How to Choose the Right WordPress Mobile Website Template for Your Business
You’ve decided it’s time for a change, and you want to build a mobile website for your business. Maybe you even started a blog and you want to take it mobile. Whatever your reason, you’ve made a good choice! Mobile websites allow consumers to quickly navigate your business’ website on the go, and it’s a smart move to develop one for your business. But building a mobile website isn’t as easy as it seems. There are a lot of options and not enough information to guide you. That’s why we’re here.
In this article, we will discuss the different aspects you need to consider when choosing a mobile website template for your business. We’ll cover everything from usability to security, and for each topic, we will offer helpful tips on how to choose the right mobile website template for your needs.
Usability Is Everything
If you’ve ever shopped online, you’ve probably experienced a few frustrating moments when trying to use a mobile phone to navigate a website. After you’ve clicked on a product and it takes you to a different website, attempting to go back and forth between pages is a pain. So instead of an easy-to-use shopping cart system, which makes transactions simple and convenient, you get a tedious series of clicks and opens and closes of web pages.
Now, in this day and age, smartphones have amazing usability, and even tablets have improved their interface. However, not all websites are designed for mobile use, so it’s essential to check for usability before you begin building your mobile website. Fortunately, there are services like UserTesting.com that will objectively test your website’s usability for free, so you can identify potential problems before your customers have a chance to notice.
Features
When it comes to mobile websites, the first question you need to ask yourself is, “Do I need a mobile website or can I build one that will work on a phone?” Most websites these days work on a smartphone, so you don’t need to worry about legacy browsers. However, if you’re planning on attracting a lot of visitors from mobile phones, you should opt for a mobile-optimized template.
One of the biggest issues mobile users experience is slow loading times. If someone is on the go and trying to navigate your site on a mobile phone, you don’t want them to experience delays and frustration, especially if your site isn’t mobile-friendly. Luckily, most mobile website templates include a mobile version of the site, which makes it easy for users to access your content regardless of whether they’re on a mobile phone or tablet.
Another key feature to look for in a mobile-optimized template is push notifications, which allow users to get updates and alerts from your website without having to check for messages every few minutes. The convenience of being able to shop when you want and where you want without being interrupted by a message is amazing, especially if you’re a business owner looking for ways to remain productive during a tough time.
Responsive Design
Back to the subject at hand, building a mobile website isn’t as easy as it seems. To begin with, there are a lot of mobile website templates to choose from, and if you lack the time to do extensive research, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the choice. Having a responsive website means that your content will automatically adjust to fit any screen size, including mobile phones.
An exemplary responsive website is Google’s own mobile website. When a user goes to google.com/m, the browser recognizes that it’s a mobile website and the content automatically adjusts to fit the screen. So even if you have a small mobile device, your content will still appear appropriately.
Another great thing about responsive design is that you don’t necessarily need to tailor your content for mobile users. Instead, you can use features such as the header and footer, which remain unchanged, and the content in the middle, which alternates between two columns, one for smartphones and the other for tablets. This way, the same content will be displayed differently on a mobile phone and a tablet. To learn more, visit the Google Developers website.
Security
Last but not least, let’s not forget about security. Up until now, we’ve been focusing on usability issues and how to make your mobile website better. However, no matter how well designed and easy to use your mobile website may be, if it’s not secure, you’re limiting its potential. In today’s day and age, everyone is on the lookout for ways to secure their data and maintain privacy, and that’s exactly what you should be looking for in a mobile website.
Any website that collects personal information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card numbers, should be considered unsafe and potentially damaging. To learn more, read this great article by Cloud Security Solutions.
In summary, if you’re looking for ways to improve your business’ web presence, you should consider building a mobile website, but bear in mind that it’s not as easy as it seems. To make the process simpler, it’s advisable to download a template that’s already been designed for mobile use. Doing so will save you a lot of time and hassle, and also ensure that your mobile website is an easy and quick platform for you to update and maintain.