3 mobile website design mistakes to avoid

Mobile website design is one of the most important considerations for businesses today. Users are migrating to mobile devices – either exclusively or predominantly – by the millions. The small device size and limited bandwidth options don’t deter users – who can’t seem to get enough of the mobile experience. Even search engines like Google give preferred treatment to mobile-friendly websites for users on mobile devices. It is possible to make some truly painful mobile website design mistakes, so if you’re going mobile, you’ll want to avoid these bumps along the road.

Mobile website design mistakes can hurt you!

With the emphasis being placed on good mobile website design, it’s a no-brainer that mobile website design mistakes are going to hurt you, either in terms of the user experience, the number of visitors or more likely, both. Here are some things to consider when looking for ways to avoid mobile website design mistakes.

Ignoring mobile design. Not having a mobile friendly website is the first, biggest and most painful of the mobile website design mistakes you can make. Consumers can’t get enough mobile devices in their hands, no matter the challenges involved in using them. If today, in 2016, you do not have a responsive mobile website, you’re dealing yourself double damage. Not only are you missing out on mobile consumers who want to see your website, but also you won’t get much love from the search engines – which will make you even harder to find.

Loading your pages. Loading your pages with a lot of content is a whopper among mobile website design mistakes. The viewer has a screen that might be no bigger than an index card. That seriously limits the amount of information you can fit on a page. It also affects the time your page needs to load. Mobile users often scroll to the bottom of a page and back to the top before looking at any of the content, so they can see how much you’re asking them to look at. If you’re asking too much, they’ll be gone. To fix this, unload the content from your mobile pages to get down to a manageable level. Optimize your pages so they load onto the user’s device quickly. One way to do this is to avoid loading content onto the page until the user actually scrolls to it. Another way to maximize your real estate is to put the most important stuff (to the viewer) at the top of the page. Your mobile site won’t look like your desktop site, but it will have a lot more appeal to your viewer!

Confusing choices. Giving your viewer too many options is another of the giants of mobile website design mistakes. Make your mobile navigation as easy as possible. Eliminate endless choices and get your user to the exact spot they want to go. Make your buttons big, label them clearly and don’t exhaust tired eyeballs with too many colors, an avalanche of content, detailed forms or seemingly unlimited menus. Knowing what your mobile users want may require some research, but keep in mind that it’s OK to limit the content on your mobile website!

If you’d like more information about avoiding mobile website design mistakes, or you’d like to create a mobile website for your business, please contact our Creative Director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation.

Photo Credit: Tory Byrne, via FreeImages.com