Why Your Website Should Be Optimized For Mobile Devices

With the improvement of smartphone technology, websites are constantly being accessed from browsers and mobile devices. This means that conventional design techniques may need to be adjusted to accommodate different screen sizes and be compatible with the myriad of devices on the market. With multiple companies releasing newer models every day, the competition for how your website will look is also heating up. The mobile user experience is so important to making or undoing a sale that now websites are forced to change the way they look or behave based on what users want. This article explains why you should make your website responsive or mobile-friendly if you’ve already started.

Highest ranking in Google search

Starting in April 2015, Google will begin prioritizing websites that have a mobile-optimized version of their site. Google has already started providing search results tags that indicate which web page is mobile friendly, meaning it can be easily viewed on a web page. According to Google’s webmaster blog:

"Starting April 21, we’ll be expanding our use of mobile device support as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages ​​of the world and will have a significant impact on our search results. As a result, users will find it easier to get relevant, high-quality search results optimized for their devices."

They go on to say: "When it comes to searches on mobile devices, users must get the most relevant and timely results, regardless of whether the information is found on web pages or applications optimized for mobile devices. As more people use mobile devices to access the Internet, our algorithms must adapt to these usage patterns. In the past, we have performed updates to ensure that a site is properly configured and viewable on modern devices. We’ve made it easy for users to find mobile-friendly web pages and introduced app indexing to display useful app content."

Other search engines are also more likely to follow suit and give preference to mobile device compatibility on a website. Yahoo and Bing, like Google, also prioritize responsive websites and state this openly.

Multiple screen sizes

The main objective of any website should be to offer what the user wants and how the user wants. With the drastic shift in Internet use towards mobile devices, websites must also adapt to this change in pattern. This is called responsive design. Responsive design is used to reduce data usage on mobile connections by removing unimportant parts of the website and focusing only on the important aspects. Modern web design must make adjustments for different types of screens, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, projectors, and even storefronts. Each display should have unique characteristics based on its use and based on its functionality.

W3CSchools says that "RWD stands for Responsive Web Design; RWD can deliver web pages in varying sizes; RWD is a must for tablets and mobile devices."

Focus on the important features

Larger buttons, larger font size, and a layout optimized for a mobile screen are ideal for providing the best website experience for a mobile user. Other factors that are given priority is item spacing, especially for things like links, pop-ups, buttons, and even drop-down lists. The goal of this is to ensure that the end user focuses on exactly what they want and not on the flowery features of their website that are presented to desktop users.