Website Redesign: Is your Website Smartphone and Tablet ready?
Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, last year redesigned its Web site so that smart phone and tablet users will be better able to navigate it. A feature story by Inc. magazine said that this entailed featuring fewer product photos and a larger search box, both steps that make Amazon's Web site look less crowded for mobile viewers.
This begs the question: If what is arguably the world's most powerful online retailer does this, shouldn't you? Is your Web site tablet and smart phone ready? If not, you may need to tackle some important website design issues.
You need your Web site to be accessible to mobile visitors because that market is growing quickly. International Data Corporation predicts that by 2015 more U.S. Web users will access the Internet through mobile devices than by using personal computers. At the same time, Google reported that some 15 percent of its searches from holiday shoppers came from mobile devices on Black Friday of 2011.
The evidence, then, is compelling: Simply put, if your Web site is not optimized to run well on mobile devices, you could miss out on business. The growing number of consumers who do their computing on tablets and smart phones will bring their dollars to sites that are easier for them to navigate.
The key website design strategies to take into account when doing this are fairly simple ones. First, make sure that your Web site isn't cluttered with photos. Photos are important tools, of course. But too many photos can make a site look crowded, especially when consumers are looking at it on a smart phone or tablet.
Next, make sure searching your site is easy even for mobile visitors. This usually means creating a larger search bar, one that's easy for mobile users to hit cleanly with their fingertips. Nothing will make mobile visitors leave your site more quickly than a search bar that they can't quite hit.
You should also equip your site with larger buttons throughout. This works on the same principle as does the larger search bar. If consumers want to learn more about your site's digital cameras, laptops and cell phones, they'll often have to press an on-screen button to bring up additional information. Make sure this button is large enough for them to easily hit.
Also there is the fact that most smartphones and tables do not show flash. Flash on your website should be avoided, especially if it is used for navigation purposes.
Finally, give some consideration to your site's content, too. In the Inc. story, Amazon says that it is now placing a greater emphasis on digital goods -- new tech -- rather than physical ones. That's what mobile shoppers tend to look for. Make sure that your site, too, offers products and content that appeal to smart phone and tablet owners.
These simple website design tips can make the difference between a site that's friendly and accessible to smart phone and tablet users and one that is not. Remember, tablets and smart phones remain hot sellers for a reason; a growing number of consumers prefer to do their computing on the go. This holds true, too, for online shopping. Make sure your website design gives you the best chance to capture today's mobile users.
