With access to the entire virtual world at our fingertips, there’s no denying that we’re consuming a lot of content through our phones. As a result, many businesses – both large and small – are transitioning to a mobile-first mindset. And for those who don’t get on board? You can quickly lose leads and loyalists by not catering to their mobile needs.
But what does all of that mean for you, exactly? It means shifting your focus to creating mobile-friendly content that’s better for users and your SEO. Let’s dive in, yeah?
What is mobile-friendly content?
Mobile-friendly content is content that’s optimized for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
Wait a second – let’s try that again. We can’t be those assholes who define a term with the same term. We’ll leave that to bros and mansplainers.
Mobile-friendly content is responsive, accessible, and easy to read on desktops and mobile devices. To bring mobile-friendly content to life, you need a strong understanding of what your website looks like and how it functions on mobile devices.
Why is it important?
To grasp how important mobile-friendly content is, let us set the scene first. According to Statistica, around 55% of the world’s web traffic comes from mobile phones. That means more people are using their phones to go online instead of desktop computers. And that number is only going to continue to skyrocket.
That said, you have to meet your audiences where they are. And where are they, exactly? On their phones. So, if you want anything from your audiences – clicks, views, purchases, emails, downloads, whatever – they need to be able to do it easily from their phones. Which means you need to make that possible.
How to make your content (and website) mobile-friendly
So, where or how do you even begin to make your content and website more mobile-friendly? There are a few things you can do to improve your audiences’ experiences on their phones while enhancing your SEO at the same time. Hells yes!
Check your site design on mobile
Even though your website is likely written, designed, and coded on a desktop computer, you (or your web designer) should always double-check everything for mobile. The easiest way to do that? Simply take your full screen and resize it to one-half or one-fourth of your window. Your website should automatically adjust to its mobile view so you can navigate it as if you were on a phone.
Pay attention to elements like your navigation, content formatting, and overall design. Everything should seamlessly adjust from a desktop screen to a mobile one.
Check load times
Attention spans online are ridiculously low these days. In fact, nearly 40% of people will leave a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. So, always ensure your site loads instantly for users – anywhere from two to three seconds. A faster-loading site is also a strong element for better SEO since Google places a higher value on sites with rapid load times.
Optimize your media
Your website’s load time also depends on other content on your site. Content like photos, infographics, videos, GIFs, and more can slow down your site if they aren’t optimized or formatted well. Here are some ways you can do just that:
- Resize and compress your images to be the smallest size possible (while retaining quality)
- Center your images and videos so they’re easy to scan and watch
- Add alt text to all assets (so if they don’t load, users still know what it is)
- Add closed captioning and transcripts to your videos
Hot tip: All of these optimizations are great for SEO, too.
Edit your text to be more SEO-friendly
Here’s a fun fact: Making your content more SEO-friendly also makes it more mobile-friendly. Two birds with one stone! As a general rule of thumb, your website content should be:
- Short: Stick to small paragraphs and short, easy-to-read sentences.
- Straightforward: Get to the fucking point.
- Scannable: Break up your content with headers (H1s, H2s, H3s, etc.), bullet points, and images so your site is easy to scan on any device.
Extra points if you check out and follow our tips for SEO copywriting.
Enhance your CTAs
So, we already know that attention spans are short and users aren’t actually reading your content at first – they’re scanning it. Thus, your calls to action (CTAs) should be obvious. Stylistically, you can turn them into buttons, bold the text, or change the color of the text. However your CTAs are designed, they should stand out from the rest of your content.
Hire a copywriter
If writing mobile-friendly content (or any content for that matter) feels like uncharted territory, that’s totally normal. There’s a reason you’re an expert at what you do – not what other people do.
As for ‘other people’ – that’s us! We always develop content through multiple lenses, including a mobile-first mindset and SEO. So, if you’re looking to hire a copywriter or content strategist, reach out to us and let us know!
