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Browsing the web on your phone or other mobile device has become more and more popular in recent years, and some websites are still catching up. Making your website, mobile-friendly can increase traffic exponentially, which is good for both your business and your customer’s peace of mind.

What does it mean to be mobile friendly?

Being mobile-friendly means a site works just as smoothly on a mobile device as it does on a desktop or laptop. Websites should be easy to read and navigate, buttons and links should be easy to select, and page configuration should be logical. For those trying to make their site mobile-friendly, here are a few tips that may help.

13 Tips for Making Your Website Mobile Friendly

Don’t Use Flash

One thing that turns consumers away from certain web pages is content they cannot view. Flash is unsupported by both Android and iOs, meaning mobile customers will be left out of viewing any animations that require the player. Additionally, Flash has been shown to affect SEO negatively and is known to slow the loading time of pages. Finally, many mobile browsers and devices do not support Flash, so it is best not to use it at all.

Keep Forms Short and Turn Off AutoCorrect

If forms are present on a site available to mobile users, they must be kept short. When using a computer, larger screen size and keyboard make filling out lengthy forms easy. However, with the small screens on phones and tablets in addition to their lack of a physical keyboard, filling out long forms can become tedious and inconvenient for the consumer. Also, having AutoCorrect on while filling out forms can result in the misspelling of names and addresses, instead of changing them to common words. It is best to keep the AutoCorrect feature on your site turned off for mobile users.

Increase Button Size

On a computer, trackpads and cursors allow for easy selection of buttons on a page. Because phones utilize touchscreens and screen sizes are small on phones and tablets, having small buttons or buttons positioned too closely together can result in users making the wrong selection on a webpage. A simple fix for this issue is to increase the size of the buttons displayed on your page. This way, fingers are more capable of navigating from page to page. Remember to increase the spacing between buttons as well, so they are not too close to each other.

Increase Font Size

Laptop screens are larger and wider than phone screens, making reading easier. For mobile users, font size should be increased, allowing for easier reading. Besides, it is best to stick with more common fonts, as more intricate options will result in longer load times for your webpage. Longer load times can sometimes cause consumers to leave a webpage, as the wait is too long.

Give a Desktop View Option

Believe it or not, sometimes even mobile viewers are going to prefer a desktop view of your site. Some users will be accustomed to your desktop site, and for that reason, they may want the same experience on their mobile device. Having a desktop view option is a great way to ensure that both consumers who prefer a more mobile-friendly site and those who enjoy seeing what they are used to end up happy.

Compress Images to Increase Site Speed

One big issue for consumers using a mobile device to browse online is loading time. When load times get to be too long, it can result in customers leaving your site, as they feel their time has been wasted. For this reason, it is important to keep your site running smoothly and loading as quickly as possible. Compressing the images on your page is one great way to speed up load time.

Use Responsive Design

Sites with a responsive design change to fit the screen size of the device being used to view the content. While the site still displays all the same information, the look of the page itself will change depending on the device it is being loaded on. It is simple when creating a new site, as there are many tools available to help you. However, for sites that are already established, consider creating a separate mobile site or app for those using mobile devices.

Simplify Menus

When users are viewing your website on their mobile device, it is less likely that they are willing to spend long looking through menus and searching through information. Make sure that your site has simplified menus for mobile viewers. Menus should also be easy to interact with, meaning sidebars and menus that require hovering a cursor over your selection are a thing of the past.

Include a Search Bar

One of the easiest ways for mobile users to find what they are looking for on your site is to enter it into a search bar. It negates the process of going through menus and making multiple selections, which saves time and effort on the part of the consumer. When your webpage is easier to navigate, it’s more likely mobile users will stay instead of opting for another site for their needs.

Make Customer Service Readily Available

Another great strategy for making your website more mobile-friendly is to make sure you keep customer service information readily available to your visitors. Having this information presented to customers gives them the chance to contact you directly, just in case they cannot find what they are looking for on your site. Customer service information should include a contact phone number, email address, and any social media profiles that are applicable.

Eliminate Pop-ups

Even on a desktop computer, pop-ups can be considered annoying. While they have their time and place, on mobile devices they can be even more inconvenient. Using your thumbs to try and close an ad on a cellphone more often than not results in opening the ad by accident, simply because the close button is too small. Users who try to zoom in on the close button will often find that it throws off the dimensions of the page behind the pop-up. It’s best to keep these boxes gone altogether. However, if your site requires a pop-up, make sure you do a lot of mobile testing with it first.

Avoid Blocks of Text

If your site displays a considerable amount of text information, make sure you break your text up into smaller paragraphs and insert pictures, animations, or other content between those paragraphs. It ensures that you keep your audience’s attention and they do not feel bored on your webpage.

Separate Links for Easier Tapping

Clicking on links can be difficult on a mobile device if they are not spaced out enough. Tapping on a screen with your finger is considerably less precise than using a trackpad and cursor. Spacing your links apart will make sure your customers get to the pages they intend to visit.

In Conclusion

Making your site more mobile-friendly is a great way to ensure your customers have a positive experience with your business, whether they are on their mobile device or not. Having the option of viewing your content on any device helps not only please your customers but also increase traffic to your site in general. This post was brought to you by Sunshine Behavioral Health. Let us help you heal.

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