Mobile-optimised-website

Did you know the average person checks their phone around 46 times per day?

Whether you approve of it or not, smartphones are becoming an extension of ourselves. People can’t live without them and rely on them more and more every day. Some people even suffer from separation anxiety when they cannot check their phones or don’t have access to them.

The addiction to our smart devices has changed the way that we view and receive content, make purchases and find information. In fact, everything can be done from that one device from booking concert tickets, downloading a file, managing your home security and even turning on your car.

As consumers begin to rely on their smart devices more and more, business owners are going to have to get savvy about how to market effectively on mobile platforms.

We have talked a lot about using a responsive design when it comes to building your website, however it seems that many businesses are starting to create pages exclusively for mobile devices instead.

We believe this shift is going to become more popular in years to come due to the rising popularity of smartphone use.

Does your brand want to stay ahead of the curve?

If you haven’t already, creating exclusive mobile landing pages may be the way to go for your business, especially if you are noticing that:

  • Over 50 percent of your visitors are accessing your page using their mobile device
  • Over 50 percent of your visitors are purchasing from your page using their mobile device
  • Over 50 percent of your ad or affiliate revenue is collected from mobile pages
  • Your mobile pages are not converting as well as they could or are experiencing low engagement rates

While responsive designs can be great, often having a specifically tailored page for mobile devices can help you to boost your conversion rate, score more leads and make more sales.

It may also be worth noting that around 66 percent of mobile users bounce and nearly one third never return to the page.

This just goes to show that we have a long way to go as far as creating mobile pages that are friendly and suitable for consumers. Statistics like this also prove that responsive webpages, which are currently the norm, just may not be able to hack it in the near future.

If you are thinking of creating a webpage or landing page exclusively for mobile devices, we have sourced all of the top conversion tricks and tips that will help you to optimise your mobile site like a pro.

Ready? Let’s get started-

Keep Everything Centred 

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On a desktop, most users are drawn to the top left hand side of the screen. When it comes to mobile devices however, people are often drawn to the centre of the screen.

This result was determined by Google, who conducted an eye tracking study and found that mobile users focus their attention smack-bang in the middle of their device.

This should come as no surprise as mobile screens are often small and the centre really takes up majority of the field of vision.

In order for your mobile page to be effective, you have to put the most important call to action or content in the centre of your screen, this way it can immediately grab your readers attention and direct them to the next step.

Ditch Worrying About the Fold

On a desktop landing page we all know that the most valuable content should go before the fold. On a mobile page however, the fold is really not as important.

Why?

One study found that 90 percent of mobile users will scroll within the first 14 seconds of opening a landing page. This is believed to be more of a habitual reflex, however it does mean that you may be able to get away with not cramming all of your most important information in to the top of the screen.

One thing to keep in mind however, is that although mobile users are happy to scroll, 80 percent of their attention is really placed on the top portion of the screen. Once they start scrolling, their attention span drops to around 20 percent.

Based on these statistics, it may be more important to keep your main tag line or call to action above the fold however, you could experiment and see if your users responded to it elsewhere, especially if you notice that a good percentage of them are scrolling.

You may also want to consider implementing a sticky header, which reminds users where they can sign up, click a call to action or move forward with their specific task.

Keep it Super Specific 

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When it comes to mobile landing pages, attention span is everything. When people access your pages from their desktop computer, often they are sitting down and more focused. Often however, when they access your webpage using their mobile device, they are distracted, moving around or wanting information quickly.

For this reason, it is super important that your mobile page is specific and straight to the point, so consumers can find exactly what they are looking for in a matter of seconds.

The most up to date research has found that when it comes to mobile devices, 10 seconds is really all you have to make an impact, and this also includes your site load time. After 10 seconds, if consumers have not found what they are looking for, they will move on to another mobile website.

It may also be worth noting that attention spans have been steadily decreasing every year, showing that more and more, consumers are demanding things right under their finger tips.

In order for your brand to keep up with consumer demands, you have to know the exact intention of your landing page and how it can help your demographic solve whatever problem they are looking to solve.

