I get a lot of questions about the differences between mobile-friendly vs mobile-optimization vs responsive design for websites. These questions include:
- What is a mobile-friendly website?
- What is mobile-optimization?
- What is responsive design?
- What are the differences of all of the above?
- Where does mobile first design fit in?
- What is the best design strategy for my website?
Mobile optimization is the process of adjusting your website content to ensure that visitors that access the site from mobile devices have an experience customized to their device. Optimized content flows easily between desktop and mobile devices to provide the user with an outstanding experience. Mobile optimization is the process of ensuring that visitors accessing your website from mobile devices have an engaging and user-friendly experience that's been optimized for that specific device. For example, when you cruise over to Amazon, the site will be functional and easy-to-use whether you are on your PC, your iPad, Android phone or any other possible access point.
My goal is to answer all of these questions, plus a few more along the way. (If you'd like a deeper explanation, or have other questions you'd like answered, just shoot me an email!.)
For clarity's sake, when I say mobile or mobile device, I am referring to devices that are the approximate size and shape of most smartphones (mobile phones).
Ok, let's hop to it!
Mobile-Friendly Websites
Google's search rankings now emphasize and reward mobile-friendly websites. Many people may think that having a mobile-friendly website is good enough, and for Google's robots it is! But this is not necessarily good enough for the visitors coming to your website. In short, mobile-friendly is the bare minimum mobile design strategy you should have for your mobile visitors.
If you aren't sure if your website is mobile-friendly, then check-out Google's webmaster tool. A mobile-friendly website is often just a slimmed down version of the website viewed on a desktop.
For example, as a general rule your content should be written in at least 14 or 16 pt font. It seems big, but when it gets shrunk down anything less will be hard to read. Hard to read ≠ mobile-friendly.
Mobile-friendly websites will work for mobile users, but these websites were designed for the desktop users. A smaller version of your desktop website can be functional but may not be as user friendly as it could be… And this is where mobile-optimization starts to enter the fray.
Mobile-Optimized Websites
All mobile-optimized websites are mobile-friendly, but not all mobile-friendly websites are mobile-optimized. Mobile-optimization targets mobile users; these websites are designed for smaller screens.
A mobile-optimized website will reformat itself for mobile users. It is not just a shrunken down version of the desktop website.
Design features of a mobile-optimized website can include:
- Single column layout
- Easy, simple navigation that is 'thumb friendly'
- Large graphics with white-space borders for those of us with large or clumsy fingers
- Formatted content for maximum readability
- Limited to no need for typing
- Image file sizes are smaller for the mobile version of the website than those used for the desktop version of the website. (This allows for quicker load times.)
- A fewer number of features overall (minimalist, uncluttered design)
Mobile users are much more likely to be searching for a quick answer compared to their desktop search counterparts. (I tend to search for restaurants, movie reviews, and directions on my phone. I am not doing in-depth searches on my phone on technical topics like mobile-optimized design. I save those types of searches for my laptop.)
The goal of a mobile-optimized website is to make the website as frictionless as possible for the mobile user. Mobile users are seeking the quickest, most efficient way to answer their questions. Mobile-optimization aims to do exactly that.
Mobile Optimized Site
Websites Created with Responsive Design
Responsively designed websites do exactly as phrase suggest. They 'respond' to the screen size of the device being used. In a sense, responsive design picks up where mobile-optimization leaves off.
Responsive design reformats and restructures websites for any device—regardless of screen size. Mobile-optimization only does this for mobile devices. With responsive design, the layout of the website will scale from the smaller screens of mobile, tablets, and small laptops, to the standard desktop screen and even larger widescreen monitors.
Responsive design offers flexibility and great usability on all devices for users. It's really the only way to guarantee that your website will look good and have optimized usability on any device.
If you are curious, Torspark is a responsively designed website. (Try looking at the homepage, or any other part of our website on different devices. When you do, you'll see a different, scaled version for each device type. Or, just resize your browser and see how everything balances out on the page.)
Mobile-First Design Strategy
Mobile-first is a design strategy in which the mobile version of the website is designed first over the traditional desktop version. This design strategy can also apply to products designed for and marketed to mobile users first, ahead of 'traditional' internet users.
