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Hi! We’re Sox Digital, and we’re hijacking Jo’s blog today (with permission, we promise). We do websites and content creation for small UK businesses.
We’re here to talk about something that makes both us (Sox) and the Digital Marketing Fairy slightly ragey: websites that don’t work properly on mobile.
We’re not saying this just to scare you (OK, maybe, – hopefully – scare you a little into submission), but if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re very likely losing visitors. With over 60% of global web traffic now coming from mobile devices, mobile responsiveness has gone way past “nice to have” – it’s now firmly in the “absolutely essential” category.
But don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring*. You don’t need to redesign everything overnight. What you do need is an understanding of why mobile responsiveness matters so much – and a plan to make sure your site isn’t putting people off the moment they open it on their phone.
Let’s get one thing straight: mobile responsiveness isn’t just about making your site look nice on a smaller screen (although yes, that helps). It’s about creating a smooth, usable experience for people who are browsing your site while commuting, cooking dinner, or – let’s be honest – sitting on the loo.
If someone lands on your site and they can’t navigate easily, can’t tap the buttons, or can’t find your contact info without zooming in like a hawk, they’ll give up. And once they’re gone, they’re not likely to come back.
Mobile responsiveness also matters for SEO. There’s no sense investing in SEO or promoting your site if it loads like a slug on mobile, or it’s downright unusable. Search engine bots take mobile responsiveness into serious account when ranking your site.
The idea of “mobile-first design” has been around for a while, but here’s why it’s still relevant: designing for mobile first means putting the most important stuff front and centre, cutting the fluff, and focusing on what your users actually need.
Traditionally, websites were built for desktop first, with mobile coming as an afterthought. That approach tends to lead to clunky, bloated sites that just don’t work well on smaller screens.
Mobile-first flips that on its head. Start by designing for the smallest screen – make sure your site is clean, loads quickly, and is easy to use on a phone – and then scale up to tablet and desktop. It’s a smarter way of building, and your users (and Google) will thank you for it.
Want more detail on mobile-first design? Well we (Sox) have a blog on that. Aren’t you lucky? Go give it a read.
No one likes waiting. Especially on mobile. How annoying is it when you’re standing in Tesco trying to do a price comparison on that BBQ, and Amazon won’t bleddy load?
If your site takes more than three seconds to load, most users will just bail. And with many people still relying on 4G (or, heaven forbid, 3G), performance is everything.
Here are a few easy wins:
People skim. Especially on mobile. So keep your content short, sharp, and skimmable. Use:
And please, don’t waffle. Your homepage should be a blurb, not a novel. Save the storytelling for your blog. (Which, by the way, is a great place to dive deeper into your offerings – or do blog swaps with people offering complementary services. Like this one. See what we did there?)
When it comes to mobile navigation, it needs to be simple, obvious, and thumb-friendly. Your hamburger menu (those three little lines) should be easy to find, your links should be tappable without a magnifying glass, and the important stuff – like your contact button – should be within reach of a lazy thumb.
That’s a hamburger menu.
It might sound silly, but a well-placed call-to-action button can make the difference between a lead and a lost opportunity. So don’t hide your menu, and don’t make users stretch halfway across the screen to find your services page. Mobile users don’t have the patience (and frankly, neither do we).
Mobile responsiveness isn’t about chasing trends – it’s about creating a better experience for your users. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re quite literally pushing people away.
The good news? It’s fixable. And we’re happy to help. Sox’s advice is always free, and we love a good website audit. So if you’re not sure where your site stands, drop us a line. We’ll take a look and point you in the right direction (without the jargon or the hard sell).
In the meantime, if you want to get into the nitty-gritty of designing mobile-first, have a read of our other post here: How to design for mobile-first: 7 essential tips
Want a mobile site that actually works? Let’s chat. We’ll help you build something that won’t make people want to throw their phone across the room.
*Man, we really hope you get this joke / reference. Otherwise, go and watch some Dad’s Army.
