A high percentage of website browsing takes place on mobile devices nowadays. Smartphones and tablets allow individuals to stay connected on the go and provide another way for your business to target new clients. With most people checking their phones all day long, it’s one of the best ways to attract new business.
Consumers no longer worry about the risk of purchasing goods and services via their phone – people do the majority of their shopping through their mobile device. By following our top tips below, you’ll be able to optimise your website for mobile. This will reduce user frustration and increase sales for your business.
1. Create a mobile compatible site
If you’ve ever tried browsing a website on your mobile and experienced the frustration of it not being optimised to your device, you’ll know how offputting it can be. While companies are always looking to cut costs, investing time and resources into building a site or application designed especially for mobile users is key to your success.
Users expect a website to load perfectly on their mobile and be optimised for their screen size. If they experience issues when loading the site on their phone, they’ll likely close your site down and move on to your competitor. Mobile sites are responsible for a high percentage of sales, so don’t lose out on business by scrimping on your mobile site or app.
2. Get help designing your mobile site
If you don’t feel you have a team in your company to optimise your site for mobile users, consider outsourcing it. Smaller companies will find hiring a professional to assist the easiest way to do this. It saves time and resources that could be better used elsewhere in the business.
Be sure to find a company that specialises in mobile optimisation and has a good reputation. Ask for previous work examples that shows they offer good usability on various devices. Select a company that can adjust the software in the future when you add new features to your website or app.
3. Select your most important features
Depending on what service or product your site offers, you’ll want to ensure you choose the best features for your needs. Consider what you’d expect to see as a customer on your mobile site. And then prioritise those features during development.
With a mobile site, focus on only adding features useful to the site instead of adding everything you possibly can. If you are hiring a company to develop your mobile site, they should be able to offer advice about the most important features needed.
One of the top recommendations for a mobile site is a link to directly call your business, which allows for quick and easy closing of sales. Today’s consumers make purchase decisions very quickly, so it’s worth giving them the option to contact you while they’re purchasing.
4. Opt for responsive website design
If you are looking to improve your site’s search engine ranking, eg. Google, create a responsive website. Google ranks sites that display the same content on various devices higher than sites that have different sites that do so.
This is generally much simpler for companies to implement and can save money in the long run. A web design company will be able to assist you if you are uncertain how to create a responsive website design.
5. Link your site to your social media accounts
Social media is one of the core advertising methods for businesses, so linking social media to your mobile site is an easy way to continue marketing to potential customers. Sign-ups are much easier to obtain when you offer Facebook sign-up options. You’ll also find customers are more likely to share and recommend your product.
Word-of-mouth recommendations via social media can make a huge difference to companies and offer a free form of advertising. Instagram and Pinterest are ideal for showcasing products such as the fashion and beauty sectors, and are ideal for travel companies to advertise stunning destination photos. Alternatively, consider Twitter which allows your company to offer opinions and advice in the form of a micro-blog.
6. How well does your mobile site work?
Before launching your site, ensure you’ve rigorously tested its functionality. While a good mobile website designer will ensure there are no broken links or usability issues, you should also test it yourself.
Don’t just stick to your personal mobile device. Test with as many smartphone and tablet brands as possible. Using a wide range of browsers would also make sure yours doesn’t favour a particular browser.
Once your mobile site is running, Google Analytics is a free service that allows you to track how your site is performing. You can assess the number of visitors, the type of devices accessing your site, and conversion rates for your mobile site. This will allow you to adjust your site accordingly and see where you are receiving the most traffic from.
Companies that don’t spend time and money creating a mobile site are missing out on potential business. More purchases than ever are being made across various devices and users expect the convenience of shopping online from anywhere.
How to get what you need
Help is available if you don’t know how to optimise your website for mobile like specialist software companies. Prioritise the most important features on your mobile site and you’ll give an enjoyable user experience for customers.
To find out more about what can be achieved with a custom app or bespoke software, why not get in touch today.
