial ads.

 

Mobile website or app?

 

Criteo’s State of Mobile Commerce report found that customers prefer to complete transactions in e-commerce apps rather than in mobile browsers. They’re also more likely to browse more items, add more to their baskets and spend more at the checkout when using apps.

 

• Introduce an e-commerce app to improve conversions by 120%.
• Allow guests to complete checkout, with benefits for registering.
• Make it easy to complete transactions on another device.

 

Find out more important reasons why your website needs to be mobile-friendly.