Once you have set your intention, think about crafting and laying out your mobile page in an intuitive way that helps your customers move from one step to the next.

Do your best to remove any irrelevant text and keep everything short and sweet, as this is going to help boost your conversion rates and keep your readers engaged with what your brand has to offer.

Keep Your Text Scannable and Easy to Read

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This is not really the time for fancy calligraphy and intricate images, (unless they are very easy to read and quick to load on a smaller screen) and your marketing message needs to follow the same advice.

If you have lots of meaty and wordy text, chances are users are just going to scroll on by or get overwhelmed and move on to the next mobile site.

When it comes to your mobile landing page, everything needs to be scannable, which means that users should be able to get the point of what you are offering by just glancing through your text.

To put it in perspective, ClickZ found that mobile users bounce in one third of the time and twice as often as those who use desktops. They also found that mobile users only visit one third of the pages that desktop users would.

This is believed to be due to the fact that mobile screens are smaller and therefore can make it difficult for people to read things in great detail. Because the screen is smaller, it also reduces attention span and makes it harder for people to stay focused at the screen for long periods of time.

This just goes to show that you need to get your message out there to your consumers in a shorter and more succinct way. If your page looks to detailed or too text heavy, people are going to feel frustrated and simply move on to the next search result down the line.

When it comes to writing your content for mobile pages, think of how you can effectively get your message across in as fewer words as possible. Work on also formatting the text to make it more scannable. This includes using well spaced lines and a larger, easy to read font.

You may also want to consider the following helpful hints on cleaning up your content:

  • Keep your sentences short
  • Use key words in your sentences
  • Capitalise your sentences
  • Keep your paragraphs short
  • Use bullet points or numbered lists
  • Choose the wording of your call to actions carefully (don’t be too passive or too aggressive)
  • Omit everything that doesn’t add value to your page
  • Refrain from repeating information

Provide a Search Feature

Offering a search feature on your mobile web page is a great way for users to find exactly what they are looking for, especially if your brand offers a lot of products or services.

In fact, a lot of e-commerce stores have great success with putting their search box at the front and centre point of their mobile home page so people can easily access all the products they are looking for.

When implementing your search bar, aim to have a large enough icon that people can easily click on and insert text. If the icon is too small, it may be difficult for people to access and use.

On a desktop version you may provide an advanced search option, but this is something that you may have to test out to see if it converts well on a mobile version. This is because offering many search options may make the screen hard to navigate and cumbersome to load.

Make Sure Your Load Time is Super Fast

We have already talked about how mobile users have such small attention spans. This is another reason why you have to ensure that your mobile site is able to load super fast.

Having your site load fast is also great for people who may be accessing your page from different devices, from slower connections or while on the run.

In order to make sure that your mobile page is loading in less than a few seconds, avoid using large images, heavy fonts and inserting elements that take up a lot of space.

If you look at some of the top leading mobile websites, which we will go into below, you will also notice that many of them have very plain mobile home pages with no images or distracting elements that load in a matter of seconds.

Have a One Column Layout

The average mobile screen size will only allow for a one column layout, so trying to cram too many things in horizontally on your page will lead to text and images becoming lost.

In order to keep your mobile page looking clean and easy to navigate, try adopting a one column layout, this way your customers will be able to access all of the information in one glance.

You may also want to have one column layouts for your e-commerce store products and internal pages as well to make it easier for people to navigate around your site and see your products clearly.

Use Large Buttons and Links

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You have probably heard it a hundred times, but when it comes to optimising your pages for mobile screens, the buttons and links need to be large and easy to read. This is also so they can be easily clicked and can take your customers straight to the next stage of your sales process.

Generally speaking, links should be around 32 pixels to accommodate the average human fingertip.

When it comes to links, you may also want to link your phone number so people can actually dial your number straight from their phone. This way it will make it easier and more accessible for customers to reach you.

These tips will definitely help you to establish a professional and optimised mobile webpage, but for more inspiration we have looked around the web and narrowed down some of the top mobile websites.

Looking at what others have done and learning from them can be a great way to save your business time and money. While not everything that works for another brand will work for yours, it may give you a good place to start.

