Google is changing its search algorithm for mobile devices. This means that, as of April 21, if your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices, your ranking will fall when people search for you on their smartphones (as of now, the new algorithm will not affect tablet searches).
More than 40 percent of Internet time is now spent on mobile devices and that number continues to climb. If you don’t have a site designed to work well on mobile devices, you’re losing a large part of your audience. And with Google’s new search standards, you stand to lose even more. To see if your website passes Google’s mobile-friendly standards, take their mobile-friendly test.
If your website doesn’t pass muster, here are some quick tips on how to design a great mobile website and maximize your user’s experience.
Determine what you want users to do
The first rule of creating a great mobile site is the same for any marketing communication – determine your objective. Do you want people to schedule a tour of your facility or community? Do you want them to call for more information? Deciding what your objective is will determine what information is included and its priority on the site.
Keep it simple
Decide on a few key points you want to convey. Put your most important action-driving content first (see above). Keep your graphics clean and simple, as you want your site to load quickly. Don’t use Flash, as most mobile browsers don’t display Flash-based content. Remember mobile users are on the go, so phone numbers, location, and maps are always a good idea. Make navigation obvious and workable in a vertical scrolling format.
Make it readable
Use a large text size (at least 14px – Google recommends 16px), use lots of white (negative) space so your content stands out, and organize your content well. Use color to highlight important information. Create a defined viewing area (your viewport) using the “meta viewpoint” tag, which tells browsers how to adjust the page’s dimensions and scaling to fit whatever device it’s being displayed on.
Create large “touch” areas
Tapping has replaced clicking. Make sure the areas of your site where people tap for more information are “thumb friendly” for all shapes and sizes. Apple recommends 44x44px and Google recommends at least 48px tall/wide.
Make it recognizable
Your mobile site should have the same basic look and feel of your regular website, utilizing the same colors, fonts, functionality and basic design. You’ve spent a lot of time and energy creating a brand – people should recognize it on your mobile site.
Let us help!
IlluminAge has extensive experience in designing mobile-friendly websites that deliver the results you’re looking for. Additionally, we’re hosting a free webinar that will provide some answers. You’ll learn some great tips on how to create a great mobile site as well as how to increase search engine optimization (SEO) for your site within the constraints of Google’s new search criteria.