Calgary Web Designer Discusses Requirements for a Mobile Friendly Web Site

Earlier this year, Google began rolling out an update to mobile search results in that “increases the effect” of its mobile-friendly ranking signal.  Google said the goal is to “help our users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly.”

This means that now, more than ever, you need to ensure your web site is mobile-friendly.  Even if you have a mobile version of your web site, you should ensure it fulfills these minimum requirements:

• Avoid software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash

• Use text that is readable without zooming

• Have content sized to the screen so users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom

• Place navigation links far enough apart so that the correct one can be easily tapped

What is a responsive web site?

A responsive web site is programmed to automatically respond to the user’s preferences, regardless of the type of device they are using to surf the web — be it a tablet, laptop, desktop, or smart phone.

Responsive Web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation. The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries. For example, as the user switches from their desktop to their iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities.

Does your web site pass Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test?

Try this simple test to see how if Google considers your web site to be mobile-friendly: http://www.google.ca/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly

If your web site passes, this test, then try this advanced test to see if your mobile site is loading fast enough: https://testmysite.thinkwithgoogle.com

Contact us to make your web site mobile-friendly

Whether you need to have a new “responsive” mobile-friendly web site built from scratch or just some upgrades to your existing mobile site to ensure your site is up to Google’s standards, contact Fusion Creations Inc. in Calgary for a free consultation.