With ever-increasing traffic coming from mobile devices, potential clients often ask what they can do to create a more mobile-friendly website. Here at Flightpath, we create a lot of mobile content including apps, and sites with responsive design that scale to whatever device a user is viewing the content on.
At BDI’s recent Mobile Leadership Forum there were some great points made by Michael Pranikoff, the Global Director of Emerging Media at PR Newswire that we wanted to highlight.
Here are the top tips from his presentation, Mobile First. Mobile Now – A look at Mobile Media Consumption:
The PDF Has Got to Die!
As content providers, we need to make content accessible to anyone who wants to read it. Thinking about the format in which content is delivered is essential. No one wants to wait around for a PDF to download to their phone.
Pictures Stop the Swipe!
People love images, gone are the days of creating sites with dense text. In order to engage consumers and stop them from bouncing, sites need to be visually engaging and image-rich.
Make Infographics Bite Size, Not Long & Scrolly
Infographics are a great way to deliver information visually, and people like them. What people don’t like is having a carpal tunnel flare up from all the pinching and scrolling they have to do to read one a mile long. Consider what your infographic will look like on a mobile device before your create it.
Use Less Words!
Big Bird cover your ears. People just don’t like words as much as pictures. Worry less about what your site says, and more about what your site shows.
Responsive Design
Save people the hassle of having to click off into “View Full Desktop Version” land. Creating one site that scales to fit the device it is being viewed upon will make your users happy. It is also more cost effective in the long run than creating separate mobile sites and adding bandaids to an old desktop site.
Content Must Be Appealing …but Not to Everyone
Create valuable content for your target user not for the general public. People will get more value out of content that is tailored to them.
Include Calls to Action
By letting people know what you want them to do next you are making it easier and faster for those navigating your site. No one wants to hunt around for the content they need, especially on a mobile device.
Plan for the Future
Mobile is only going to grow. Device sizes are ever-changing. The time to choose responsive design is now.
And finally, speaking of calls to action, perhaps you should check out what we’ve got to offer in terms of Mobile Web & App Development.