MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITES

Mobile Web Designers in Toronto

Mobile Web Designers for Today’s Mobile World

If you’re interested in mobile web design, and if you’ve been following the internet traffic trends over the last several years, you will have no doubt noticed that, as mobile phone technology has progressed by leaps and bounds, so has the amount of mobile-based web traffic. Most people in the developed world have a state-of-the-art smartphone with which they are constantly connected to the internet, and those numbers are increasing in the developing world, too.

These mobile-connected customers are an opportunity for increased traffic and around the clock marketing, but to access and appeal to mobile users, a mobile-friendly website is vital.

MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEB DESIGN

Mobile-friendly web design principles are those which take into account the major hardware and internet use trends of the last ten years. Since around 2017, mobile web traffic has accounted for nearly half of all online browsing. What this means is that the majority of your customers (and this number will increase) are accessing your site from their phone.

Since they are navigating your site through a phone screen, you must provide a mobile-friendly experience if they are to remain on-site, do business with you, and recommend you to friends and family.

ABOUT US

USER EXPERIENCE EXPERTS IN MISSISSAUGA

User experience is one of the most important aspects of your website. If your site’s visitors aren’t having an easy experience, they won’t convert into customers, and they certainly will not become long-term fans.

If someone comes to your website and has a hard time doing what they want to do, they will leave. Make it easy for them, and you’ll see the results in your profits.

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN VS. MOBILE SITES

When it comes to optimizing your site for mobile traffic, there are generally two routes to take: responsive web design and mobile web design. They share similar features, are often confused, but are not entirely the same. Mobile web design is used to create a dedicated mobile site. Responsive web design adjusts content on a single site based on the device being used. Just as with any approach to web design, they both have pros and cons

Pros of Responsive Web Design:

Creates a website that displays differently across various devices and screen sizes. Makes use of on-site communication with a visitor’s browser based on the device they are using to change font sizes, image sizes, and page layout. Is a popular approach to web design because it covers all your bases. With a responsively-designed site, you can be confident visitors will have a positive experience on your site regardless of the device. Changes have to be made to one primary site, and HTML and CSS alters the site to fit the screen.

Cons of Responsive Web Design:

Many responsive sites are not fully responsive. This means that there is never going to be complete content or feature parity across all platforms. A desktop visitor’s experience may end up being different from a mobile user’s experience. Responsive sites tend to be more costly because they require sophisticated development knowledge. Responsive sites can take longer to load than a dedicated mobile site (and most people hate waiting around for a site to load). They can be difficult to integrate with third-party services.

Pros of Mobile Web Design:

If you are exclusively or predominantly trying to target mobile users, there is no better way to optimize user experience than with a mobile-dedicated site. Fast load times means a lower bounce rate, which potentially translates into more business for you. Can be cheaper to build and maintain.

Cons of Mobile Web Design:

A mobile-dedicated site requires a separate URL from your main site, which will mean two times the SEO efforts, and may also mean waiting while a visitor is redirected. Time is also a factor. With a separate mobile site, you will have to maintain and update two sites. Mobile websites are generally built to the specifications of a single platform which means that, while they will adapt to different platforms on different phones, your site will likely change slightly (both its look and functionality) across different mobile devices.

How to Make a Website Mobile-Friendly

There are many components of an effective mobile-friendly website. One of the most important steps is to ensure that your button sizes are large enough to work well on mobile sites. Some mobile users find it difficult to use buttons.

You will also want to compress all images and CSS. Make sure you don’t use Flash. Flash is no longer popular in web design because it hurts page load time and is bad for SEO. It's also important to note that Flash doesn’t work on Android and iOS, the two biggest mobile systems.

Finally, always test and update your mobile-friendly design. Web design conventions and best practices are constantly changing, and so is consumer preference.

FAQs

What are mobile-friendly websites?

Mobile-friendly websites are those that incorporate mobile web design into their structure. They are dedicated websites tailored to the mobile browsing experience, which means things like font, page elements, buttons and images are all appropriately scaled.

What is a mobile version of a website?

A mobile version of a website is a stand-alone site that replicates your main site (or sites) but designs the content so that it is easily accessed and navigated using a mobile phone. Mobile versions are optimized for mobile browsing, typically for Android and iOS operating systems. While they will display slightly differently from phone to phone, they are one of the best ways to attract and retain mobile users.

Why do I need a mobile-friendly website?

You need a mobile-friendly website because we live in the age where everyone has a smart phone with them at all times. Half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, and people use their phones to shop, pay bills, buy and pay for services, and to browse the web every single day.

Is my website mobile-friendly?

If you have only just heard about mobile web design and did not consider any of the above when designing your site, there is a good chance it is not. This is something we can, and regularly do, evaluate for clients. Auditing a client’s site for mobile-friendliness and optimization is the first step when determining how to proceed with redesigning or designing a new website altogether.