Go Mobile or Go Home

Almost half of the U.S. Population uses a smart phone, with more than 150 million people accessing the internet on a mobile device every day. Is your website optimized for mobile use?

Regular desktop websites are frustrating and difficult for smart phone and tablet users to navigate. While smart phone ownership tends to be dominated by a young demographic, people ages 55 and older use tablets more often than 18 to 24-year-olds. Some of the first items to consider optimizing on your website include content, media and calls-to-action.

Content

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Is your website text-heavy? Is the type small and difficult to read on a mobile device? Do you have reverse type that strains the eyes of the reader?

When optimizing your website for a smart phone or tablet, these details are essential. Users who face page after page of scrolling text are likely to leave the website, and if text is too hard to see it will most likely not be read at all.

Try to simplify the content of your website by rewriting your materials using short and concise language. In other words, keep sentences short and your paragraphs shorter. Find quality words that convey a message quickly and efficiently, leave out meaningless filler words and lead with your primary message. Readers on a mobile platform want to get straight to the point.

Media

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Are there large, high resolution photos on your website? Do you have slow-loading videos embedded? While dynamic media aspects add value to your website, they may affect its accessibility.

If your customer has to wait longer than a few seconds for a page to load, those big, beautiful images will not mean anything. Make sure any pictures, videos or other media can be downloaded and viewed quickly.

Check with your designer or web developer to find out how to maximize your website’s media.

Calls-to-action

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Is your business name and call-to-action noticeable on your website, or are they difficult to find? For mobile websites, your business name and call-to-action should be prominently displayed on the front page so visitors see them first on arrival. There is nothing worse than searching a page only to discover it is not the company you were looking for after all.

Helping your customers access your website on their mobile device is essential for many of today’s small business owners. Create a smart phone and tablet-friendly website, and help ensure people surfing the web on their mobile devices have a more pleasant and memorable experience on your website than one of your competitors.