Learn Why, and How, to Optimize for Mobile Users
Every day the usage of mobile devices like smartphones is increasing. People, including your customers, will be reading your content, looking up your contact information, and more from their mobile devices. If you don’t focus on the experience that these users are receiving you’ll surely miss out on a large chunk of potential customers.
How can businesses, like yours, improve the mobile experiences of their customers? Keep reading to learn more, and don’t worry — you don’t need to be an expert in online usability or website design to create an easy-to-use, streamlined mobile experience for your loyal customers.
Why do businesses need to optimize for mobile?
You might be wondering, “Why do I have to optimize my content or my website for smartphones? Can’t people just use their computers?”
According to data from AOL, mobile content consumption is higher than both desktop and tablet combined, with users spending an average of three hours on these devices each day.
Further, 3% of users are second screening, or using their mobile device in conjunction with another device, like a laptop.
To put it simply, it’s not a matter of if your customers will try to access your information from their smartphone or tablet, it’s a matter of when.
Here’s exactly how to improve the mobile user experience
As you work to improve your customers’ mobile experience, keep the following five tips in mind.
1. Make sure your website is responsive
Having a responsive website means that your website and it’s content are optimized for different devices. The result is a site that displays beautifully, no matter what size screen a visitor is using.
If you’ve used a theme to build your website make sure it’s responsive. If you worked with a web designer, confirm that your website is responsive.
2. Include a Search field
Browsing a website on a phone can be tricky no matter how well the site is designed. Chances are, your customers are looking for specific information when browsing via their mobile devices. Help them locate what they need with an easy-to-find Search field.
3. Present a clear call to action
What do you want people to do when they visit your website? Do you want them to place an order, call for a reservation, or something else entirely? Scrolling on a small screen isn’t pleasant so let your customers know what you want them to do next.
4. Make your content easy to read
You also need to remember that a smaller screen size can make reading text far more difficult. Use large text that’s easy to read. While you’re at it, include large photos that are easy to see on smaller screens.
5. Above all else… keep it simple
The last tip is arguably the most important: keep your mobile website simple. You don’t need flashy animated graphics or intricate designs on the version of your website that will be displayed to mobile users.
Have you ever tried to use your smartphone to find information on a website that clearly wasn’t optimized for mobile? It’s incredibly frustrating. By keeping things like navigation and design simple and intuitive you can be certain that your customers are receiving a mobile experience that’s superior to much of the competition’s.
