sIf you believed everything you read on the internet, you’d think that mobile phones are taking over the world.
In a way, though, they are. Last year, for the first time ever, mobile traffic exceeded desktop traffic. This shows the momentous shift that’s been happening in consumer browsing habits for some time now. Namely that we now use our mobiles for everything. Checking social media, browsing the news, shopping – our mobiles are never out of our hands.
This is why brands with mobile-friendly or responsive websites have been enjoying the spoils of higher traffic and increased conversion. Many companies trail behind when it comes to making their website pleasant and easy to use on mobile. Where does your website fall on the spectrum?
To help you make boost your mobile conversion rates, here are five ways to improve your mobile website.
1. Make your website a pleasure to use on mobile
First things first; is your website responsive, or do you have a mobile optimised version? If the answer to both of these questions is no, then don’t read the rest of this blogpost and get yourself a responsive website!
Do you need help checking to see if your website is mobile friendly? Then visit Google’s Mobile-friendly test and enter the URL of the web page you need to test.
If you’re still relying on the desktop version of your site to carry you through, your conversions are likely to be suffering. The standard of mobile websites is so high these days that consumers have little to no patience with pinching, scrolling and squinting in order to just read content or perform an action. If your website acts this way, it’s likely to be slow to load and will also make you appear dated and old-fashioned in comparison to competitors.
2. Make your mobile checkout quick and easy
We all have pretty high standards when it comes to mobile browsing these days, and will quickly lose interest and move on to something better if any process becomes too difficult or takes too long (our attention span is only getting shorter – we can only spend a few seconds on any one webpage now without giving up). Consider one click ordering and guest checkout options to encourage conversion.
Consumers will also be put off by payment forms which are too long. Keep questions rudimentary. Consider features such as a postcode finder and numerical calendar to make things as user-friendly as possible.
3. Streamline your content
Put simply, you have less space on a mobile screen than you do on a desktop or a tablet. There’s less room for distractions, such as pop-up ads or external links. Padding out your content with too many added extras makes pages cluttered and visually unappealing to a consumer.
In addition, if they’re too busy being distracted by ads and banners then they’re less likely to be doing that one thing you’ve brought them to your website to do: convert. Make mobile webpages clean and simple and only prioritise the most relevant content in order to see the highest conversion rates.
4. Condense your navigation options
Are you noticing a theme emerging here? To be successful on mobile, you basically need to serve up a cleaner, more streamlined and simplified version of your website.
Firstly, your navigation menu should be collapsed to allow users to expand it and explore their options with one tap. Secondly, present them with only the most essential layers of navigation to prevent confusion and the possibility that they’ll get lost in your website and leave out of frustration. Bring your product pages to the forefront and reduce the number of clicks it takes them to reach the checkout.
5. Make the most out of your Calls to Action
We’ll say it again – mobile screens are (comparatively) small! Make sure a user doesn’t miss anything. Remember, they’re likely to be commuting, watching TV or chatting away to a friend at the same time. Make your calls to action as big and as inviting as possible.
Don’t be afraid to use large or colourful buttons to draw attention. There’s a dual reasoning behind making your calls to action even more prominent than on desktop – users also need to be able to click them easily with one tap. Too small, and we’re back to that pinching and scrolling issue which leads to nothing but frustration – and a failed conversion.
If you need help with any web design, from making your website mobile-friendly to improving click through rates, give us a call on 01276 402 381 or fill in our contact form.
Let’s chat and see how Clever Marketing can help improve your mobile conversion rates.