What Makes a Good Mobile Website?

Mobile websites are very important to complete a custom website design package in 2013. People use the internet on their mobile devices every day, sometimes more than they use them to make calls or send text messages. 50% of local searches come from a mobile device. Beyond Custom Websites has helped many customers create a mobile site as a compliment to their regular custom website. What makes a “good” mobile website—one that is successful?

Mobile websites should include essentials that are streamlined for the limited real estate. The content should be prioritized for the smaller screen, slightly slower connection speed than wired desktop connections, and keeping the navigation features front of mind. However, the mobile website should match the regular website in appearance--that way visitors will quickly recognize it. That applies to colors, logos, names of navigation tabs, and more.

Remember, when people are using their cell phones, most likely the screen is an arm’s length away or sitting on a table. The text should be large enough to read at that distance. It is also more difficult to select and type in text fields on a mobile device because of the small area, so it’s a good idea to only include the necessary fields and forms. The links should be large enough to easily click on and have enough space around them so the user’s fingers don’t accidentally click on the wrong element—that can be frustrating. Since users expect a fast speed, the site should avoid using too many images, which can slow the pages down. Finally, there should be mobile specific features, such as “Click here to call”. This feature allows people to connect to a call instantly without having to close their mobile browser, go into their phones settings, and dial, all while remembering your number.

Beyond Custom websites includes and encourage our mobile website as an option with every custom website design package. We use all the strategies talked about here and combine them with our creative website development skills to bring our small business website customers a mobile site product they can rely on. These sites help to improve search engine optimization for both versions of the website and increase the number of users who find and repeatedly visit the company website.