With the prevalence of mobile devices usage today, designing a desktop-first website design might not seem like the best idea. Just before last year, crawling, indexing, and ranking systems have used the desktop version of a page’s content to direct searchers to what they are looking for. To keep up with the mobile-first wave, designers are now centring web experiences to be more mobile focused. Don’t misunderstand – mobile-friendly web designs won’t improve your ranking or indexing so vastly but rather it brings along a whole slew of other benefits for mobile searchers and your brand!
Check out 5 reasons why mobile-first website design is important, and how it has become the new norm.
Most People Use Mobile Devices
The most obvious reason why website design should focus primarily on mobile devices is because most of us use them. According to statistics from GSMA real-time intelligence data, there are around 5.13 billion mobile devices in use worldwide! That’s a huge number that highlights just how important mobile optimised design really is.
User-friendly Design
UX design and mobile-first website design go hand in hand. Mobile devices have very limited screen space available as compared to desktop design. That being said, users expect to attain what they need, quickly and on their own terms. Prioritise above-the-fold views and your information architecture throughout the website. Furthermore, UX design takes into consideration factors like visibility for call-to-action, logical user flow and information architecture for content in the above-the-fold and more. When engaging a digital agency to build your website design, one with UX specialties certainly gives you the edge! UX designers are often concerned with the entire process of website designing that aspects of branding, design, usability and function. Bingo for you.
Get on the Google’s Search Engine Results Page
Good web design can help your site rank more highly with search engines like Google for mobile users. In fact, Google now uses mobile-first indexing which means that they will use the mobile version of your website to determine where you will appear in their search results. By using web design that is optimised by mobile, you can vastly increase your chances of ranking more highly on the Google Search Engine Results Page, especially for mobile users!
It Solves Content Priority
A “mobile-first approach” differs from “desktop-first” in the way information are being placed in the layout. A website designed in mobile, doesn’t require you to eliminate information. Rather, it gives you the opportunity to sort information into primary, secondary and tertiary content. Naturally, your decision on primary content should satisfy the user’s search intent within seconds of them landing onto your website.
Increase Conversions
Designing a mobile-first website design brings about a slew of positive ripple effect for your brand. With improved website usability that a good UX design brings, the overall user experience becomes more positive. Happy customers = returning customers. You win!
If you’re considering to engage a creative agency or a digital agency to enhance your branding and elevate your conversions, take note of all the pointers so that you don’t miss out on the game!
