Learn from these Mobile Website Leaders when Adapting Your Site

It should be a given in the modern age of web browsing, but while most businesses have their own website, many are still lacking on the mobile front. In fairness, the necessity of having a website for any business was only realized relatively recently, with mobile moving in as the latest necessity.

If you’ve not fully embraced the mobile side for your website yet, don’t worry as you’re not alone. In a test of the top one million most popular websites in the world, in mid-2018 by Canonicalized, 23.83 percent of them proved not to be mobile-friendly. Just as some were slow to adopt a website as it seemed unnecessary or counterproductive to driving land-based footfall, people have seen making their website optimized for mobile users a step that isn’t particularly urgent.

However, using mobiles for web browsing is not a mere trend, with more and more people turning to their mobile devices rather than turning on a laptop or desktop. As such, you should make your plans without panicking about any new fad or trend that the media pumps up the hype for, as mobile is very much here to stay.

In 2016, mobile internet usage surpassed computer internet usage for the first time, with its adoption continuing to grow around the world. So, here are some of the best aspects of big-name mobile websites that you should draw from for your mobile site.

The online music magazine

Launched in 1995, Pitchfork is an online music magazine that boasts one of the best aspects of a mobile website for modern mobile users. Not too long ago, the fad was to get the smallest possible mobile phone, but the ability to watch movies and stream shows has increased the demand for big-screen phones, which can make one-handed web surfing tricky.

Pitchfork’s mobile site designers recognized this, using a thumb design to make navigation on the larger devices much easier. By deploying the main navigation bar at the foot of the screen, one’s thumb can quickly – and without adjustment – flick between pages and functions. Convenience and ease-of-use are why the mobile platform has taken off, so navigation must be made as convenient and easy as possible, a fact which is exemplified by the thumb-friendly approach of Pitchfork.

The online picture design platform

Shutterfly acts as an all-in-one image platform from which users can create their own website to host images, store their images, and print their pictures on various household items – such as mugs and cushion covers. Knowing that the vast majority of picture-taking and picture storage is done via mobile phones these days, Shutterfly optimized their website for mobile users.

Newcomers are welcomed by their latest offer as well as large, easy to see-and-select buttons alongside their products for quick access to the sections that people want to use. These two combine to make the mobile experience as convenient and quick as people have come to expect. The often short experience of going to a mobile website can be much more enticing if the first thing that a user sees is a way for them to save money – such as via a special offer.

The video gaming, television, and media company

As one of the largest entertainment companies in the world, you would expect them to be ahead of the curve on mobile matters. However, as shown in this article about leading mobile websites, Sony wasn’t always as mobile-savvy as it is now. They have always had a superb mobile landing page, though, which features a simple list menu, from which you can easily navigate across their many sections.

As Sony produces electronic products, games, movies, music, and the PlayStation gaming console, they have a lot for people to explore, which isn’t easy on the more restrictive mobile screen. When it comes to creating a mobile site, it needs to be responsive, convenient, quick, and easy on mobile for a website to be mobile-friendly and effective, which is why something as simple as a homepage drop-down list menu can be such a powerful ally. It’s straightforward and clean-cut, with its utility outweighing its somewhat basic aesthetic.

The online games platform

Gaming websites are very demanding on devices, particularly mobile devices, as they can have so many games. However, even these websites need to be optimized for mobile users. One of the most important aspects is that everything is in-sync. Just as you need to sync your PC/Mac to your iPhone, Gaming websites need to sync their web-based offering to their mobile-based offering to achieve pinnacle customer satisfaction.

However, recognizing the rise of mobile usage and the need for quick and convenient access to entertainment, the developers behind Betway’s game selection went all-in on mobile gaming. Not only did they start to create games like Narcos, Game of Thrones, and Mobile 21 with a mobile-first mentality, but they also remastered popular classics, like Mega Moolah and Thunderstruck, to ensure that they too can be enjoyed by mobile players. Now, the Betway offering via mobiles is near-identical to that of their website, with the platform being mobile-optimized to make for easy gaming on the go.

The clothing store

With the internet, and now mobile devices, giving people quick and easy access to any brand that they choose, businesses in the fashion industry have been able to go out on their own without the need of selling via an intermediary company. So now, not only do fashion brands need presentable clothes on offer, but they also need a presentable mobile website.

Western Rise is one of the finest examples of a top-class fashion website. Not getting carried away with the aesthetics and being too modern – as many fashion brands do – Western Rise presents its most attractive products at the top and has optimized its images for the mobile user. These combine to make their products even more appealing, especially as the website is so smooth on the scroll.

Making the mobile experience as easy and convenient as possible is key, but you also need to make sure that users can find everything that they normally would through their computer.