If your website hasn’t been mobile optimised already, you better stick around and give this article a read. You are missing out on a tremendous amount of potential business and it is time for you to set that right.
The question is though: how easy is it to optimise a website for mobile use? Is it a quick fix or should you start from scratch and have a new website built entirely?
Read on and we’ll tell you everything you need to know…
WHY is mobile optimization important?
To put it simply: 85.95% of the global population have a smartphone – over 65% of which have access to the internet. That’s 5.3-billion people accessing websites using a mobile device.
More people have access to mobile devices than they do desktop computers and yet still there are countless websites out there which have not been designed to accommodate mobile use.
This means clunky websites, slow load times, low-res visuals, and a ‘pinch and grab’ functionality that makes it very difficult to navigate.
Fix yours today or you’ll be putting a lot of people off your brand for life.
How easy is it to optimise a website for mobile use?
So, how easy is it to rectify? This largely depends on who you are asking. To someone who has no experience with web design, it can be quite a nuisance. However, to an experienced web designer, it’s a walk in the park.
Here are some tips for getting started:
- Use Google’s Mobile Friendly Tool: it will check your website and come back with an analysis of what needs to be updated in order to be deemed as being ‘mobile friendly’. This is a great starting point as it will let you know what drastically needs changing.
- Convert yourself: if you wish to go it alone, here’s a closer look at what you’ll need to do;
o Pick a ‘responsive’ theme (the quickest way to auto adapt).
o Ignore ‘Flash’ (it is no longer supported by the major browsers).
o Improve page load speed (page load speed is an essential ranking factor).
o Go for a simpler website appearance (simplicity is finesse).
o Use regular fonts (fancy = hard to read).
o Compress and optimise imagery (as small as possible without compromising quality).
o Give your links room to breathe (space them out).
o Careful button placement.
o Reduce (or eliminate) pop-ups.
o And so much more.
- Consult the professionals: if you have no desire to make any of these changes yourself then it is worth consulting the professionals. You can have them take a look at your website and they can advise you on whether it is best to convert or recreate altogether. Our advice would be to couple it with an agency that offers digital marketing services and go for a thorough transformation. Some SEO to compliment your new, mobile-friendly website can’t hurt!
Conclusion: Consider an overhaul
In conclusion, while it might be simple enough to convert your website to being mobile-friendly, it is still worth considering a massive overhaul of your website – especially if it is an old website that hasn’t had much love in recent years.
Use this as an opportunity for a ‘spring clean’ of sorts. Re-address every single aspect of your website and think carefully about what is working well for you and what is perhaps outdated and holding you back.
In any case, it’s time to get your website mobile responsive! Don’t fall behind.
