Optimizing Site For Mobile Usage, Orlando

Optimizing A Site For Mobile Usage

Accessing the web has never been easier than it is today. People get to visit their favorite websites using various devices. And one such device is the mobile phone. Originally designed for verbal communication, it’s now become a gateway to the vast land of information we call the internet. So, optimizing a site for mobile usage is now a top priority.

What many website owners don’t realize is that their websites are viewed from mobiles just as much as from PCs. Therefore, many sites out there are only optimized for large-screen devices. This leads to a decrease in traffic, which isn’t ideal, especially if you are running an online business. 

So, to help you gain an edge over your competitors, we came up with this simple guide on optimizing a site for mobile usage.

 

Selecting A Good Web Host

If you are starting a website from scratch, you are in luck because optimizing a site for mobile usage starts from web hosting. The host you select needs to be able to give you the resources and speed required by your website. It also should have no issue in handling the traffic your website drives in with little to no downtimes. 

It is important that the hosting plan you select aligns with your future goals as well. True, you can always change it, but getting the web hosting right the first time makes everything much easier.

 

Responsive Web Design

We’ve all been frustrated when a website cannot load—and even more frustrated when the icons are pretty much invisible on mobile. All these issues hurt the mobile user experience of your website. So you have to always design your website with the “small screen users” in mind. 

Make the navigation within the website simple and easy. You can do this by implementing sticky headers, larger icons, and widgets. Next, make sure that the website is layered and structured in a manner that does not get visitors lost. 

Additionally, you need to select a responsive theme as well. Don’t pick complex themes that overshadow the content. Remember, “content is king,” so prioritize it over other aspects. But at the same time, it is not just enough to throw some content and be done. Content has to be optimized properly as well if you want to be found.

 

Optimizing Site Resources

Once you’ve nailed the web hosting and web design areas, you need to optimize the website resources. Website resources include articles, images, PDFs, and videos. They can also be online apps and tools. 

Regardless, all of them need to be structured so that they won’t affect the site speed and experience. One simple way of dealing with these resources is compressing them. Plugins such as Smush (for images) can help you do that. Selecting alternative file formats that are responsive is another option.

 

Get On-page SEO Right

Although Off-page and Technical SEO are important, On-page SEO seems to have the most impact when optimizing a site for mobile usage. This is because On-page SEO determines how well your website is presented to visitors, and getting it right improves the overall experience. 

The following a few On-page SEO elements you need to keep an eye out for when optimizing a site.

-Meta description

-Titles

-URL

-Schema markup

Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP)

AMP markup is a framework created by Google to improve page loading times on mobiles. Although launched in 2015, this is something most website owners still don’t know about. So implementing an AMP markup on your website will improve its mobile user experience. Further, it will also help your overall SEO score. You can learn more about AMP here.

 

Cramming everything you need when optimizing a site for mobile usage into one article is next to impossible, especially with Google and other search engines constantly improving their algorithms. 

However, these steps should be enough to help make a website mobile-friendly. If you are ready to take a step higher and improving your traffic, you can contact Marketing Strategy for an SEO marketing plan designed just for you. Further, we also provide a Free Analysis of your website, which you can score here.