Whether you’re running a website for business or pleasure, you need to have a strategy for mobile.

Why? Because nearly 60% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. The age of the desktop computer has been usurped.

Thankfully, it’s pretty easy these days to develop a mobile-friendly website. You just need a design that includes features that give smartphones and tablet users an outstanding experience.

But what features do you need? Here are 3 things you’ll need to get right when you create a mobile website your visitors will want to visit.

You Need a Responsive Layout

When we lived in the desktop era, we only had a few major screen sizes to worry about. Now we’re dealing with smartphones and tablets, that’s no longer true, as your website could be called to load on any type of screen, no matter the size.

To be able to do that, you need to base your mobile web design around a responsive layout. Using CSS, responsive designs detect your screen size and resize your site content to match.

That means that if you’re on a desktop PC or a 5-inch smartphone, your design will offer the same experience. The layout will alter, but the content (and many of the design features) will remain the same.

It gives your users consistency across devices and means you only have to worry about one site, rather than offering a single, separate mobile site.

Make Your Site Easy to Navigate

You’ve got less space to play with on a mobile device, so if you want to keep your visitors engaged, you’ll need to make navigation as easy as possible for your users.

Keep your site navigation simple. Users should know how they can move from A to B with ease. Have a hidden but accessible navigation menu that users can access at the top of your page, denoted as a logo by three lines like this.

If you have content, categorize it clearly. Categories should make sense for your users, so use topics that are clear for your users to understanding. If the category of content is too large, split it up into subcategories.

Does your site have a lot of content? Offer a search bar at the top of each page. Content management systems like WordPress will offer this as standard, so be sure to label content with relevant keywords to make finding it easy.

Keep Your Content Mobile Friendly

When you’re developing a mobile version of a website, you should consider whether your content is suitable for mobile users.

Written content shouldn’t consist of big ‘wall of text’ paragraphs that are hard to read. You want paragraphs of only a few sentences or lines, and where possible, broken up with subheadings or bullet points.

Choose a font typeface that users can read with clarity on different types of mobile screens, and use size 12 font or above.

Remember, though, that your content isn’t only the written text. Include, where appropriate, images that can help to explain your content and make it more appealing.

Other content, like video, can also help break up any text blocks. Here are 5 top examples of visual content you could include on your mobile-friendly website.

Create a Mobile Website Worth Visiting

Focusing on a mobile-friendly design shouldn’t be an afterthought – it should be your central focus when you’re designing your website for 2019 and beyond.

Start by building your site around a responsive layout. This’ll give your visitors a great experience, regardless of their screen size. Make it easy for your visitors to move around your site with clear and identifiable navigation.

Don’t forget your content, either. Make it easy to digest, so no walls of text, and don’t be afraid to experiment with video and image content.

Is it time to give your website a mobile-friendly makeover? Then check out the web design and hosting services we offer to help you create a mobile website that your visitors will love to visit.