Ways to Keep the Mobile Experience in the Forefront of Your Website’s Design

“Mobile first” is front and center. Design your website with this in mind: Place as much value on the use of mobile devices as your customers do.

The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 77%, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center's first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011. Consumers are testing the limits and taking advantage of what they can accomplish with these indispensable gadgets. Simplified browsing, relevant search results, and hassle-free shopping are what consumers appreciate. Make sure your website’s design reflects what they expect to see once they visit using a mobile device. Doing this helps consumers view your business in a favorable way when they search for products and services like yours.

Start with a Responsive Design

Use responsive website design so that your website always looks good on a mobile device with minimal effort on your part. From both a web design website management perspective, responsive designs, overall, require less maintenance. Once browser dimensions are set for the various devices, you won’t have to make many other adjustments. Since managing a website requires time and time is money, you’ll save in these two ways when you use responsive design.

Streamline Website Forms

Mobile users are busy and sometimes multitask. To assist them with balancing out their busy lifestyles, keep forms as simple as possible. Review your form data and reduce the amount of fields to what’s required. Long-winded forms are counterproductive, but streamlined forms encourage meaningful communication. You get straight to the point of determining your customer’s needs and create an environment for strengthening business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) relationships.

Add Short Menus Above the Fold

Place menus where visitors can see them without having to scroll. Keep in mind, the smaller dimensions of mobile devices compared to desktops. When naming tabs, be succinct and descriptive. Consider the viewpoint of your customers to enhance their mobile experience. Give priority to items that are most important to your customers and list those first.

Make Navigating Your Website Easy

Check that every page on your website has a homepage tab or link back to your homepage. This might help curtail user abandonment. If mobile users initially have difficulty finding what they need, they can navigate back to your homepage.

Many mobile users rely on a website’s search capability to locate what they’re looking for fast. They might even bypass the navigation tabs and try the search option first. Be sure your search box is visible and easy to access. Position it above the fold. Remember though, functionality is as important as placement. Make a commitment to improving search relevancy. Start by adding search filters for users to locate your offerings within your website.

Simplify the Buying Process

Purchasing using a mobile device isn’t yet as seamless as with a desktop. Businesses still face the challenge of duplicating an effortlessness buying experience. Change this by giving buyers choices. Allow website visitors to start and finish the buying process using two different devices. You can also enable guest purchasing and skip the registration rule if you have one.

Get Feedback Early

By far, the most reliable way of keeping the mobile experience in the forefront is to receive honest feedback. Ask your customers to test out your website using their mobile device. Find out what they like, dislike, and want to see in the future. Incorporate these changes to gain an invaluable competitive edge.