A lot of design issues come from trying to stuff too many features into a single page. When designing with mobile-first in mind, you tend to get a simpler, cleaner design structure. This works well as a base, because it's easier to add relevant features into the desktop view as needed, rather than trying to stuff every bell and whistle into a mobile view.
2014 was the breakout year for mobile usage—the first year mobile use surpassed daily desktop use. (Adults spent on average 2 hours and 51 minutes on mobile devices daily, but only 2 hours and 12 minutes daily on desktops.) Mobile first and responsive design strategies are becoming more in demand as the trend of increased mobile use continues. If you aren't sure about jumping into the deep end of responsive design, a mobile first design strategy can be the first step as part of a larger responsive design strategy.
What type of design is best for my business and my website?
The not very helpful answer is 'it depends'. Honestly, the answer depends on the answers to the following questions:
What Is Mobile Optimized Hotspot
- What is the purpose of your website?
- What do you want your website to do for visitors?
- What devices are you expecting your visitors to be accessing your site from?
Websites are meant to take visitors on a digital journey. That journey is supposed to be as smooth and frictionless as possible. The easier you can make navigating your website, the more likely you are to increase conversions.
Also, what is the budget for your website? Mobile-optimized and responsively designed websites are often a little more expensive than mobile-friendly websites. Why? In short, they take longer to develop and build.
In the long run, the extra optimization to functionality and usability offered by a responsively designed or mobile-optimized site will provide you with a higher ROI than a site that is just mobile-friendly. Now, whether or not the expense is justified will have to be evaluated on a business-by-business basis.
On a side note, have you tried to use your business's website as if you were a customer? What about as a mobile user? Do you know what your mobile site looks like? If you are drawing a blank, or have a panicky uncertain feeling right now, that's probably not a good indicator.
Consider The Following for Mobile-Friendly vs Mobile-Optimized vs Responsive Design
Is your main customer base cruising your website on a desktop? Then maybe a mobile-friendly website is good enough for you. Google doesn't penalize you in the search rankings, and you don't spend extra money on a mobile-optimized or responsively designed website.
On the other hand…Do you have any kind of e-commerce, blogs, or a customer base that actively uses mobile devices? If this is the case, then you may want to invest in a mobile-optimized or responsively designed website.
Mobile-Optimized and Responsively Designed Websites Can Offer a Creative User Experience
Just because visitors are viewing your website on a smaller screen, doesn't mean your site has to be boring. Remember mobile users have the ability to take pictures and videos, make phone calls, use GPS for finding things near their location, and so much more!
And this is the beauty of stepping beyond just a mobile-friendly website. There are so many new and different user interface options for visitors NOT using a desktop. Some businesses even have completely different website versions for desktop users versus mobile users.
Think about your visitors. What type of experience do you want them to have using your website? Optimize your website for that experience! Given the possibilities with the internet, saying the sky's the limit seems almost diminutive.
Understanding the Importance of Mobile Optimization
In this modern technologically advanced society, having a mobile optimized website is essential. It ensures that visitors who are accessing your site from mobile devices have an optimal experience. This design will also account for different screen sizes and load times. This process addresses the design of the site, the structure, speed of the page, and more. You want to optimize site for mobile to ensure that visitors won't simply leave due to inconvenience.
When comparing website designs there are three different designs to look at: mobile optimized, mobile friendly, and responsive. A mobile optimized website is by far the most advanced type of design. By being mobile optimized, the site will reformat itself completely for different devices. They are guaranteed to have better mobile web performance because the site will reformat itself for certain handheld devices. The process of reformatting ensures your website can engage a large mobile audience.
A mobile friendly website design is not quite as good as a mobile optimized site, but it will still load properly on all devices (desktop, tablets, and mobile). Websites need to be perfectly functional on all devices and the mobile-friendly option is a great choice to ensure that. A mobile friendly site will be easy to navigate, with large buttons and command options.
A responsive design is a newer, ever evolving form of development that is very flexible regardless of the device. Using this design, it doesn't matter which browser or device the user is using. The website will adjust based on the screen size of the device. This format allows for a lot of flexibility and is actually quite practical. However, as the reformatting happens automatically, it is important for the owner of the website to double check everything is working properly.
