The smartphone is one of the most important inventions of mankind. In the past few years, there has been a drastic increase in the usage of the device. Right from browsing the internet to placing an online order, mobile phones have become the most convenient option for the users.
Therefore, it’s time for businesses to implement a mobile-based strategy. That includes transitioning from traditional websites to mobile-friendly and responsive ones.Â
Why is it important for businesses to have a mobile-responsive website?
Mobile phones are the source of more than 52% of website traffic. Also, around 61% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a mobile-responsive website. Â
To have a competitive advantage and survive in the upcoming market, businesses should have a mobile-responsive website. Â
Factors for a Mobile-Optimised Website
While making a mobile-optimised website, you need to cover the following categories: Â
- Mobile Friendliness. Can users browse your website easily in their mobile devices?Â
- Speed of Website. Does your website load fast in mobile devices?Â
- Responsiveness of Your Design. Does your website layout adjust to various screen dimensions accordingly?Â
- SEO. Does your website pass search engine standards for mobile responsiveness?Â
- Mobile Website Analytics. Are you monitoring the performance of your website on mobile devices and improving on weak points?Â
Tools to Optimise Websites for Mobile Phones
There are various tools available in the market that help you test if your website is mobile-friendly or not. Use these to optimise your website so you don’t lose your audience.Â
Google’s Mobile-Friendly TestÂ
Before you go ahead with optimising your website, you need to understand how much optimisation is required. Â
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool validates your website and informs if your site is mobile-optimised or not. If not, then it provides you with the issues that you must resolve along with further details.Â
PageSpeed Insights by GoogleÂ
Another tool from Google, PageSpeed Insights, helps you identify the speed of your website. Â
It’s a free tool that analyses your website and helps you identify the speed on both desktops and mobile phones. It also helps you with suggestions to improve the speed of your website.Â
If you’re looking for a more detailed report, try GTmetrix. The basic functions of this tool are free, but to access detailed reports, you’ll have to purchase the paid options.Â
Responsive Design CheckerÂ
Responsive Design Checker is a free tool that allows you to check the responsiveness of your site on different devices. It saves you the time of manually testing it on multiple devices, which is time-consuming and expensive. Â
Using the tool is simple. Enter your link and select the device. Your results will be displayed in front of you.  Â
For instance, if you want to check your website’s responsiveness on iPhone 7 plus, enter the link of your page and select iPhone 7 Plus from the predefined list of devices. You’ll then see how your website looks on the selected device. Â
In case you don’t find the preferred device on the pre-defined list, you can manually enter pixel size. Â
Mobile SEO by VarvyÂ
Traditional SEO practices might not be effective for mobile-based searches. Varvy’s Mobile SEO can help you in this regard. Â
This tool provides a quick overview of your website’s mobile SEO which includes details such as Googlebot access, security, accessibility, speed and much more. It will also help you identify the areas to improve upon. But being a free tool, it has its own limitations. Â
Google AnalyticsÂ
Google Analytics is another free tool that helps you identify the role of smartphones in your website’s success. Its Mobile Overview feature lets you measure mobile use for your website. The tool also helps you identify mobile conversions, track sources and much more.Â
Like the other tools, this is also a free tool, and you can utilise the best features without paying a single dime.Â
The Future is MobileÂ
Mobile responsiveness is key to your website’s success. It’s even one crucial way to land a top spot in Google’s first page. Use these tools and optimise your website for people on the move.Â