Look at any mobile usage statistics, and the trend is clear: we rely heavily on our smartphones in our daily lives. More people are getting online now than ever as smartphones become more affordable. This presents a tremendous potential market that demands mobile optimisation for easy search and browsing.
Let’s look at what mobile optimisation means and leverage its advantages.
Main User Challenges with Mobile Optimisation
Users face everyday challenges with mobile browsing that they can resolve through the proper mobile optimisation. These are:
- Complicated mobile site designs that make it difficult to navigate
- Lacking comparison options on the same mobile page
- Difficulty with filling in mobile forms compared to desktop forms
- Insufficient product details on mobile compared to desktop sites
- Concerns about mobile data security, with buyers opting to complete their orders on the desktop site instead
How to Optimise Your Mobile Site
Mobile optimisation is easier than you think. Focus on these five key design features to optimise your website for smartphones and tablets.
- Simple navigation: Direct your users to the right actions using clear, simple buttons, banners, sliders, and links. Keep zooming in at a minimum.
- Lower image resolution: 53% of smartphone users leave a mobile site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Use compressed images to improve loading time.
- Design for fingers: Build your mobile site around finger motions instead of computer mouse motions.
- Mobile-specific features: Since mobile optimised sites will automatically adapt from desktop to smartphone screens, you can add features to the mobile page that don’t necessarily have to work on the desktop site.
- Test, test, test: Check that your mobile optimised site works on all the leading mobile operating systems and browsers, especially after every site update.
Benefits of Mobile Optimisation
There are plenty of reasons why a mobile optimised site should be your priority going forward. We turn to our smartphones to search for products, reviews, and even store locations when we’re on the move.
A good mobile browsing experience also means higher return rates and repeat purchases. That said, here are some main benefits of mobile optimisations:
1. Attract Local Customers
Buyers are most likely to run a mobile search for products while they’re in transit. Mobile optimised sites have a better chance of appearing on the search results, meaning that buyers can easily find your business and drop by to make a purchase.
2. Improved SEO
A mobile site needs the same level of search engine optimisation as your desktop site because search engines recognise users’ devices and first pull up mobile optimised pages.
3. Higher Engagement
A mobile optimised website encourages users to browse for longer. They’ll spend more time reading, liking, sharing, commenting, and clicking through your calls to action on your site, all on their smartphones.
4. Build a Good Brand Reputation
An accessible, minimalist mobile site demonstrates that you value your user’s time and resources. A mobile optimised site is easy to read and navigate, which leads to higher return rates and brand loyalty.
5. Higher Conversion Rates
All your communications with your customers should be mobile optimised. Your social media adverts, promotional emails, and SMS content should display correctly on smartphones. This makes the entire buyer’s journey a breeze, and customers are more likely to complete their orders right on their phones.
Mobile Optimisation Is the Key to Growth
Mobile optimisation is the best way to turn a casual searcher into a ready buyer. Don’t simply use your default mobile site template. Instead, treat your mobile site as a separate platform with its target audience.
Hire a professional mobile optimisation designer to develop the right optimisation strategy for your smartphone users across their devices. You will tap into a broader target audience and see tangible results on your bottom line.
