As smartphones have become more common and affordable, increasing numbers of people now use them to look up info and surf the web. (In 2021, nearly 60% of all Internet traffic was on a mobile device, and over 90% of the global Internet population uses a mobile device for some or all of their browsing!) Certainly, any customers who are “out and about” will be using a mobile phone. They might be trying to find the kinds of products or services you offer, or maybe they found you on Facebook and clicked a link to your website. Either way, you’ll want to make it as easy as possible for them to use YOUR website. Here are some tips to help you optimize your site for mobile users.
Can Mobile Users Load Your Site?
Are you using a responsive website design? This means that a different version of your website is shown to visitors based on the screen size they’re using. There are three main versions: desktop, tablet, and cell phone. The easiest way to see how your website looks and loads on a phone is pretty obvious – look at it on your phone! Try checking it from varying places, such as in your car or from outside of town. If you have a physical location – a restaurant or retail outlet – that you want people to visit, try viewing your website from different spots in the town where your business is located. Try it during times when your business is open, and after hours. This will give you a chance to see how long it takes your site to load under different connection levels.
Streamline For Speed
Be aware that in rural areas, data streams can be greatly affected by the number of people using their phones. If it takes a long time for your site to load, consider removing any detailed graphics you don’t really need. That attractive border may be interesting, but when your potential customers have to wait for it to load before they can see your phone number, it’s just an annoyance. If you’re located rurally, streamline your site as much as possible, particularly before holidays that bring lots of tourists to town. If you plan to have a big Fourth of July sale, for instance, make sure that portion of your site is simple enough to load fast. Any information everyone needs, such as your phone number, location, and open hours, should always be as visible as possible.
More Help For Mobile Users
Apart from limiting the use of complex graphics or designs, there are a few other ways you can tweak your site for greater visibility. Use a large and readable font. Usually sans serif fonts, such as Open Sans or Montserrat, work the best. Use a large size, such as 16 px, if you can. (The size may need to be larger or smaller depending on the font you’re using.) Mobile users have limited reach, so make sure to place the content you most want people to see in the center of the screen.
Make images as small as possible without reducing quality. Keep all your image sizes around 100KB – larger images just slow down your website’s load time. For mobile devices, aim for 360×640 through 414×896 pixels. Tablets should be around 601×962 through 1280×800, and desktop images can be a little larger, about 1024×768 through 1920×1080 pixels. Adobe has a free website that will allow you to resize images. Click here to try it out.
Calls Only A Click Away
If you haven’t already, add “tel:1234567890” links to the phone numbers on your website. Adding this link will automatically direct mobile visitors to the calling app on their phone and will make your phone number appear there. All they have to do is press dial! You can find more information on adding tel links here: WordPress in HTML
