6 Tips To Optimize A Website For Mobile

January 12, 2022

With mobile traffic now representing nearly half of all website visits, it’s only a matter of time until it becomes the most common way of accessing web content. Unfortunately, many websites that look good on desktop fare poorly on mobile. They suffer from optimization issues, are slow to load, or even appear glitchy. These tips to optimize a website will help you to avoid any such issues.

6 Tips To Optimize A Website For Mobile

#1 Use a response theme

Responsive themes are a modern innovation that changed how websites are designed and displayed, with far-reaching consequences. These themes adapt website formatting depending on the type of browser that they’re being viewed on. For example, a responsive theme will appear radically different on a smartphone than it does on a desktop. These changes occur completely automatically and ensure that the site displays perfectly across multiple platforms. Responsive themes take the onus off you to optimize, and they guarantee a seamless experience.

#2 Compress images

Images can be a fantastic addition to a website. They’re attention-grabbing, make a statement and help sites to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, they also consume bandwidth and, therefore, data when displayed on a smartphone. Most mobile users browse on the move, using cellular data to download and browse websites. Any site that’s slow to load or puts excessive strain on data allowances will deter users. To remedy this problem, only use images where necessary and compress those that you do need.

#3 Leave white space

Fingers across a small smartphone screen are far less precise than a cursor over a desktop. As such, cluttered websites are much harder to navigate on the phone. Accidental clicks will eventually cause visitors to close the site altogether and look elsewhere. Leave generous spaces between paragraphs and links and keep your design as clean as possible.

#4 Hire web developers

Adapting a website for mobile devices isn’t straightforward. Smartphones and tablets all come with different screen sizes and operating systems, which is why many people choose to hire the services of a web design agency to help. Professional web designers have all the skills necessary for perfect optimization, ensuring that your site looks its best on every platform.

#5 Remove plugins

Plugins certainly have their uses, but they’re nowadays falling slowly out of fashion. Some are considered security risks, others lack functionality, and many don’t perform well on mobile. At the very least, plugins increase load times, consuming data. Remove them altogether where possible, or at the very least keep them to a minimum.

#6 Integrate with social media

Social media and smartphones seem to go hand in hand, with many of the most popular apps like Instagram designed with mobile in mind. Social media is vitally important for any website. It’s a way to connect with your visitors, drive traffic and sell products. As such, try to make social media integration as seamless as possible. Incorporating share buttons, adding social media feeds, and using bright, chunky follow buttons makes your site truly social.