Mobile optimization is no longer optional. With so much internet traffic consisting of smartphone users, it’s never been more important to ensure that your site displays well on a smaller screen. Optimizing a desktop site for mobile might seem like an uphill struggle, but there are a few simple steps that you can take.
#1 Use a responsive theme
The beauty of responsive themes lies in their flexibility. They’re designed to adjust automatically to the screen they’re being viewed on, be that a desktop, tablet or smartphone. Better still, they optimize sites in other ways, keeping plugins and big images to a minimum. Responsive themes are fairly commonplace across the internet, and web designers like those at ZenDenWebDesign.com will be able to implement them correctly, so that they always look their best. Designers understand the nuances of responsive themes and how they can best be utilized to keep your site looking perfect across multiple platforms.
#2 Compress images
It’s tempting to fill your websites with colorful, vibrant images. These certainly look impressive on a desktop, but they don’t really translate well to smartphones. Images consume data and take a long time to load, possibly costing the smartphone user quite a bit of money as they do. Larger images also have a tendency to break formatting, altering how paragraphs, indents and headings are structured. The same applies to video content, and plugins can wreak even more havoc with your perfectly designed website. Instead, compress images, cut plugins altogether and try to keep video content minimal. It might seem like you’re scaling back worthwhile content, but mobile users will thank you.
#3 Don’t forget about SEO
SEO content still works on mobile devices, although some developers tend to forget this. They focus their attention elsewhere, perhaps on social media integration or apps. While these are certainly useful and cater for the mobile audience, correct search engine optimization still means the difference between your site being discovered or disappearing into the depths of the web. SEO techniques include using keywords to help Google categorize your content, building a healthy link profile and (perhaps most importantly of all) providing original content that offers value to readers. These tactics are nearly as old as the Internet itself, but they’re just as relevant today.
#4 Choose a minimalist aesthetic
Smartphones demand minimalism. This applies both to color schemes and the way that content is structured. Cluttered websites display poorly and will often exhibit broken formatting. Most modern smartphones work with extremely clean interfaces and aesthetically pleasing, low-key color schemes. Apply these to your website and it will seem right at home on the screen. Go for something more maximalist and the site will appear out of place, as though it belongs to a different age of the Internet. Light and airy color schemes work well, and always be sure to leave plenty of space between lines and paragraphs. Smartphone screens are smaller, so it’s more difficult to read large blocks of text, so keep things nicely spaced.
