Not a long time ago, hardly anyone thought about something like website optimization for mobile devices, not to mention purchases made via a smartphone. But now the internet world is in the process of a mobile revolution. The dynamically growing number of smartphone owners with permanent Internet access forced a new quality.
The trend of mobile-friendly sites was identified by Google a few years ago as one of the most important factors increasing the ranking of a website in the search engine. Currently, most websites use technical solutions that are a geared towards users browsing the website on smartphones, tablets or laptops.
How to create websites to adapt them to mobile devices? First, it is worth performing a website mobile test. Google has created a special tool for this purpose. If the website still does not meet the requirements of the giant - read this guide to optimizing your website for mobile devices.
1 - Responsive website
Responsive pages (or RWD) are websites that adjust all their visible elements to the resolution of the screen on which they are viewed. You can say that they are flexible and universal - they can be viewed well both on a desktop computer screen and on a much smaller smartphone display.
For some time now, these solutions have definitely been leading the way. Why? It is less time consuming and therefore cheaper than introducing a separate mobile version. Most importantly, in April 2015, Google officially introduced website responsiveness as a ranking factor. You don't have an RWD website? You fall in the ranking in the mobile search engine.
2 - Make the page load quickly
Optimizing a website for mobile devices should also include increasing its loading speed. This is crucial for smartphone users - it only takes one second too long to lose a lot of traffic and conversion. The optimal length is only 2-3 seconds - after that, the user becomes impatient and leaves the page.
According to the results of research published by wpengine.com, one second too long causes a decrease in user dissatisfaction by 16%, a decrease in conversion by 7% and the number of page views by 11%. And we're talking about one second - what if the page loads for 3-4 seconds too long?
In order to improve the page loading speed, you first need to perform a speed test using the free tools available. If the result is unsatisfactory - it's time to implement solutions to accelerate charging. To this end, the creators of both mobile and responsive websites are trying to improve the code. For example, in the case of RWD pages, you can use a function that skips the loading of large elements, such as background videos, large photos, animations or others. It is worth remembering about reducing the weight of graphics and videos at the stage of their creation. To do this, you need to use the photo compression function in your graphics programs.
3 - Get rid of the heavy elements
In addition to the necessity to compress photos already mentioned and the possibility of using a special blockade of loading videos on mobile devices (RWD pages), we also need to optimize other elements. Let's get rid of unnecessary plugins and scripts and follow the principle of nice code writing (it is necessary to reduce its size to the necessary minimum and simplify it).
4 - Opt out of aggressive advertising
Google says explicitly that websites with pop-up ads that obscure the content when viewed on mobile devices will be rated lower in the search ranking. The tendency is that the user, by clicking on the link in the SERP, goes straight to the content that interested him and does not have to look for a cross to turn off a huge, often full-screen advertisement. Therefore, website optimization for mobile devices assumes that if you plan to display mobile ads on your mobile or responsive website, remember to optimize them for compliance with Google's guidelines.
5 - Don't forget about User Experience
The way you use your website, its navigation, and the composition of clickable elements make up the user experience. It must be remembered that mobile devices have limitations in the form of a low screen resolution, which makes it more difficult to click accurately, especially with your fingers. Optimizing the website for mobile devices should remember to adapt these elements to user behavior - what counts is large, legible clickable elements, minimizing the accidental click effect, divisions into sections and a legible font. When commissioning a responsive or mobile website, try to test the website also in this respect.
6 - Optimize the volume and content of your texts
Mobile pages are supposed to be fast in all respects - including the content layers. Due to the limited space and text visibility, headers optimized for mobile devices should be short (3-4 words is max). A good solution is to divide the content into smaller paragraphs, use short sub-points. You should also remember about a clearly visible font - so that the text does not have to be zoomed in. On the other hand, clickable elements, buttons or others should be large.
Optimizing the website for mobile devices also involves focusing on meta tags, meta description and, of course, headers. All items should contain the necessary key phrases, but don't pack them wherever you can. It is enough to use it once in each of the elements.
Summary
According to the data provided by Google, we know that the corporation has achieved its goal, and we - as smartphone or tablet users - find it easier to browse websites on the phone, shop in online stores or use dedicated applications. Therefore, when considering online presence one must look at building mobile friendly, responsive website nowadays..