Mobile optimization: what is it, why is it important and how to do it?

If you own a website, mobile optimization is a term you’re probably already familiar with. And for good reason: the internet is no longer limited to desktop computers alone. Tablets and mobile phones are now essential navigation vectors. The rise of social networks and the continuous improvement in smartphone performance have led to a significant increase in the number of users browsing the internet via their phone. What implications does this have for you? In summary, if you want to retain your visitors and increase your profits, it is essential to take these users into account. In this article, we’ll explore what mobile optimization entails. We will discuss why it is crucial and the different strategies you can adopt to implement it. Finally, we will discuss tools and resources that can assist you in optimizing your site for mobile devices on a daily basis.

What is mobile optimization?

As we said in the introduction, creating a website these days is no longer limited to desktop computers. Indeed, you have to think about mobile phones and tablets. And, usually, that doesn’t mean creating a website for every platform. You must use programming libraries to adapt the website to the visitor’s screen. In addition, you must also take into account the criteria of performance and user experience. Mobile optimization therefore refers to the process of adjusting your website to be easily navigable and visually pleasing on mobile devices. This includes :

• fast loading of pages,
• a responsive user interface adapting to different screen sizes,
• and an intuitive user experience allowing easy and efficient navigation.

Why is mobile optimization important?

It is statistically proven that more than 70% of users browse on their mobile or tablet. Therefore, it would be a fatal mistake for a company to focus on 30% of its customer base. Below are some benefits of optimizing your website for mobile.

1. Increased mobile traffic: With more than half of the world’s web traffic coming from mobile devices, ignoring mobile optimization would mean missing out on a considerable portion of your potential audience.
2. Improved SEO ranking: Google favors mobile-optimized sites in its search results. Good mobile optimization can therefore significantly improve your online visibility.
3. Conversion rates: Mobile-optimized sites provide a better user experience, which can help increase conversion rates. Users are more likely to make a purchase or engage with your content if the site is easy to navigate on their device.

How to optimize your site for mobile?

Mobile optimization is generally planned during the web development process. For a company or agency, it is often a question of choosing appropriate bookstores. The parties must also agree on how to arrange the elements accordingly, the size of the screens to highlight the services. Below are some things to consider.

Choose or design a Responsive Design

For your website design, you need to choose or design a responsive design. By responsive, we mean that adapts to the dimensions of the user’s screen. There are generally two options:

• Program the codes (you or your developers) which allow you to adjust the design
• Use a ready-to-use library.

Some libraries you can use.

To optimize a website for mobile devices, there are several popular CSS and JavaScript libraries that can make the process easier. Here are some examples of these libraries, each offering unique features to improve the responsiveness, speed and accessibility of your site on mobile:

CSS Libraries for Mobile Optimization

1. Bootstrap:
   • One of the most popular CSS libraries for responsive development.
   • Provides a flexible grid system, pre-designed components, and utilities for responsive layout.
2. Foundation:
   • Another powerful framework for creating responsive web designs.
   • Offers an advanced grid system, UI components, and tools to make sites accessible and responsive on all devices.
3. Tailwind CSS:
   • A “utility first” CSS framework for fast, responsive design with precise control over layout.
   • Allows you to build personalized designs without leaving the reactive framework.

JavaScript Libraries for Mobile Optimization

1. jQuery Mobile:
   • An HTML5 framework designed to create websites and mobile applications accessible on all smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.
   • Provides a consistent user interface across platforms and makes it easy to integrate touch gestures and events.
2. Hammer.js:
   • A small JavaScript library allowing you to manage touch gestures on your website or mobile application.
   • Supports multiple gestures, such as tap, double tap, swipe, press, and pinch.
3. Swipe.js:
   • A lightweight JavaScript library to implement swipe navigation on touch devices.
   • Ideal for image carousels and sliders on responsive sites.
4. LazySizes:
   • A lazy loading library for images and iframes, thus optimizing page loading speed on mobile devices.
   • Allows images to load only when they enter the viewport, reducing initial loading time.

By integrating these CSS and JavaScript libraries into your web project, you can significantly improve the mobile experience for your users, in terms of responsiveness, loading speed and user interaction. It is important to test your site on various devices to ensure complete optimization.

Image optimization

Another aspect of optimization will be to improve image quality. Indeed, a photo with dimensions for desktop computers may not be compatible on mobile. One optimization approach could be to resize photos based on screen size. You can also use lighter formats without affecting quality. Among the fairly lightweight formats, we can cite the WebP format. Read this article that explains how to convert your photos to WebP format . If you use CMS, you can use Plugins or Modules to easily Optimize your photos. Among the plugins on WordPress, for example, we can cite LiteSpeed Cache, Smush, W3 Total Cache.

Simplifying navigation

Make your site navigation as intuitive as possible. Drop-down menus and buttons must be easily accessible and usable with a touch screen.

Loading speed

Loading speed is crucial to mobile user experience. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix issues that are slowing down your site.

Resources for mobile optimization

There are many resources and tools available to help you with your mobile optimization journey. Google offers several tools, such as

• Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed Insights, which analyze your website and provide specific recommendations to improve its performance on mobile devices.
• Additionally, platforms like WordPress offer responsive themes designed to automatically adapt to different devices, making the optimization process easier.

Conclusion

Mobile optimization is no longer an option, but a necessity in today’s digital landscape. By improving your site’s mobile experience, you not only increase your reach and improve your SEO ranking, but you also help provide a superior user experience. By following the practical tips outlined in this article and leveraging the resources available, you can ensure your site is perfectly optimized to meet the needs of today’s mobile user.

Gilblas Ngunte Possi

Founder and Full-Stack Developer at Prositeweb.

My proficiency with modern tools and a keen analytical sense regarding information technology enable me to provide superior guidance in the development and implementation of your web solutions.