ROI Factor Blog » Cool Sites & Tools

5 Not So Obvious Tips for Creating a Better Mobile-Friendly Website

Tim Gray — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:16:44 +0000

As mobile devices continue to proliferate among even the least technologically savvy of us, the way we access the Web will continue to migrate away from the desktop and toward highly mobile smart devices.

According to research firm Gartner, there will be a mobile device for every person on the planet by 2015, approximately 8 billion. And as the number of devices continues to rise, usage is expected to skyrocket exponentially. In the past year alone, mobile searches have increased 400 percent.

That means that every day more users are looking for your content from somewhere other than a desktop. So do you really want to deliver a mobile experience that at best replicates the desktop version?

Before you answer consider: You’ll be dealing with an unforgiving bunch. Sixty-one percent of mobile Web users say they aren’t likely to return to a site that that isn’t mobile friendly.

And if you want to compete in business you need to provide a user-friendly experience. It’s important to remember that even if users can see a website on a smartphone, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.

On complex sites, clear navigation and search functionality will help customers easily locate what they need.

If you’re planning to do business using the mobile Web it’s time to start paying attention. Start with these not-so-obvious tips for creating a better mobile-friendly website.

1. Cut the links, cut the clutter

A simple way to reduce clutter and increase clarity is to keep mobile links to a minimum.

Use seven links or less for each page of navigation.
Links with three to five words are easier to click than one-word links.
Make clickable area around links a little larger, make buttons bigger, and use more space between links.

2. Always correct to redirect

A mobile site redirect code identifies if your visitors are using a mobile device and automatically sends them to the mobile-friendly version of your site. If you don’t provide a redirect, your customers likely are going bail before they find the mobile version. Redirects are also a critical step in ensuring your website is search engine friendly.

Embed redirect at the top of the source code on each applicable page of your website.
Provide option go back to the desktop site and make it easy to return to the mobile site.
Include key information such as your address or a store locator on the redirect page.

3. Let them see the light

Computer-related eye strain is becoming a big deal as screens get smaller. Make it easy for your customers to read and navigate your mobil website. .

Create contrast between background and text (visitors are often in a place with low light).
Use plenty of negative space.
Use different sizes and colors to indicate link/button priority.

4. Keep it local

As we mentioned early, mobile search is exploding and the greatest percentage of those searches are local. Consumers look for local info on their phones all the time—whether it is searching for the closest sporting goods store or the best place for BBQ.

Even the most basic functionality must include location information.
Put your address or store locator on the mobile landing page.
Use maps and provide directions.

5. Don’t be flashy

Because you want your mobile site to work across ALL mobile devices avoid using Flash. The platform does not work on every device.

HTML5 is best for complete interactivity and animation.
Adapt a simple design for your site that is usable in both vertical and horizontal orientations.
Make sure users remain in the same place when the orientation is changed.

See Websites Through Google’s Eyes

Ryan — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Google Eyes by Blue Fountain Media is a plugin for Google’s Chrome web browser that allows users to quickly pull up the Google Cached Text-Only version of nearly any website. This is an excellent way to view a website through Google’s eyes.

One cool use is to quickly and easily check the raw structure and layout of a page and see how well it’s header tags are optimized.

Once installed, a “T” (as in “Text-Only”) icon will appear on the right-hand side of your address bar. To activate Google Eyes, visit the site you want to look up and click the “T” button.

[DOWNLOAD]

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I get a “We’re Sorry…” page from Google when I try to use Google Eyes?

Google Eyes has to interact with Google’s server to load the Text Only version of the page. When Google’s system detects too much activity from your computer or network, it might appear that the use is automated. Try waiting a while and then using Google Eyes again. To prevent the “We’re sorry” page from coming up in the future, try using Google Eyes less frequently.

Can I suggest a new feature?

Yes! The Blue Fountain Media team is always open to new ideas and ways to improve our plugins. If you have any suggestions or feature requests, please leave them in the comments.

Walkthrough Video

Here’s a YouTube walkthrough of Google Eyes in action

If You’re At an Event, And You Don’t Know Who to Pitch To…

Ryan — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:34:55 +0000

Measure the Twitter & Foursquare Influence of the People Around You

Who’s the most important person in the room? Candidates is a utility that allows you to pull up any Foursquare venue and get a readout of how influential (online) the people checked into that venue are. The site uses a proprietary analysis of Twitter and Foursquare usage to measure each person’s reach. Do they have countless followers repeating their every insight? That’s influence. Are they howling into the void? That’s not.

Social media marketing means targeting these “influencers”: finding the one person whose endorsement leads to a cascade of online mentions and purchases. This is a great tool for finding those influencers. (But be careful! An “influencer” who doesn’t like your pitch can do a lot of harm to your reputation.)

Google Enumerator by Blue Fountain Media

Ryan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:13:53 +0000

Blue Fountain Media has developed a plugin for Google’s Chrome web browser. The Google Enumerator makes it easy to find where a site ranks in a Google search. When clicked, it adds a big red number next to each search result and automatically changes the search view to “100 Results Per Page”.

[DOWNLOAD]

FAQ

Does it work on Bing and Yahoo?

Not yet. But the next version will.

Can I request a feature?

Yep! We’re always open to suggestions for improving the Google Enumerator. Just leave suggestions in the comments.

SUPPORT

Use the comment section if you have any questions or support needs.