Consumers now spend over three hours a day on their smartphones, and 87 percent of smartphone owners say they use a search engine on their smartphone at least once a day. It is a simple fact that the world is going mobile, so it is imperative to have a mobile website, not only to ensure you do not miss out on getting found by local consumers searching via mobile, but also so that you can deliver the experience that consumers expect when they get to your website from a mobile device.
Simplicity
The best mobile websites are simple to use. A simplified version of your site will take into account the smaller screen size and slower loading times that mobile customers must deal with, and in these cases, less is always more. However you do not have to sacrifice awesome design on mobile sites for functionality. You can still create visually appealing mobile designs, but think about usability first and design second.
Vertical Hierarchy
A good way to organize things in a simple and digestible way is to set up a collapsible navigation. Taking your single-column structure a step further, you can stack chunks of large content in folding modules that allow the user to tap open the content that they are interested in and hide the rest. Finally, make sure that the site is designed for finger taps (instead of mouse clicks), and provides the user with visual confirmation when they tap a link to let them know it is loading.
Responsive Design
A website with a responsive design adapts to all screen sizes without losing any functionality, and in today’s mobile browsing world this allows users to have a seamless experience from desktop to tablet to smartphone. This kind of design also means you will not have to worry about optimizing your site for several different browsers and phone manufacturers because it can adapt to any screen.
Develop An App
Companies should also consider whether they should build a mobile application for smartphone use, rather than requiring customers to go online to their mobile site. Before you develop an app it is important to take a look at your ROI analysis. Spending money on developing and maintaining an app is only beneficial if it is boosting your bottom line.
Get Started On Your Mobile Site
If you are ready to go mobile, contact Capitol Photo Interactive at 203-255-4002.
