With Google’s recent mobile update making newspaper headlines, there are now more searches on mobile devices than ever before. It is more important than ever to have a website that is optimized to run properly on mobile devices or else you will be left in the dust behind your mobile-optimized competitors. Here’s what you can do to take your mobile presence to the next level:
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see where your website currently stands in the eyes of Google.
- Analyze data from Google Analytics, Google AdWords, and/or Google Webmaster Tools to get a better understanding of how your website is performing on mobile devices.
- Test your site speed with pingdom’s website speed test. Preferred page size is around 1 megabyte. Think about how you use your phone – it’s unpleasant to have to wait a while for a website to load. As you make your site mobile-optimized, consider:
- Checking that the page size is around 1 megabyte or less
- Optimizing your images
- Setting up lazy loading for images
- Minimizing scripts and CSS style sheets
- Creating browser and server caching
- Make sure your website is optimized for tablets and other handheld devices. The term “mobile-optimized site”, in today’s technologically advanced world, is no longer limited to just a smart phone. It also includes the plethora of other devices that are out there.
- Integrate all versions of your website onto one Content Management System or CMS. The days of websiteurl.com and m.websiteurl.com are outdated. Yes, there are still companies that have separate mobile sites, but if you want to stay ahead of the curve, find a web designer to combine them for you.
- To further point 5, you want one website with a responsive design because you don’t want to dilute your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in the eyes of Google. With over 40% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, a mobile-optimized site will rank better on both mobile devices and desktops because of the combined effect.
A mobile-optimized website takes some work upfront, but is well worth it in the end when you have additional customers and clients contacting you!