Creating a site is difficult as is, but creating the interface to be fluid between desktop and mobile makes it even more so! Mobile web searches now make up for about 50% of all web traffic so optimizing for it is more important than ever if you want to reach more clients with your content. Luckily for us, Google has outlined what makes a site “Mobile friendly” and many of the changes to keep a site looking good on all platforms isn’t as difficult as you may think. Here are the requirements Google has set for a site to be mobile friendly:
The site must avoid applications that are not mobile friendly
A great example of a software not often used on mobile is Adobe Flash. While many desktops still use flash, it is very uncommon for a smart phone to be compatible with Flash. Keeping this software off of your site if possible is a great start.
It must use text that is easily readable without zooming
Font size is very important when optimizing a site for mobile. If you use a large block of text with small font, mobile readers will have a very difficult time reading the text without having to zoom to read it. Using larger font size can really help your end users read your content better.
Responsive content spacing
Having your content responsively space itself depending on the aspect ratio of the screen is vital to a site being mobile friendly. Many times on mobile if the content does not place itself to fit the screen, the user will have to scroll horizontally to be able to read all of the content, which is not intuitive at all. Setting parameters for what your content should do on smaller aspect ratios is always a great idea.
Keeping links well spaced from each other
One last thing you can do to keep your site mobile friendly is to keep your links spaced out. Links that are too close together can make it difficult to tap the correct one, causing unnecessary difficulty in navigating your site. Keeping links well spaced can help users not have to worry about miss taps.
And there you have it! While there is certainly more you can do to cater to your mobile viewers, these four things are a great start to keeping your site Google’s definition of mobile friendly.
