Mobile site design best practices
from a Google certification program for mobile site developers
by Julia Dizhak
by Julia Dizhak
Eliminating extra seconds staring at a blank screen will get consumers to engage more often with your client’s site, which in turn will increase the value per user/visit
75% of people will abandon a mobile website if it takes any longer than 5 seconds to load.
Feature primary calls-to-action in the most prominent site space.
A shorter menu with distinct categories is easier for mobile visitors to navigate.
Use the logo as a navigation button to return to the homepage.
Make sure promotions do not interfere with navigation and are clearly distinct from calls-to-action.
Position site search near the top of your homepage via an open text field.
Make sure site search returns the strongest results first, and implement smart-search features like auto-complete and spelling corrections.
Offer filters to help users get what they need from search, but make sure users can’t filter a search to return zero results.
If your offerings can be easily narrowed by segment, asking a few questions up front helps ensure visitors see relevant results.
Allow visitors to use your site without registering for an account.
Offer the option to check out as a guest, and encourage registration with tangible benefits.
Take advantage of information you already have or use third-party payment services to make conversion as easy as possible..
Offering a prominent click-to-call button can keep users from dropping out of the funnel when they need to provide complex information.
Mobile visitors may be researching to convert later, so offer a simple way to resume their journey on another device via social sharing, email, or save-to-cart functionality.
Offer users a number pad for fields requiring number entry, and automatically advance them through form fields as they input information.
Consider if a toggle or drop-down menu is the optimal choice for each entry on your mobile forms, and always make sure they’re easy for users to tap.
Keep visitors on your site by offering date selection via a visual calendar with clear instructions.
Use clearly visible labels to let users know what you need, and validate for errors in real time to let them know if there’s a problem before they submit a form.
Minimize the number of fields in your forms, and auto-fill information wherever possible. Use clearly labeled progress bars to help users get through multipart forms.
Your site is easiest to use if all your pages are designed for mobile.
Visitors can miss calls-to-action if they have to zoom in on a site. Design your site so that they never need to.
Include high-quality close-ups of key images, like product photos.
Communicate to users if your site works best in a certain orientation, but ensure your important calls-to-action can be completed regardless of orientation.
Ensure your calls-to-action stay in the same browser window, and add functionality to your site that addresses why consumers might switch windows.
Make it easy to switch between site experiences, but use labels like “desktop” instead of “full” to be clear that both sites offer a full experience.
Always make it clear why you need a user’s location, and how the information will influence his experience.
