By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson

Transitioning your desktop site onto a mobile device is one of the most important moves companies are now implementing. Embracing mobile is one of the fastest growing segments in the web world, and if done correctly, could be extremely profitable for your company. However, be advised that the mobile system is so diverse with its various browsers, screen sizes and connections — that your site needs to be compatible for mobile. To master this technology shift, here are a few tips to keep in mind when making your site mobile friendly:

The Importance of  WYSIWYG

When styling your site to view on mobile phones, it is very important to stick to relative units like percentages and ems. They are considered the “best” units for sizing fonts and layouts in CSS. There’s no way to foresee what mobile devices people are going to be using, and these units are very convenient because they adapt to the users mobile screen and are great for making a long-lasting, quality design on every phone. It’s also crucial to make sure the visual layout on your desktop site matches with the one on your mobile site. This will make your brand consistent, stronger and reassure mobile visitors that they’re looking at the same company. Finally, you want to stick to minimal page transitions and scrolling. This will ensure that shorter time is spent in looking at the content.

Downsizing for Bigger Results

Don’t try and squeeze big, elaborate desktop-sized images onto 2-inch screens. Make sure to resize the images before transferring them over to your mobile site. Two great strategies to use are to resize the images on the web server so that they take up 90% less time to load AND to make sure you link the optimized image to the original size just in case visitors want more information on the specific image.

Rethink Links

On desktops, websites have the freedom of space and size to view their numerous pages and links. But on mobile devices, these options will not work. Remember, visitors have short attention spans, and in order to decrease the bounce rate, you need to decrease the number of pages and navigable links. When making a site “mobile friendly” try to focus on a few key areas of the web site that really accentuate the company and its business. Make sure to include (and prioritize) mobile-specific items. For example, including a “Contact Us” link is necessary because countless users will visit your mobile site looking for your phone number, email and office address. Or have a search bar so visitors can easily access the information they require.

Limitations of Mobile

Because the technology is fairly new and still in transition, it is important to note that some mobile devices do not support the downloading of content in certain formats. So what may appear as the “full site” on an iPhone, may appear as a list of links on a Blackberry. Browser compatibility is still one of the main issues limiting mobile search viewability. In developing the mobile site, it is key to have it tested on multiple browsers and mobile devices to ensure optimum performance.

Measuring your mobile audience is extremely important and vital to your online success. By being informed on what devices your audience and potential customers mostly use will affect your mobile design decisions. For example, if your mobile audience is 90% Blackberry and iPhone, you shouldn’t worry too much about Android compatibility.

Mobile Is Calling You!

Mobile devices are quickly becoming an essential part of the web marketing mix, with businesses making the virtual leap to mobile devices. And studies show that this mobile phenomena is a fast growing segment. People are on the go and they need the flexibility of mobile access. Keeping up with technology trends and implementing mobile search will enhance your business prospects and keep you on the cutting edge. Assume your competition is already using mobile — so should you!

Grow Your Business Online: These tips are meant to be used as a guideline to improve traffic to your site, increase your conversion rates, help turn visitors into buyers, and keep you ahead of the competition. Turning to a web marketer can ultimately save you time and money and increase your success online. The Web Success Team has many proven marketing strategies and techniques that can be viewed at https://www.websuccessteam.com. The Team would be happy to discuss your web marketing needs with a complimentary consultation and web marketing assessment of your current site. Simply mention this article when contacting bob@websuccessteam.com or call 818-222-5643 for an appointment. To your web success!