Your business website is the first port of call for new and existing customers. It’s the first place they’ll look to find up-to-date information about your company, products and services. If like me, you spend a lot of time at your desk, you’re probably used to looking at the desktop version of your website. That’s a great place to start. However… over half of your website traffic is probably coming from mobile.
84% of UK adults use their mobile phones to browse the web. Think about how you use your phone.
Perhaps you take a five-minute break to check your social media. You might recognise an actor in the film you’re watching and have to find out where you know him from. Or… your shower is draining very slowly and you need to find a quick solution.
Like it or not, these are all opportunities for your next customer to find you. Is your website stepping up to the mark on mobile devices?
With so many of us working from desktops or laptops, the mobile version of our site is often left ignored. Today is the day we put a stop to that.
Regular website audits are a great idea in theory. But most of us don’t have time to do weekly or monthly checkups. Sure, you could bring in an agency like Digital Storm to manage and maintain your site…
Or you can use this self-assessment to ensure the mobile version of your website is working as it should. In less than ten minutes, and five simple steps, you’ll be able to identify any major issues that are costing your business leads. So let’s get started.
You’re going to be checking five key factors that users and search engines both look out for on any mobile website:
- Is your website safe?
- Does your website scale to your screen size?
- Does your homepage tell us who you are?
- Can users contact you from the homepage?
- Does your menu work?
Here’s how to do it.
Mobile Website Self-Assessment
Is your website safe? The first thing you want to look for is the little padlock at the top of your screen. If your website is safe it will be there in the browser next to the URL.
This means you’ve got an up-to-date SSL certificate and any user data is safe. The data will only be shared with your server and no access will be granted to any third parties.
Another way to check you’ve got an up-to-date SSL certificate is to look at whether your URL starts with HTTP or HTTPS. This stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and determines the protocol that will transfer data across the web. The S stands for Secure so you want to make sure it’s there.
Does your website scale to your screen size? How do the images look on your phone? And what about the text? Is it readable? Has the font size increased to accommodate a smaller screen? These are all tell-tale signs that you’ve got a mobile-friendly, responsive website.
One of the major things you need to look out for is buttons. If your website hasn’t scaled to the screen size well, any buttons or links on your site could be too close together.
This creates a terrible user experience. Visitors end up clicking the wrong link, visiting the wrong page and trying to make their way back to the page they wanted… if they didn’t give up beforehand.
Does your homepage tell us who you are? A survey by Databox found that, on average, 68% of a website’s visitors are new users. Your job is to tell these people exactly who you are and what you can do for them. And you have to do this fast. When you land on your homepage, does it tell you what you do? Using Digital Storm as an example, the first thing you see (even before you scroll) tells you we’re a web design and marketing agency based in Bournemouth with 18 years of experience. Don’t be afraid to be bold. It’s your job as a business to tell people exactly what you do.
Can users contact you on the homepage? Contact information is crucial. It’s probably the reason a visitor came to your website in the first place. If it’s not easy to find, you’ve lost that lead immediately. It’s a good idea to put your contact information, including a phone number and email address, on the homepage. That way, users don’t have to journey through your website to find it.
Live chat is a brilliant opportunity to talk to your website visitors in real-time, answering any questions they have about your business immediately. As well as having the highest customer satisfaction rating of any digital communication channel, it also offers a higher chance of converting your users into customers. What’s not to like?
Does your menu work? Last but not least, check your menu. So far, this entire self-assessment has been conducted from your homepage. You haven’t had to leave that page once and, if you’re doing a great job, you shouldn’t have even had to scroll. But now it’s time to try to navigate your site. Take a look at the menu. Do you find it easy to navigate? Check the buttons, ensuring they’re not too close together. Try clicking on a few to make sure nothing is broken. Now, picture a page on your site that you want to get to. Perhaps a service page or your company news. Can you find it? And is it clear for new users? If you said yes to all of the above, congratulations. Your mobile menu is working perfectly.
Food for Thought
How did you do? Are you happy with the mobile version of your website? That’s great news!
Spot something that wasn’t quite right? If you found one or more of these issues on your website you could be losing business. The good news is, most of these issues can be fixed easily. Sometimes, it’s just about knowing where the right button is on the backend. Our team is more than happy to help. Contact us today or give us a call on 01202 298392 to speak to us about your website.
