Smartly.io: Top Ten Tips to Get Your Mobile Site Right

Consumers increasingly rely on the mobile web for research and discovery - almost 95% of Americans own a cellphone, and mobile internet traffic takes up 48.2% of total global online traffic and is only set to grow in the future - which makes it more important than ever before for brands to have a strong mobile presence. We share our top ten tips for a scroll-stopping site that will get those thumbs tapping in no time.

Homepage

The heart of your website should connect uses to the content they seek. Take these tips for starters:

1. Keep Calls-to-Action Front and Center

It can be easy for mobile users to miss menu items, so always put your key calls-to-action where you know users will see them.

2. A (Hamburger) Menu Should Be Short Stacked

Mobile users won’t have the patience to scroll through a long list of options to try and find what they want, so make sure only the most important menu options, between 3-6, are featured - hold the ketchup.

3. Make It Easy to Get Back to the Homepage

Use your logo as a navigation button to return to the homepage.

4. Don't Let Promotions Steal the Show

The main content of your site should always be prominent on the page and not overshadowed by promotions and ads. This does not mean that promotions should be hidden altogether, but they should at least be easy to exit or close, so that users can easily navigate the rest of your site.

Conversions 

The customer journey is becoming more complex, and users expect to convert on their own terms. What can your brand do about it? 

5. Let Users Explore and Purchase as a Guest

Users become frustrated by sites that demand registration, such as creating a profile or account, in order to checkout - especially if the brand is not well known. Keep things simple by removing any barriers that may stop them from exploring your site further.

6. Make it Easy to Finish Converting on Another Device

Mobile visitors may be researching to convert later, so offer a simple way to resume their journey on another device via social sharing, email or save-to-cart functionality.

7. Design User Friendly Forms 

For your registered users, install cookies to pre-fill their preferences. Take advantage of information you already have, and/or use third-party payment services to make conversion as easy as possible. Offer a visual calendar for users to select dates so they  don’t need to leave your site to check their calendar app. Make sure your forms are set up with autofill, so that users do not have to re-enter the same information twice. With multi-part forms, let your users know what’s coming with a progress bar on top.

Usability

At the end of the day, your users want a site that's fast, functional and fun - without the fluff.

8. Optimize Your Entire Site for Mobile and Make Sure the Site Loads Fast 

Did you know you can lose customers if your site doesn’t load within two seconds? Make every nano-second count with this site that will show your current load speed and potential fixes to help it load faster.

9. Make Product Images Expandable 

Customers are usually on the go when they’re on their cell phones - the last thing they want is to have to zoom in and out to read specific messaging, calls-to-action or images. Design your mobile site so that users can navigate your site in the palm of one hand.

10. Keep Your User in a Single Browser Window

Switching between windows on a smartphone can be troublesome, and raises the risk that visitors might not find their way back to your site. Try to keep users in one place by avoiding calls-to-action that launches new windows.

Source:

https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/

http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/

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