A lot of people think a “mobile-friendly website” is one that “looks nice” on a small screen. There’s actually a lot more to it than that. In fact, if you’re only focusing on how your mobile web design LOOKS on a phone or tablet, you may be losing the battle to get ahead of your competition when it comes to getting found online.

Our friends at Google have recently published an in-depth study on The Principles of Mobile Site Design, with a ton of great information about how to mobile optimize your website. Today, we’re going to start where a visitor to your site will most likely start – your homepage (or in this case, your MOBILE homepage).

MAKE IT EASY FOR VISITORS TO ENTER YOUR KINGDOM

If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, you know there’s a lot of fighting around securing your home. Unfortunately, there’s also often a lot of fighting when it comes to getting around mobile homepages, too.

Google says…
“A desktop homepage often serves as a welcome page, messaging center and promotional space all in one, but the mobile homepage should focus on connecting users to the content they’re looking for.”
Here are four things Google says you should consider when creating a mobile homepage that will help your visitors get the information they want quickly and easily…”

MOBILE HOMEPAGE PRINCIPLES

Keep your call-to-action options front and center – It can be easy for mobile users to miss menu items, so always put your phone number, email, and form options where you know your visitors will see them.
Keep menus short and sweet – An extensive menu might work well for your desktop site, but mobile users won’t have the patience to scroll through a long list of options to try to find what they want. Present the fewest menu items possible.
Make it easy to return home – Mobile users want an easy way to get back to your homepage – a clear, easy to see HOME button or simply tapping on your logo at the top of a page is ideal.
Limit the distractions – Photos and promotions can distract visitors, making it hard for them to learn more about your company’s offerings. Give them the information they’re looking for and drive them to contact you for what they need.

Whether you design your site yourself or have a professional do it for you, keep these mobile design principles in mind – and remember, you need to constantly update and upgrade your site to maximize ease of use on mobile devices.

Today a website that’s not mobile-friendly will almost certainly end up draggin’ you lower in search results – and just as important, you’ll lose customers who simply don’t want to do battle with a site that’s hard to use.

The Keys to the Mobile Kingdom

Mobile optimization may sound hard, but there are some things that are pretty much basic common sense. Our friends at Google recently published an in-depth study on The Principles of Mobile Site Design, with a ton of great information about how to mobile optimize your website. Here are four simple keys to solid, effective mobile web design pulled from that report…

KEEP YOUR USER IN A SINGLE BROWSER WINDOW – Switching between windows on a smartphone can be a struggle, and can make it tough for visitors to find their way back to your site. Try to keep users in one place by avoiding links that launch new windows.
DON’T MAKE USERS PINCH-TO-ZOOM – Site visitors get frustrated when they need to zoom in or out. Your site should be designed so users won’t ever need to change the size.
OPTIMIZE YOUR ENTIRE SITE FOR MOBILE – As odd as it sounds, sometimes people only mobile optimize part of their website. Not a surprise, visitors have a much easier time navigating a site that’s fully mobile-optimized rather than one that included a mix of desktop and mobile-optimized pages.
USE CLICK-TO-CALL BUTTONS FOR COMPLEX TASKS – Studies show that site visitors truly appreciate the added convenience and simplicity of a click-to-call option on mobile sites. Offering a prominent click-to-call button makes it easy for customers to contact you, and that’s always a good thing.

Your website must be designed to make it easy for your visitors to navigate on their phones and tablets. Be sure your site follows the mobile web design principles Google recommends – and constantly update and upgrade your mobile site to make it easier to use and more effective for your business.

If your website isn’t built to win the game of phones, it's time to make a change... and make sure your site is ready to battle your competition online.