Mobile Optimization Is The Way To Go

08-Jun-2018 04:14 PM Digital Marketing

If you’ve been in the online marketing space for quite some time, you must be familiar with the term ‘mobile optimization’. This buzzword is acquiring greater importance with each passing day as the number of mobile users grow. So, what exactly is mobile optimization? In simple terms, it may be termed as the process of making your website mobile-friendly and easier for people to use on mobile devices.  

Is your site optimized for mobile devices? 

The world has rapidly shifted from favoring websites and online experiences on the desktop to mobile devices. A large chunk of the internet traffic now comes from mobile phones and tablets. So, it becomes imperative to concentrate on this segment that’s always on the move and is responsible for driving conversions. But that is not the only motivating factor. It’s highly probable that Google might prioritize crawling mobile sites over desktop sites in the near future.

Just go back in time. Things were quite different a decade ago when smartphones were not trending and most sites were designed especially for desktops. Mobile phones were not compatible with desktops and some of the common problems were:

• Smaller screen sizes of mobile phones make it difficult to view full-size pages.

• Finger-based interactions on mobile phones make it harder to manage the buttons on desktop sites.

• The plethora of devices available in the market made it difficult to develop an all-in-one solution. Mobile browser compatibility is not universal, and this poses a huge problem for developers.

Mobile optimization provides a solution for all these problems. Here are some of the best practices that will help you develop a high-quality website.

Prefer a holistic approach

As desktops and mobile applications merge, so do the goals and requirements of users on both these platforms. You should always focus on a holistic approach that takes care of both the groups and helps your website reach a maximum number of users.

Make a scalable platform

According to TechCrunch, the number of mobile users is going to shoot up to 6.3 billion by 2020. There’s a growing need to concentrate on developing websites that are scalable and provide a hassle-free viewing experience for users on all screens and across all browsers.

Avoid using pop-ups  

Pop-ups can be a bit annoying when you are accessing a website from your phone. Make sure you cut down on the number of popups on your mobile website.

Reduce the loading time

A slow website can be a major turn off. You can reduce the loading time by enabling browser caching, optimizing plugins and compressing images and other resources.

Keep your website simple

There’s no point keeping the structure of your website complex. Try to keep the navigation simple and reduce the number of pages as much as possible. That should make it easier for users to get what they want. 

Get rid of unplayable content

If your mobile site contains content like audios and videos that are unplayable on mobile devices, then it’s better to remove them. After all, the mantra is to keep it simple and easily accessible.

Keep the branding essence constant

Even though your mobile site is a streamlined version of your main website, you should always be consistent in maintaining the same branding essence across both the versions. This is very important as the mobile site is a brand touchpoint and, like any other property, should reflect and promote your brand essence.