I don’t know about you, but my whole world revolves around this device that is trending now, and if you don’t have it you are considered some super backward creature that was probably deported from Mars or something! It is my smartphone but of course. Anything I can access regardless of my location is what suits me best. And the thing is that I’m all about the whole ‘right then and there’ kind of person. If something takes too long to load or lags, I push *delete* right away.
Everything that is considered something is definitely ahead of the game and has it all under control; including their website/product being fully optimized to work on any device. The fact that there is a wide range of devices that support almost the same functions as each other and lack a few things to keep a difference from one another; like you cannot place a carrier call from an iPad/iPod differentiates them from an iPhone.
I doubt I would need to get into the details of why is it important for your site to be fully mobile optimized so instead of going there I have listed a guideline to ensure the website integrated for mobiles is either perfect or the closest to perfection! Flawless!
1. Simplicity is the Ultimate Form of Sophistication
These days it’s all about keeping it classy. Be it a fashion trend or a new profile picture update on some social networking site. Everyone has this whole new agenda of keeping things real, short, classy and simple. Anything that tends to be a tad bit complicated is pushed away for making them stress over something unnecessarily and ends up being overlooked and judged as a waste of time.
The key is in your hands. Always has been frankly speaking. Just by keeping in mind that this effort is being put for a mobile device will save you a ton of time from whacking your nerves by reediting each tiny detail every hour.
- Keep it short and simple.
- Get your priorities set straight. Define a fine line between what you think is important for your users and filter it out from unnecessary content.
- Clean, clear and concise; pretty much all a home page of a website should consist of. This helps visitors surf through the site a little in whatever section they need more information on.
- Act as a light that guides a potential customer deep into the core of information, with a visible path to the action you want to make happen.
- For a complex website, don’t forget to add on a search bar to ensure easier site navigation.
2. What? What is Written There? Do I need Glasses?!
If you managed to cut down on the quantity and complexity of the content on your website then you might want to check the visibility of it while you’re at it. The most annoying mistakes of all time is setting a font so unclear that makes you furious enough to just abandon the site regardless of how relevant it was to your search.
With mobiles’ screen already being super tiny to access a site with ease, if the font is too curvy or too small, the user might think either they are becoming visually impaired or they need to replace the site as soon as they can.
This eventually must eliminate the requirement of the zoom in facility and keep the excessive stylizing at a minimum.
3. Kick Back, Relax. Let the Pictures Do the Talking.
At the end of the day we cannot forget the fact that an average mobile device has a tiny screen which tends to make it a lot easier to explain what you need to say with the help of a few images.
It needs to draw a lot of attention, but that doesn’t mean it should be distracting the reader. Which means you must avoid the choice to display neon colors, which seem a bit harsh and displease the viewer. Keep a subtle color palette.
Do not forget to compress and readjust the size to fit the tight visual space a phone has to offer.
4. I’m Not Sure about Slow and steady, but short and Sassy is Totally Winning this Race!
You see what I just did there? I made the title catchy enough to make you feel the urge to read what it is all about. Even if you don’t choose to read the whole thing, at least it made you give it a second look. By making the same old content that everyone has written on their sites a little more catchy, to the point, short and in a rather sweeter tone you are bound to grasp their attention within seconds!
Make sure to add a few titles, phrases and slogans that tend to be memorable so that your viewers feel more at ease to share/repost or even Tweet about it later on!
Also don’t hesitate in adding a few short customer testimonials to prove one customers satisfaction to another.
5. Uh, Hello?! Why Can’t I Share this? A Little Help Here!
No matter what you do, do not forget to add an optional sidebar that allows any user to share the post on to their social networking sites. This works pretty easily as you benefit from the free advertisement that increases the rate of views and further sharing.
Knowing that the viewers are most likely to be on their phones you must make sharing easy even from those mini screens. Here is an infographic that tell you what people like to share on social media. I personally recommend you should use the universal icons to save yourself and your viewers the extra time that could be wasted.
In your list of actions the viewers may consider should include things like:
- Click to Call
- Maps
- Visit a URL
Just in case you missed out on the importance of this article, it is to simply boost you in to realizing time is money, and it is about time you get moving! Without mobile optimization, no one cares what’s written on your site if you don’t know how cater to your viewers as well as they wish you did.
