It may sometimes happen that you browse web using your smartphone and suddenly opened such a website which was not optimized for a cell phone. This is quite annoying situation. Google has the same opinion.
Mobile optimized websites are now ruling over the web world. Google has already updated its search result following the rank algorithm system which factors in the mobile elements. If you use any mobile device for searching, the websites with necessary criteria would carry mobile-friendly feature.
The owners of website should reassess the website design, layout, design as well as content for ranking well and ensuring that website is mobile friendly.
How a WebPage can be Mobile-Friendly to Google?
Software is used to maintain the standards of mobile optimization. If the software is not optimized to mobile devices would be punished. For example Flash. HTML5 release has outperformed Flash in a more efficient way.
Easy read text is another criterion which is searched by Googlebots. It makes sure zoom-in is not needed when visitors visit any website. Thing is, content needs to be responsive where scrolling is not needed. There is enough space for linking and clicking.
You can always check your mobile friendliness doing a mobile-friendly test. Google Developers provide this free tool which can instantly tell whether the website is mobile optimized or not. This also can show you the reason behind unfriendliness and how the Googlebots see your website, and also provide tips on making site more mobile-friendly.
Major Strategies to Mobile-Friendly Site
Major design guidelines for a mobile friendly site are as follows:
Focus on Content First
Content is most significant aspect of your website. Design of your website should be formed focusing on the content. Outlining all the content you want to add is the first task of yours. When you are outlining you should add the key points you desire to cover, images, videos, data tables, as well as other descriptions.
You need to do sketches of your outline following narrow and wide viewpoint version. The frame of the website can be built with these sketches. You need to begin with mobile in a narrow viewpoint before building it.
Keep It clean and Simple
If you want to focus on content, you need to keep the design simple and clean. If you want to spread a message to your visitors quickly, a simple and clean design can help to do that. For maintaining simplicity and consistency across the website design, a style guide can be followed.
Viewports should be set
For building a multi-device website, a viewport “meta tag” is needed. This meta tag can communicate to browser. The specific page should be scaled for fitting the target screen. Below default can be utilized when there are a lot of dissimilar configurations on hand,
<meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1″>
Use JavaScript carefully
For tailoring a webpage to mobile audience, JavaScript is very helpful. It can adjust behavior and representation of the site mainly depends on mobile device. 3 major types commonly used JavaScript implementations are there: 1. dynamically served, 2. combined detection, and 3. JavaScript-adaptive. As JavaScript is helpful, you need to ensure that you use it cleverly. It would run differently on various types of phones and it may affect the performance.
Lessen the number of Forms
It may happen that, filling in the fields may not be a fun for visitors though you wish for giving your visitors a space to enter in contact information. You can make it very easy and effectual through minimizing amount of forms on your website. You can add auto populate option using GPS if possible.
Raise Size of Links as well as CTA Buttons
Since touch screen is now present in most of all the user’s phone, links and buttons should be simple enough to press. Average size of 1.6-2 cm adult index finger equals the 45-57 pixels on any cell phone device. Keeping this in mind, you need to make sure as minimum 30 pixels present between every link and button. This is quite annoying for the users to click on something unexpected accidentally what could result in superior bounce rates.
Fragment the Text
If content section is sweet and short, your site would be easily digestible. Visitors usually scan WebPages for finding interesting headline and other required things. It can be said that around 3 to 4 sentences in each section is perfect. Besides, you need to ensure that you put the most significant content first.
Include Video
It has been seen that the mobile users watch a video three times more than any desktop users. This could be your advantage. A website can be proper functioning page if a well-organized video player is present there. Customer experience can be ruined and visitors would leave your website if a lagging video player is present there. You can use HTML5 for ensuring the compatibility with other mobile devices.
Make sure That Your WebPage Is Mobile-Friendly
You have already got the basics of mobile optimized site. Following steps would show you how to make sure that your implementation is correct.
Mobile friendly Test
Since it is previously stated, mobile-friendly test could be a smart tool for analyzing the mobile friendliness of your website.
Select perfect Mobile Configuration
If you want to build your latest page most effectively, you need to understand tasks of different devices and select the best suitable configuration for your mobile.
Identify and take steps for Common Mistakes
You need to avoid ordinary mistakes if you think of ensuring the efficiency of the website. Common mistakes that would happen are like blocked CSS, image files and JavaScript, unplayable content, defective redirects, slow mobile page and mobile 404s.
Be Supportive
If you have your page seen on each cell phone device or tablet, it can be said that mobile friendliness for your website is present there. You should ensure that your website is configured carefully for different devices.
Go through required Guides for the use of 3rd Party Software
You should keep in mind that most of the providers are also preparing their websites for such change if you are with 3rd party software on your website. You need to go through the dedicated guides of various providers of software on particular implementation steps concerning this change as well as you should also know how to convert the website best. Bitriz, Joomla!, WordPress, Tumblr, vBulletin, Prestashop, Magento, DataLife Engine, Drupal and Blogger are some guides.
You should back-up your website and make sure that you use latest version of your software. You need to check in a regular basis if there is availability of custom themes which are mobile optimized. You also should go though on availability of forums for possible problems other visitors might be facing with their version of mobile website.
Extra Resources
If you want to go through more changes, you should check out additional resources of Google. Mobile optimization for website browsing is major online success in the year of 2015. Thing is, mobile market would also provide more traffic as well as additional profits to your website.