Mobile optimisation and modern web design

All predictions that made Google and other search engines 15 years of relative popularity growth of mobile devices and their dominance in the segment of Internet search traffic are fully justified. Now, most search queries on the Internet come from mobile devices. That is why optimising websites for mobile interfaces is a must when developing and upgrading sites. The information available on a full-size screen should be as available on a mobile device, with full functionality and usability of the resource.

For example, a student should be able to go to a writing help site such as masterpapers.com, easily find the necessary information, and place an order. At the same time, there should be no hiccups with paying for the assignment or difficulties in filling out various forms. Modern web design has many tools and techniques for mobile adaptation, and we will focus on the most important points that should be considered when creating a site in 2024.

The Scale of Mobile Traffic

Mobile traffic has been growing immediately for many years and, in recent years, has managed to gain dominance. In 2024, over 60% of all Internet traffic is on mobile devices. According to Statista, the number of users continues to grow. These indicators oblige developers to play a key role during the creation of the site to optimize its mobile version. Moreover, according to the same statistical data, sites can lose about 50% of potential users if they do not have a well-optimised version for mobile devices. This is especially important for companies that have online stores or provide services for booking accommodation or food delivery.

The Main Elements of Mobile Optimisation

• Adaptive design

The name adaptive speaks for itself, and that means that the site, without any problems, should be displayed on any mobile device, whether it is tablets, phones, or even smartwatches. All features should be accessible, and the interface should be customised for using the site on a touch screen. These features can be customised with CSS media queries and adaptive images. In addition, ready-made site layouts already provide an adaptive design function in ready-made templates, which nevertheless need to be customised for your specific resource.

• Optimisation of loading speed

As you know, Google algorithms require a site response time of not more than 200 ms. If this figure is higher, your site will be lower in the search index, so customising the speed and response is critical. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse can help you identify and fix the issues slowing down your site.

• User Interface experience

To provide a great user experience, it’s vital to ensure that all your website features are easily accessible on mobile devices. You want to optimise the fonts to ensure the control buttons are big enough and work well on different screen sizes. This way, your site will be user-friendly no matter what device your visitors use.

Technical Aspects of Mobile Optimisation

• Google Mobile-First Indexing

Google reported that in February 2024, mobile searches accounted for 65.89% of all search queries. At this time, the company announced that it would index mobile versions of sites first. This makes mobile optimization critical for SEO. To prepare your site for Mobile-First Indexing, make sure the mobile version contains the same content as the desktop version and is optimised for quick access.

• Core Web Vitals

This is a set of metrics that includes Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These metrics evaluate content loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Their indicators directly affect the indexing of the mobile version of the site and, accordingly, determine its place in the search query. Google Search Console and GTmetrix tools can be used to monitor and improve these metrics.

Tools for Mobile Optimisation

Google Mobile-Friendly Test

In 2024, Google further detailed this test and added new metrics. Basically, though, the test determines how well your site is readable, how the font displays on small screens, and whether there are any problems with interactive elements.

GTmetrix

GTmetrix analyses your site’s loading speed and gives basic advice on how to improve performance and responsiveness. In 2024, GTmetrix updated its analysis algorithms, which are now more in sync with Google Core Web Vitals. This allows the program to make more accurate recommendations for improving LCP, FID, and CLS metrics.

SEMrush

This is a large-scale platform for researching your site’s SEO optimisation and competitiveness. SEMrush is fundamental for researching and improving online visibility metrics and user engagement.

Practical Tips for Mobile Optimisation

• Optimise images and videos

Utilising WebP image formats and implementing lazy loading can significantly reduce server load and speed up your site’s loading time. Using TinyPNG and ImageOptim tools, you can compress large images with virtually no loss of quality.

Optimised forms and drop-down menus are standard for mobile site optimisation. It’s also worth ensuring that buttons and interactive elements are large enough for small screens and that text is easy to read without zooming in.

• Content

The information on your mobile site should be tailored to the appropriate device. The text should be broken down into small paragraphs that will fit into the phone screen, and the user will not have to constantly flip through the page. It’s also important to consider voice search capabilities by adapting content for questions and answers that users can ask voice assistants.

• Cross-browser testing

You need to make sure that your website displays the same in all available mobile browsers without losing functionality. BrowserStack allows you to test how your site performs on different platforms and fix possible problems.

• Regular updates and monitoring

Conduct regular audits and check your site for updates and performance. Use user activity tracking tools to better understand what improvements need to be made.

Conclusion

Mobile optimisation is super important in modern web design. Back in 2024, Google changed its approach to indexing mobile versions of websites, and ever since then, it’s been a crucial part of nailing your SEO game. If you’ve got a mobile site that’s optimised to the max, you’re gonna see some fantastic benefits like more traffic, better search rankings, and increased user engagement. Just make sure you’re using all the latest tools and following the guidelines to prepare your site for all those mobile users out there.

Sponsored