Mobile Site Best Practices

Lauren Owens - November 8, 2012

Mobile devices are changing the way that users interact with the web. This means that your site has to be ready for the onslaught of mobile users who want fast, digestible information at their fingertips. But what makes a winning mobile website?

In a word, brevity. The best mobile sites offer limited content that focuses on key information and calls to action. To accomplish this, it’s important that you:

• Limit scrolling

• Use bullets

• Use white space to give your users’ eyes a break

The best mobile sites help bridge the digital divide by turning passive users into living, breathing customers. They do this by offering:

• Special features such as check-in offers and mobile-only deals

• Click-to-call functionality

• GPS functionality

Of course, you have to make it easy for users to find your mobile site in the first place. Unlike desktop search, where content is king, mobile SEO is all about design. Specifically, Google is looking for mobile friendly design that offers users the best possible on-page experience. Google has indicated that the most optimized mobile sites will be built using responsive design and device-specific HTML.

Outside of following Google’s best practices, you can drive traffic to your mobile site by:

• Linking the QR codes on your printed ad copy to your mobile site

• Making your website location friendly by adding location information directly on your homepage

None of this means that keywords are out. The content on your mobile site — however limited — should be optimized for your business, purpose and audience. That’s a best practice that will never go out of style.