With new devices always changing, having a mobile friendly/optimized website is necessary. Many organizations and businesses have already implemented mobile friendly websites. Website owners should understand how their website will display on a variety of devices and how to make sure it displays well. With the understanding that the majority of Internet traffic comes from mobile devices, it is easy to see the importance of mobile optimized website. Being mobile friendly will increase your sites mobile web performance by making things easier to access.
A major advantage of having a mobile friendly website is that it benefits search engine optimization. Google reviews mobile and desktop website activity and decides on a ranking based on how people use the site. It's beneficial when users don't back out frequently, this will raise your website ranking.
Another advantage is that it helps to build credibility, whether it is with customers, clients, or in an industry. Mobile optimized websites allow more customers to be reached at a quicker rate, proving to be very beneficial. A crucial advantage is that it can increase customer satisfaction. Having a mobile friendly site will only benefit your website's reputation, making it look modern and relevant.
There are many steps that a website owner can take to improve their website, whether done by themselves or professionally. These improvements can prove to be quite beneficial when used. The first tip of advice is to incorporate large buttons for call-to-action (CTAs). The less precise of clicking that is required on a mobile device, the simpler it can be for the user, resulting in less misclicks.
An important step that website owners should take is to ensure that navigation through the website is easy, vertical navigation is preferred. The user should be able to navigate the site, quickly and easily, to find want they are looking for in as little of steps as possible. Use image scaling to ensure the proper dimensions by adjusting the cascading style sheets rules to make the images to have a width of 100% or, to contain themselves in the page when in reference to background images.
If you are a business, you can't go wrong with a click to call option. People who visit your website can contact your business easily, without hassle, with just one click. Another aspect that businesses should take advantage of is the option of maps. Incorporating a simple click that relocates users to their GPS application, allows people to visit your business with ease.
A crucial component that should always be used is a viewport meta tag. This will ensure the mobile browser will fit a smaller screen. Use media queries. These will allow you to shift the styles of your website at specific break points. A recommended feature is to enable a browser/device feature detection. Modernizr is an example of JavaScript. It is also recommended to use the jQuery plugin known as TouchSwipe. It enables touch interaction for websites, like the use of zoom or scroll.
Also, what is the budget for your website? Mobile-optimized and responsively designed websites are often a little more expensive than mobile-friendly websites. Why? In short, they take longer to develop and build.
In the long run, the extra optimization to functionality and usability offered by a responsively designed or mobile-optimized site will provide you with a higher ROI than a site that is just mobile-friendly. Now, whether or not the expense is justified will have to be evaluated on a business-by-business basis.
On a side note, have you tried to use your business's website as if you were a customer? What about as a mobile user? Do you know what your mobile site looks like? If you are drawing a blank, or have a panicky uncertain feeling right now, that's probably not a good indicator.
Consider The Following for Mobile-Friendly vs Mobile-Optimized vs Responsive Design
Is your main customer base cruising your website on a desktop? Then maybe a mobile-friendly website is good enough for you. Google doesn't penalize you in the search rankings, and you don't spend extra money on a mobile-optimized or responsively designed website.
On the other hand…Do you have any kind of e-commerce, blogs, or a customer base that actively uses mobile devices? If this is the case, then you may want to invest in a mobile-optimized or responsively designed website.
Mobile-Optimized and Responsively Designed Websites Can Offer a Creative User Experience
Just because visitors are viewing your website on a smaller screen, doesn't mean your site has to be boring. Remember mobile users have the ability to take pictures and videos, make phone calls, use GPS for finding things near their location, and so much more!
And this is the beauty of stepping beyond just a mobile-friendly website. There are so many new and different user interface options for visitors NOT using a desktop. Some businesses even have completely different website versions for desktop users versus mobile users.
Think about your visitors. What type of experience do you want them to have using your website? Optimize your website for that experience! Given the possibilities with the internet, saying the sky's the limit seems almost diminutive.
Understanding the Importance of Mobile Optimization
In this modern technologically advanced society, having a mobile optimized website is essential. It ensures that visitors who are accessing your site from mobile devices have an optimal experience. This design will also account for different screen sizes and load times. This process addresses the design of the site, the structure, speed of the page, and more. You want to optimize site for mobile to ensure that visitors won't simply leave due to inconvenience.
When comparing website designs there are three different designs to look at: mobile optimized, mobile friendly, and responsive. A mobile optimized website is by far the most advanced type of design. By being mobile optimized, the site will reformat itself completely for different devices. They are guaranteed to have better mobile web performance because the site will reformat itself for certain handheld devices. The process of reformatting ensures your website can engage a large mobile audience.
