Since the day mobile devices came to life, web content and digital media have never been the same. Your very own website that helps keep your business going now faces newer platforms to be displayed and browsed on. Smartphones, iPads and tablets are now what bridge more potential customers to your site. Therefore, responsive web design is an absolute must.

To edge out your competition, it’s imperative that the site is well optimised for multiple screen dimensions and capable of app-like functions. Those sites nowadays get the best search engine rankings and drive the most web traffic. Unsure of the right alternations or additions to your current site? Our team at Get Going Media would be happy to provide a free consultation to help you find the best solutions.

Thanks to these revolutionary gadgets – practically portable PCs – gone are the days when you’d be fine relying on mere traditional web layouts that suit a computer with a monitor, keyboard and mouse. It’s now all about the visitor’s fingertips. Here’s a breakdown of the ESSENTIALS of the ideal mobile site:

E – Experience of using an app

The most appealing sites allow users to feel like they’re using a real app while browsing and navigating.

S – Similarity with the desktop version

Your mobile site’s overall design, as much as possible, must seamlessly resemble its PC counterpart. You don’t want your customers to end up getting different experiences from both versions. That will only hurt your brand consistency.

S – Social media integration

There’s really no excuse to neglect those icons that invite the visitor to “Like us on Facebook” or “Follow us on Twitter”, since almost everyone is on social media. Not only will these prove you’re in touch with modern times, but they also enable interaction between the audience and your brand. What’s it for? Brand awareness. Brand recognition. Reputability. Lasting relationships with customers.

E – Easy access to contact details

This one’s especially needed for smartphones. You’ll want to display any contact information that can be detected as an email address to save or a number to tap-and-call. That spares your visitors from those extra seconds of adding the info manually. That shows your readiness to be reached.

N – Navigational convenience

Users love a site where there’s no issue changing sections or accessing previous pages. Ideally, words in buttons should be as readable as the other text, and buttons themselves should stick out in both shape and colour. For a good button size, think of 50 pixels as a point of reference. Also, Back and Index buttons should appear at the bottom of every page so that the user doesn’t have to scroll back up.

T – Text-light pages

Since the screens of mobile devices are smaller, more text will have to be read through scrolling. But why bother with lots of text when you can use videos instead? This will be most beneficial to your homepage as a short clip summarising the products/services offered can work better than text. Videos are far more engaging.

I – Instant loading

People appreciate sites with pages and content that load on the device in a matter of seconds.

A – Adjustable image sizes

Product photos should presumably look good on your site’s desktop version. On smaller screens, however, they’ll be more appealing if users can enlarge or zoom in on them through touchscreen finger motions.

L – Locatable address via Google Maps

To complement contact details, you’ll want to capitalise on the GPS function of people’s devices through Google Maps. Ideally, your site has been built with a click-to-map functionality that will allow users to locate your business and the turn-by-turn directions to get there.

S – Simply designed CTA

Everything on your site should be there to aid a goal: getting an increased conversion rate – getting more visitors to do some specific action while browsing. It can be buying an item, registering as a member or making an enquiry. Whatever the case, it’s the call-to-action feature that makes it happen. On mobile devices, they take one or two finger taps to function.

The most effective CTAs consist of the following guidelines: short-and-sweet copy, a clear action-oriented message (i.e. beginning with verbs such as ‘Register’ or ‘Download’) leading to the landing page, a button that contrasts with the web page but still fits into the design and also, an easy-to-spot placing.

Bonus S – Support for Google Analytics

To keep track of your site’s progress on mobile platforms, have Google Analytics gather data and provide real-time web traffic updates. Running your business, you’ll need this tool to get feedback on whatever works or doesn’t work for your site – what boosts sales, what welcomes new visitors or what drives them away.