Since mobile internet usage surpassed desktop in 2014, it has become a must to have a mobile responsive website. Because the homepage is practically your company’s face, it has to be absolutely great both in terms of mobile and desktop.
Before jumping into the design of your mobile homepage however, there are a few things that need to be taken into account first.
Mobile users =/= Desktop users
While knowing that you won’t go far without mobile optimization today, it’s also important to understand that mobile users differ from desktop users a lot. While desktop users are more willing to spend time browsing and looking for information, mobile users are having none of it. They are very impatient to get the necessary information as fast as possible and they don’t want to spend time browsing your pages at all.
There are many reasons for this.
- No desktop access – most mobile users are browsing the web outside of their home and office so they can’t get their hands on a desktop and need information on the go.
- Battery time – mobile phones are very restricted in terms of time available for usage and it’s not very convenient to carry a charger with you everywhere you go.
- They know what they want – One of the key differences is that mobile users almost certainly know what they want to find on your website, especially direct visitors. They didn’t come to you to see a fancy looking website or admire cool animations. They want a few pieces of information and they want it fast.
- Small screen – it’s not fun browsing pages for hours on a small screen with your fingers when you can accidentally click random stuff and just get frustrated over it. This is another reason why mobile users don’t spend too much time browsing websites.
With all this in mind and knowing that you can’t afford not being mobile friendly because Google will penalize you, this is what a good homepage should be like:
Simple, simpler, simplest
Your homepage is the entry to your website and therefore needs to be as clear and as simple as possible for mobile users. Gather all the important information at the top and don’t get too much stuff there. Always remember that mobile users have a very small screen to work with and the last thing they want is to be bombarded with tones of information they probably don’t even need. Make sure you gather some advice from BCT Consulting Fresno and start making your business grow fast.
You can also have a menu toggle that would go on and off when tapped. This will allow to clear some space at the top to fit in anything you consider to be important for you mobile users.
No mice!
Remember that mobile users don’t have a mouse, they use their fingers to browse. This means that any of your clickable elements can be clicked accidentally if there is a whole lot of them (which will result in negative user experience) or it will be damn hard to click them at all, if they are too small.
Make sure you create your homepage layout smartly, include only important clickable elements and make them big enough to click with your thumb comfortably.
Beautiful is the last thing to worry about
The last thing you want to keep in mind is that mobile users don’t care too much about how your homepage looks, as long as it delivers the information that they need. I am not suggesting to leave it in white and black colors and not worry about it at all though. Just make sure you get everything else in place before going for the looks.
Also when considering the looks, minimize load time. The faster your website loads on mobile the better. Users are impatient to get the information they need and increasing loading time for animations and cool looks isn’t a good idea.
One the final note, keep testing and analyzing whatever you create. No matter how good your homepage looks, analytics will tell you what works best. Removing even a small element in the micro world of mobile can make a huge difference for your users and increase your conversions or sales by a lot.
About the Author: Charles Dearing is a blogger and a writer. He has years of experience and expansive knowledge in internet marketing and doing online business. Charles writes for PatientSites and his articles can be read on lots of internet marketing and business blogs.