A mobile friendly website design is not quite as good as a mobile optimized site, but it will still load properly on all devices (desktop, tablets, and mobile). Websites need to be perfectly functional on all devices and the mobile-friendly option is a great choice to ensure that. A mobile friendly site will be easy to navigate, with large buttons and command options.
A responsive design is a newer, ever evolving form of development that is very flexible regardless of the device. Using this design, it doesn't matter which browser or device the user is using. The website will adjust based on the screen size of the device. This format allows for a lot of flexibility and is actually quite practical. However, as the reformatting happens automatically, it is important for the owner of the website to double check everything is working properly.
With new devices always changing, having a mobile friendly/optimized website is necessary. Many organizations and businesses have already implemented mobile friendly websites. Website owners should understand how their website will display on a variety of devices and how to make sure it displays well. With the understanding that the majority of Internet traffic comes from mobile devices, it is easy to see the importance of mobile optimized website. Being mobile friendly will increase your sites mobile web performance by making things easier to access.
A major advantage of having a mobile friendly website is that it benefits search engine optimization. Google reviews mobile and desktop website activity and decides on a ranking based on how people use the site. It's beneficial when users don't back out frequently, this will raise your website ranking.
Another advantage is that it helps to build credibility, whether it is with customers, clients, or in an industry. Mobile optimized websites allow more customers to be reached at a quicker rate, proving to be very beneficial. A crucial advantage is that it can increase customer satisfaction. Having a mobile friendly site will only benefit your website's reputation, making it look modern and relevant.
There are many steps that a website owner can take to improve their website, whether done by themselves or professionally. These improvements can prove to be quite beneficial when used. The first tip of advice is to incorporate large buttons for call-to-action (CTAs). The less precise of clicking that is required on a mobile device, the simpler it can be for the user, resulting in less misclicks.
An important step that website owners should take is to ensure that navigation through the website is easy, vertical navigation is preferred. The user should be able to navigate the site, quickly and easily, to find want they are looking for in as little of steps as possible. Use image scaling to ensure the proper dimensions by adjusting the cascading style sheets rules to make the images to have a width of 100% or, to contain themselves in the page when in reference to background images.
If you are a business, you can't go wrong with a click to call option. People who visit your website can contact your business easily, without hassle, with just one click. Another aspect that businesses should take advantage of is the option of maps. Incorporating a simple click that relocates users to their GPS application, allows people to visit your business with ease.
A crucial component that should always be used is a viewport meta tag. This will ensure the mobile browser will fit a smaller screen. Use media queries. These will allow you to shift the styles of your website at specific break points. A recommended feature is to enable a browser/device feature detection. Modernizr is an example of JavaScript. It is also recommended to use the jQuery plugin known as TouchSwipe. It enables touch interaction for websites, like the use of zoom or scroll.
Some simpler tips include, keeping writing short and easy to read, avoiding bricks of text. If images are being included, ensure they are small in size and can load easily. This will ensure people won't get tired of waiting for something to load and leave the page. Avoid pop-ups, they can be extremely inconvenient on a mobile device. Keep your design simple and broken up into multiple small portions.
On a mobile optimized site, the graphics are reduced, so they don't interrupt the user's path to the critical information they are seeking. You should also avoid requiring the user to type anything unless absolutely necessary. It is also noted that, allowing the user access to view the desktop version of the site can be a very beneficial feature.
Using icons can also prove to be effective. You can use iOS icons or Windows 8 Pin Icon. These will display when websites are added to the home screen on the mobile device or tablet. The final recommendation is to have a splash screen and to use it to your advantage. This is the first screen that users see when they open an application. You can use this to advertise your brand, while your application loads, just ensure that it is a very short load screen.
Hopefully, this advice has helped give you an idea how to optimize site for mobile. If any of these tips are not something you feel comfortable doing for your website, you can always have a professional do them. The importance of mobile optimized website can be seen in our ever changing economic landscape, having many advantages to offer. Mobile devices are becoming the device a choice, so it makes sense to adjust your website to the current trends. In order to raise customer satisfaction, websites should be up to date and mobile friendly, with maximum mobile optimization.
