Time to Mobilize: Will Your Site Keep Up?

If your company has launched or redesigned its website in the past few years, odds are it was built using the principles of responsive design. Simply put, both the content and the layout in a responsive website adapt seamlessly to all kinds of screens. In some cases, this is achieved by auto-resizing of content. Other times, it can mean creating two distinct layouts with their own content and navigation. Either way, the goal is to serve up a consistent, user-friendly experience that translates across devices, operating systems, browsers, or other variables.

Why Make it Mobile?

The demand for responsive design follows the proliferation of smartphones. Today, users spend more time browsing on mobile devices than on desktops or laptops — for everything from quick searches to major purchases and everything in between. Why? Because it’s easy. Consumers in every industry want to get what they’re looking for — now. So if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, then your business can’t offer immediate service, and you could be missing out on sales.

Case in point: A Google study revealed that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a cumbersome mobile site, and 40% said they would just go to a competitor’s site instead.

There’s Also an App for That

Of course, maintaining two optimized versions of your website can be labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive. Take a look at your web analytics and see how most people are viewing your site when deciding how to allocate mobile development resources. Some businesses discover that the majority of their traffic comes from mobile — and that they can’t deliver an optimal user experience by simply using a responsive version of their website. For those companies, the solution could be a custom mobile app.

Content is Still King

Designing a responsive layout is only part of making the user experience “mobile-friendly.” A truly responsive site is one in which content is optimized for mobile devices. Text, images, video, ecommerce — this is the stuff users really care about. So, if your brand wants to move product or drive engagement, then make sure the content can keep up with audiences on the go. Here are some tips and insights:

• On a mobile device, a user won’t focus on a single part of the screen. Their eye movements are more distributed, so there’s no “most important” area to optimize.
• Consider users’ reading styles. Some read word-for-word, others skim, and some do a little bit of both. Create a simple, logical flow of information from the general to the specific so that readers can engage at their own pace and depth.
• Keep titles and headlines short. A six-word headline is less likely to “break” or get truncated on a smartphone — meaning it maintains readability. Plus, research shows shorter headlines get higher click-through rates.
• Keep paragraphs succinct, but also interesting.
• Use fewer words. It speeds things up.
• Add imagery to enhance the experience. Just make sure those charts and graphs and other eye-candy are still legible on a smaller screen.
• Don’t be afraid of white space. It can actually help direct a reader to important points and action items.
• Before you hit “publish,” preview your content on a mobile device and look at it as a reader would. Confirm that your eyes can get through the messaging and images easily.

If your website has lost its get-up-and-go — or if you’re trying to stuff two tons of content into a half-ton mobile site — don’t just sit there. Let’s talk about getting that content up and running again with the right experience for your audience.