What Is The Importance Of Mobile-First Websites?

what-is-the-importance-of-mobile-first-websites

In 2015, a significant trend was observed in the internet surfing audience. People started to use mobile phones for conducting online activities. Clever Google observed that and rolled in a mobile-first index to ensure the UX experience is not compromised for the mobile-using audience. Since we stepped in 2023, we need to make our websites mobile-friendly. The requirements for a mobile-friendly website are not difficult to establish. The web design must be clean and minimal and have an easy-to-interact interface. 

Mobile First Indexing 

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By mobile-first indexing, we mean Google fetches content from the mobile version of the site. For that purpose, Google sends smartphone agents to crawl the site. Such agents are fed with the guidelines of an ideal mobile-friendly website. Thus, it will judge your website’s mobile-friendliness based on various factors. 

When Google has activated mobile indexing on your site, it will let you know through Google Search Console. 

How To Make A Website Mobile Friendly? 

There are three ways to make a website mobile-friendly. Based on the availability of resources and the requirements to be achieved from a particular website. 

Responsive Design 

A website is responsive if it uses the same code & URL. The content of such design adapts according to the dimensional size of the device. 

Dynamic Serving

If a website uses the same URL, but the user agent sniffing & HTTP response header are activated, it serves different devices with various content.

Separate URL

If different URLs are used for numerous website versions, then each version will have a different set of coding. Besides, user agent sniffing will be activated, and users will be redirected to different versions based on the device they use to conduct their queries. 

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How To Make Mobile-Friendly Websites? 

A variety of factors contribute to making a website mobile friendly. But we’re going to discuss the most effective ways, which are being followed by big brands, to make their websites mobile responsive

Reduce Web Load Times

Reduced web load times are essential to achieve the desired outcomes from a mobile-friendly website. It has been observed that a website with fewer load times increases conversion rates by three times. 

Must Know Tip 

If your site has video-enriched content, host them on third-party sites. Then consider embedding them to your site. 

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Compress Images

The images you use in your websites must be compressed. It’ll help your website make images load at reduced data. Many tools available in the market can help you compress the images. Make sure you are choosing tools that are not letting the quality affect you to a considerable level. 

Must Know Tip 

Use the correct image formats like JPEG 2000, JPEG XR, WebP & AVIF.

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For Animations, Use HTML 5

Many websites trust Adobe Flash for animations, but it is always beneficial to use HTML 5. It usually doesn’t feel heavy on websites. Besides, the supreme benefit of HTML 5 is that it can help you establish many actions without putting plugins into use. 

Avoid Popups 

Popups are not bad when we are using them on the desktop version. But relying on them for better conversions for mobile versions is a bad idea. The potential reason behind this drawback is – the limited dimensions of popups which make it difficult for the users to trace the X button. 

Different Button Sizes & Placement

You can’t keep the size and placement of the button the same for the mobile versions. It’ll make website visitors suffer from poor user experience. The buttons’ placement and size must be in accordance with the thumb and finger motions and comfort.

Font Size Should Be Larger

Instead of using different fonts for the mobile versions, make sure to use a bigger size of the same font you already use for the desktop version. Don’t experiment with different fonts because they’ll harm your brand identity. 

Keep It Simple & Clutter Free

The desktop versions can afford to have a variety of elements on your website. But you can’t have the mobile versions bear so many elements. Mobile versions of websites must be simple & clutter-free. You must keep in mind to keep a good range of white spaces. 

Keep Minimum Content On The Website

Many times, the desktop structure of the website supports a great deal of the content. But the mobile versions of the website do not support such massive content. In that scenario, the site’s mobile versions appear cluttered. So, corroborate to consider the content limits.

Make Essential Details Easier To Find 

Users usually find the most important details on the website are the phone number, location and contact info. Make sure such information is clearly visible & legitimate on your website. 

Use Mobile-Optimized Forms

Keep it in mind – Not all forms are suitable for all devices. You need to consider designing separate forms for different devices. Poorly optimized forms may hinder convincing users from filling out the form. 

 Is Mobile Friendliness A Ranking Factor? 

Indeed, it is. Among many ranking factors, mobile friendliness is the most significant. The scenario in today’s internet world is like this. If you have implemented all the ranking factors but have forgotten or ignored working on mobile-friendliness, then your ranking will suffer. Since 2015, the magnitude of the importance of making your website mobile friendly has been increasing. Today, it is one of the ranking factors that must be addressed. 

Are Mobile-Friendly Websites Labeled?

Nowadays, every website comes with a label to help the bots identify whether a website is mobile-friendly or not. 

Conclusion

Nowadays, it is quintessentially essential to make your website mobile friendly. Otherwise rankings will suffer and you won’t be able to convert website visitors into potential leads.

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