Mobile devices have already revolutionized the world. I remember what life was like before anyone owned a cell phone. Now people freak out if they do not have access to mobile devices. This new phenomenon is definitely causing social issues with our younger generation but if you are a business owner it is something that cannot be ignored. More and more people are surfing the web with mobile devices and not spending much time on laptops and desktops. As technology continues to improve in mobile devices the gap will continue to increase that is why as a business owner you need to make sure that your responsive design is working perfectly. Working in the web design industry we notice some common mistakes that keep your responsive design from working how it should. These may be issues that you are not even aware but I promise your website visitors end up finding them. As a business owner it is likely that you spend a good amount of money on marketing in order to drive people to your website. If you are sending those leads from a mobile device to a responsive website with issues you are wasting your money because they will likely leave. Mobile device users prefer to go to websites that are user friendly towards the device they are using. The mistakes below are some common mistakes we find in responsive design that may scare your customers away.
- To Many Java Script Libraries – Many website developers use this in order to create a beautiful website for their clients. Most of the time that is exactly what they do for users that are viewing the website on desktop or laptop but what about for those visitors that are using a mobile device? Well, it may look good when it actually loads. If you have a responsive design and when you view it from a mobile device it loads up extremely slow, it could be because their are a lot of java script libraries that are needing to load. Load time is extremely important and you would need to contact your web design company as soon as possible to get this resolved.
- Do Not Hide Content – Many content rich websites feel that they need to hide a lot of their content for mobile users. They feel like they have to give their mobile visitors a Cliff Notes version of their website. This could not be further from the truth. Not only does this impact your SEO but if you feel that the content on your website is important enough for a desktop and laptop user to see it then you should probably be placing it on your responsive design. You may need to get creative but whatever you do, do not just hide content.
- Loading Images That Are Too Large – People in today’s world do not have the same amount of patience as they used when it comes to surfing the web. This is especially true for most mobile device users. I believe this is due to the fact that when you are surfing the web from a mobile device chances are you are on the go and do not feel like waiting for a site to load. One of the most common reasons that a responsive design loads slowly is because the website administrator is simply adding images that are way to large. If your website is having an issue with load time. The fix may be as simple as going in and optimizing the images on your website.
- Touch Friendly – Desktop and laptop users are allowed to click on buttons but a mobile user has to touch them. Many websites have buttons that are too small and make it very difficult for a mobile user to click on any buttons. We recommend that you make your buttons at least 45 x 45 pixels. Anything smaller than that will make it difficult for a mobile user to click on. In the case of your slider rather than making the scroll buttons larger we recommend that you allow them to use the swipe function.
- Do Not Forget About Large Resolutions – Many desktop and laptop users are beginning to use very large screens and even 2 screens at a time. A responsive design should cater to this but where a lot of website owners mess up is that they check their website on a smart phone and a tablet but forget about the large resolutions. If you have yet to check this you probably should do so really quick and contact your professional web design company to make any updates that may be needed.
A responsive website that is user friendly and professional will sell itself. All that you will have to do is have a great product and drive people to your site. To get to this level it is all about the details. Many small online business owners do not pay close enough attention to the details and make a bunch of minor mistakes. Even though the issues above are not gigantic mistakes they are definitely big enough to cause you to lose visitors without them converting. Now when you start having 2 or 3 different issues your website becomes to come across as not being professional. Besides that the user friendliness of your site will be lacking. This is huge because a user friendly website is much more important to a mobile user than it is to a desktop and or laptop user. Have you ever went to a website that was not mobile friendly from your smart phone? If the answer is yes then you probably know exactly what I am talking about. There is no time to sit around and try to get a website to work right while you are on your mobile device. If you do then you are likely to become very frustrated. In the end we recommend that you go back in and test your responsive design while paying attention the details. If you see any issues with it then you need to contact your Phoenix web design company as soon as possible.