There are many ways to say it: optimized for mobile devices or mobile-ready, mobile-friendly, responsive design and more. They all speak to the same thing. Can a customer access your website on their phone or tablet? And when they do access it can they actually use it?
Why care about mobile users?
We won't take too long to beat this dead horse. If your site isn't mobile friendly by now you are already way behind a trend that is fast becoming the majority. 48% of worldwide internet traffic in 2019 was on a mobile device and the trend has been rising steadily year over year. In the U.S. mobile users make up more than 55% of all traffic.
Even if you aren't concerned about your mobile users experience on your site (which you should be!), you can also thank major search engines like Google for the need to be mobile friendly. Google threatened to penalize sites that weren't mobile optimized all the way back in 2013, and in 2016 we saw them really start to bring the hammer down.
How do I know if my website is mobile-friendly?
Fortunately, there are a few easy-to-use tools available that will test the mobile usability of your site. There are a couple that we recommend in the list below. They will give you at least a quick idea if you are up to snuff. If you want to get the whole story on your website – including recommendations on SEO tips, effective branding, and e-commerce optimizations – take a look at our website auditing service.
Free Tool #1 – Google Mobile-Friendly Test
Go right to the source and trend-maker of all things internet with Google's own mobile-friendly test site. Google has provided a simple and easy-to-use site with this tool. Its only real failing is the relatively shallow results it provides. Still, if you are looking for a solid "yes" or "no" regarding if your site is mobile-friendly, Google's test is a great place to start.
Free Tool #2 – RankWatch Mobile Test
Another simple to use and understand (plus free!) tool is provided by the internet marketer RankWatch. This tool also suffers from not providing a wealth of information in its results, but it does gain a little on the Google tool by listing specific aspects of the test including setting the viewport and website responsiveness.
My website is mobile unfriendly! It hates mobile!
Don't worry, we got you. Our website design service provides responsive and mobile-friendly websites for your online presence or business. Every site we build is ready to use on desktop, mobile, and tablet starting from the day they launch. Contact us today to find out how Bocohost can help you do online.
