Back in February 2015 when Google announced that their now famous 'mobilegeddon' ranking algorithm would be rolled out on in April that same year there was mad scramble by webmasters to bring their websites up to date and make sure they functioned correctly on multiple devices including mobile phones.
Now 18 months on we look at how web design has changed because of increased smart phone and tablet use and what you should to expect from your mobile compliant website.
Responsive design is now industry standard and there should be no need to ask your designer whether you website will be mobile/tablet friendly or not and whilst there may still be a handle of unscrupulous amateur design agencies adding on extra money for the 'privilege' or having a responsive site most genuine designers simply see it as the way websites are designed nowadays.
There is however a massive difference between mobile friendly and mobile enhanced just like there is a massive difference between having just a website and having a website that is search optimised and user friendly.
Many agencies will simply throw your content into a responsive framework just to pass Google's mobile friendly test an keep you the client happy, I'll be honest, I've seen some truly terrible so-called mobile friendly websites in the past 18 months, every one able to pass Google's mobile friendly test yet doing little to enhanced a mobile users experience or bring in new buiness for the website owner.
A lot of the problem is with the high number of unskilled web design agencies using site building software or third party templates and simply not having the required coding skills to re-arrange and enhance the content for mobile users.
What works and looks good on a desktop will not necessarily work well and look good on a mobile phone due to the size and orientation of the screen. A good designer will view your new site on various devices and taking into account your niche or type of business will use the site as if they are a client or customer.
Do you want a client or customer to be able to call you simply by clicking a button? Then a clickable 'call now' button should be visible without scrolling as should your logo, business name and navigation menu. Is your text readable on a mobile? Having different font sizes and spacing on a mobile gives a much neater site and better user experience. Simply adjustments for the mobile phone user can make a big difference.