Here are some of what we think are the best mobile sites around when it comes to conversion optimisation rates-

1. Sony

Sony’s mobile page allows you to easily go straight to what you are looking for right from the home screen. They do this by giving you a simple list menu to choose from and then redirecting you to the home page.

2. Zappos

Zappos has a very clear search bar that is visible the second you click onto their screen. They also have large buttons and a one column layout that makes navigating around their site super easy.

3. Etsy

Etsy has a great dropdown menu that makes it easy for people to navigate to the right category. They also allow you to easily sort through products and services and add things to your cart. For owners of an etsy store, they also allow you to check your sales and orders straight from the mobile app.

4. iA writer

iA writer offers a introduction video on their mobile landing page which instantly communicates to the customer what they are all about. They also clearly explain the benefits of downloading their app before they ask you to purchase it.

5. Panera Bread

The American food chain restaurant has a great app that allows you to order online, view locations and see menus. They have large buttons, easy to read drop down menus and even a location feature which auto syncs to your nearest store.

6. Mail Chimp

Mail Chimp’s mobile page welcomes you with a very clear sign up form and large call to action button. They also have large icons and easy to access drop down menus for current subscribers. They also offer users a feature section that makes it easy for customers to move around the site.

7. Zurb

When you enter Zurb’s mobile homepage they instantly are able to capture audiences attention with the question- “How Can We Help You?” Zurb then clearly states how they can help their customers and gives them an option to keep reading or learn more about a particular topic. They also have a very interactive design which allows users to choose which direction they wish to go in.

8. Food Network

Finding recipes can sometimes be challenging on mobile devices, however Food Network makes it easy by offering a search option at the top of their page. Their recipes are also available to search in categories and users can select to either read a recipe or watch a video. The Food Network’s mobile site is very plain, however it works to help people get to where they need to be.

9. Above and Beyond

This mobile webpage has a sticky header that floats to the top as users scroll. This helps users to stay on track with the main intention of the landing page and reminds them of their next step or action in the process. Having a sticky bar is great for sites that require scrolling, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the rest of the text.

10. ESPN

Checking sports results is extremely popular from mobile devices which is why ESPN has taken a lot of time to craft their mobile home page. They offer a full mobile and non mobile version and have organised their content in a way that makes it super easy to access. They also have easy to read headlines and a search option so users can find what they are looking for.

11. Flickr

Even though Flickr is a photo based brand, their mobile website is easy to load, looks beautiful and is simple to use. They offer users the opportunity to sign in, browse and post comments on photos. The navigation bar is easy to use and the buttons are clearly displayed and large.

Conclusion

Mobile really is the way of the future, which is why your brand really needs to start testing and optimising your mobile pages today.

As technology changes and as we become more reliant on our phones, it is going to become even more imperative that your brand has a fully functioning mobile webpage and not just a site that is somewhat responsive.

If your brand is interested in keeping up with the trends, it may be worth creating some specific mobile landing pages and webpages for your site.

To start, think about what your intention is with your mobile page and then work on crafting a step by step process to move your users through from the beginning to the end of the line.

To help you along with this process, here is a summary of what you should focus on-

  • Keep your most important text centred in the middle of the page
  • Consider implementing call to actions further down the page to account for scrolling
  • Keep your text super specific and avoid having arbitrary text that does not provide value
  • Keep your text scannable and easy to read
  • Make sure your mobile site can load in a matter of second
  • Offer a search feature or search drop down menu for easy navigation
  • Adopt a one column layout for all of your pages
  • Make sure your buttons, call to actions and links are large and easy to click
  • Link your phone number so users can instantly connect with you

Once you have created your mobile page, test it out and assess how easy it is to navigate and move from one step to the next and if your users would be able to easily complete their specific goals.

Then of course, like anything in the world of marketing, test, test, test and see what elements may work for you or may not be the greatest idea.

As mobile pages become more and more popular, it is going to become clearer how to tailor a page that converts well, however, only you know your customers, so study their behaviour and then work out how you can deliver to them.