Create a website that works well on mobile is not easy, but it is a possible task. As long as you verify your site before submitting, there's no reason why mobile users shouldn't have a great experience. However, you may wonder which elements need your attention the most.
In this tutorial, we'll provide you with a simple list of criteria your site should meet. If so, your users will likely have a great mobile experience, and if not, we'll tell you how to change things. Let's start with point number one!
1 - Test your website on multiple resolutions
One of the most important things when it comes to mobile sites is that your site shouldn't appear to be a scaled down version of the desktop version. This means that each of your elements should be on the lookout for multiple resolutions.
If, on the other hand, none of your elements show up well on mobile, this could negatively impact your bounce rate. The smart thing to do is test your Website on several resolutions beforehand and see if everything is displayed correctly.
Luckily, this process isn't as complicated as it sounds, and you don't need to own multiple devices to do it. There are many services that allow you to quickly test everything Website on different resolutions, such as:
Chrome Dev Tools : This built-in Chrome browser feature includes a device toolbar that you can use to test your site at multiple resolutions.
Services such as Screenfly et BrowserStack : These third-party services allow you to test your site on a much wider variety of resolutions.
All of the tools we have mentioned are free, so budget shouldn't be an issue and there is no excuse for skipping this step!
2 - Make sure your menus and navigation are displayed on smaller screens
In most cases, menus are the primary means of navigation for your visiteurs. If your links are hard to click or read on smaller resolutions, it will affect usability. Additionally, you also want all of your menu items to be easily accessible regardless of the device you are using to navigate.
With this in mind, let's take a few steps to make sure you do not miss anything when it's time to test your mobile menus:
- Check that all menu items are visible.
- Make sure each link is aligned and submenus are nested.
- Check that you can read each menu item and click on it.
Most modern WordPress themes automatically create responsive menus for you. If you are having problems with this aspect on your site, you should consider changing the theme.
3 - Check that your images are good on small resolutions
Images are a key part of everything Website, but sometimes your graphics may not be at the best resolutions. For example, if your logo is not readable when someone accesses your site via mobile, this will clearly affect your brand image.
In most cases, people are more worried about “distorting” their images, but scaling can also be an issue. Not all images may be scaled to be perfect for every resolution, but there are steps you can take to make it less of a problem:
Focus your efforts on images that are important to your brand.
Look for scalable alternatives to popular image types, such as SVGs.
Whenever possible, opt for better cropped images, so they fit better at smaller sizes.
As long as you keep these tips in mind, you should be good to go. Just remember that when it comes to very complex images like computer graphics, you may not be able to fully scale them at low resolutions.
4 - Test your content for readability
One aspect that most influences the usability of mobile devices is readability. When working with a smaller form factor, you need to compensate for this by making sure that your text still displays despite the small screen sizes, instead of just decreasing the font. The goal here is simple: your users shouldn't have to zoom in to read your content. After all, this is the perfect recipe for annoying a user.
Fortunately, readability is an aspect that is relatively simple to address:
- Choose a base font that is very readable for the content.
- Use subtitles whenever possible to break down your content into easily readable sections.
- Go for a theme that gives you more control over how your text displays.
Regarding our last point, many modern themes should offer you the option you are looking for.
That's all for these tips, I hope they will help you better optimize your blogs for mobile devices. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.
