Have you noticed that recently there’s been a lot of talk about making websites mobile-friendly and a mobility first approach? It’s everywhere: mobile optimization this, mobile-friendliness that. But what does that mean and why does your website need it? More importantly, why doesn’t it already have it?

What we mean when we talk about mobile-ready or mobile-friendly websites we are talking about the way they are displayed while on a tablet, e-reader or cell phone, all portable devices. Since their screens are smaller and people usually use them to browse the internet while they are on the move, they rely on the data plans provided by their cell phone company more than they use Wifi. That means that the website not only needs to look good and be readable while on a smaller screen, but it also needs to be displayed using the less amount of data possible.

If your website was set up a while back, it might not be mobile-friendly. Why? Because this wasn’t a factor that web developers and designers had to consider a couple of years back, when those portable devices weren’t always online. However, if you’re thinking about getting a brand new website or have your current one redesigned, there should be no excuse for it not to be designed with mobility first in mind.

What does that mean? That instead of being configured and designed with a personal computer in mind, be it laptop or desktop, and making mobile-readiness a secondary feature, designers and developers now should be thinking first and foremost about how your website looks from a mobile device. That’s the priority, not the other way around.

But why is it important? At least 70% of internet users browse for products and stores online before they make their decision. If you think about it, the number of people who are on the move and try to locate a product or service in their area can be impressive. If they find your business’ website but it can’t be displayed properly on their cell phone, they will rule you out solely based on your site. They don’t have the time to go through the trouble of trying to find out about it and your potential customer is gone.

So how does one about getting a mobile-ready website? We can mention a couple of factors: web design and development is crucial, but so are the images you upload to your site. They need to be optimized, meaning they have to be put through a process where they remain high quality but their size is adjusted so they can load fast while on a mobile device. Here at Clicks & Mortar Websites we make sure every site we create is already good to go on that front. Let’s talk about getting you a mobile-ready site!