Optimising your website for smartphones – the future
2015 showed us there was concrete statistical evidence that more of us now browse the net on our smartphones or devices than on a computer. Of course, this change was a slow-burner for a while, though now that the proof is on the table, everyone is keen to optimise their sites for smartphone use!
If you want to successfully optimise your website for smart devices, you must remember these 6 important points….
Keep it simple –The average attention span when you’re operating on your smartphone is 8 seconds which means you must adapt to this with your optimised mobile site. Some of your traffic may be looking for specific information or just visiting your site by chance, so it’s essential to keep your entries short and to the point, so you don’t send your audience gallivanting off elsewhere online. Keep pages to a minimum, as mobile pages (for the time being) will load more slowly than web pages. We are living an age where clean-line contemporary design is very ‘in’, so cherish that white space – it’ll make your site look uncomplicated, stylish and facilitate everything for users.
Device-specific HTML – Device specific HTML makes your website look good across all devices tablets, phones, desktops. It uses HTML and CSS to make changes such as enlarge, resize, hide or shrink.
Avoid Java or Flash – Without wanting to exaggerate, there is nothing more irritating than a ‘you need Java/Flash to view this page’. You’ll put off a lot of your users if they can’t view your site….. obviously
Allow the user the ‘view the whole site’ option – Failing to offer your users the choice of viewing your whole site is shooting yourself in the foot. Allowing this is your key to drawing them in so they can find the details after they’ve got the general concepts– make it as easy and obvious as possible.
Prioritise – Mobile sites might seem a new and daunting prospect for you – but the skills you need to be successful remain traditional and uncomplicated. Get to the point with your words, showcase your brand effectively and use your creativity to transmit relevant messages.
Optimise for mobile searches – Research shows that when we search on our smartphones, detail drops by 25%. So? Optimise your site for short search terms. Simple.
You needn’t be intimidated by the thought of optimising your website for– it’s a fantastic opportunity for you to show off the versatility of your brand. That can’t be a bad thing! Just remember, responsive web design is like water ‘you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup’ – adaptability.
