How to make a website mobile-friendly

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To make a website mobile-friendly, design for the smallest screen first, keep pages fast and make every tap easy to hit. A mobile website builder handles most of that for you, so visitors find what they need wherever they are. Wix delivers an AI website builder that shortens your time to launch. Whether you’re just learning how to go about making a website or improving one you already run, this guide covers what mobile website design actually requires. You’ll get 18 practical tips plus a way to test the result on real devices.

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TL;DR: How to make a website mobile-friendly

A mobile-friendly website adapts its layout to the screen it opens on, loads quickly on a phone connection and lets visitors read and tap without zooming. The fastest route is a responsive template, compressed images and thumb-sized tap targets. Wix has over 2000 pre-designed, fully customizable and mobile-optimized website templates.

What you’ll learn

• What makes a site mobile-friendly and how responsive and adaptive design differ

• 18 tips covering speed, images, forms, navigation and buttons

• How to test your site and which tools to use

What is a mobile friendly site?

A mobile-friendly website is easy to access and navigate on smartphones or tablets. With mobile devices generating more than half of all web page views worldwide, it’s no longer optional. It’s a must. These sites keep things simple for smaller screens, load fast and work smoothly, even with slower internet.

When it comes to making a website mobile friendly, there’s more than one way to do it. Some sites use fast-loading AMP pages, others go the app-like route with PWAs. You might also come across separate mobile sites or dynamic serving. But in most cases, it comes down to one key decision: responsive vs adaptive design.

Responsive design adjusts your layout to fit any screen size, keeping things simple with one flexible site. Adaptive design takes a different path, showing a custom version of your site based on the device. Both work well. Responsive design offers flexibility across devices while adaptive design provides more control over how your site appears on different screen sizes.

Learn how to make a responsive website.

18 easy tips to make your website mobile-friendly

Here’s how you can create a mobile-friendly website that works perfectly on both mobile and desktop using a mobile website builder. These tips are easy to follow and will help you deliver a smooth experience for every visitor.

1. Start with a mobile-first approach

2. Choose a mobile-responsive template

3. Meet Core Web Vitals on mobile

4. Improve the site’s speed

5. Use fonts that are easy to read

6. Optimize images for mobile viewing

7. Space out your links

8. Implement the viewport meta tag

9. Shorten forms and disable autocorrect

10. Avoid large chunks of text

11. Strategize CTA buttons

12. Incorporate a search function

13. Declutter your web design

14. Make the website compatible with both orientations

15. Simplify navigation

16. Eliminate text-blocking ads and pop-ups

17. Provide an option to switch to desktop view

18. Test the website on real mobile devices

01. Start with a mobile-first approach

A mobile first design focuses on designing user experiences for mobile devices before adapting them for desktop. By tailoring design and development for mobile initially, you ensure your website is optimized for smaller screens and remains responsive as display size increases. With this approach, you prioritize the needs of your mobile users, who are likely the majority of your audience.

02. Choose a mobile-responsive template

A responsive layout allows your website to adjust its size to suit the user's device. It can switch between screen sizes, showing relevant content while adjusting the design, like moving from a two-column website layout on a computer to one-column on a phone. If you use a responsive design, it shouldn't slow down loading times when changing to different screens. 

A responsive website can boost search engine optimization (SEO) because Google favors mobile-friendly sites in search results. Google's algorithms prioritize mobile-rendered webpages for ranking, upping the ante for mobile-friendly websites. For those new to website building or less tech-savvy, Wix offers customizable website templates with built-in mobile-friendly capabilities. They also offer responsive website templatesfrom Wix Studio. Wix provides an intuitive website builder with drag and drop editing.

03. Meet Core Web Vitals on mobile

Google measures real mobile experience through Core Web Vitals, which cover how fast the main content appears, how quickly the page responds to a tap and how much the layout shifts while loading. Mobile scores usually trail desktop because phones run on slower connections and less processing power, so check the mobile tab specifically instead of assuming a good desktop score carries over.

04. Improve the site’s speed

A website's page load speed is the time it takes for a page to fully load when a visitor goes to that site. Optimizing the load speed is crucial for improving user experience, as slow loading times can drive away visitors and hurt conversions. High speed may influence rankings, so it's important to take necessary steps to boost your website speed. Check your website load time using free tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights. If you notice it's a bit slow, here are some suggestions to help speed things up:

• Reduce the number of redirects: Clicking on a URL usually leads the server to redirect you to the intended page. Each redirect delays the page load speed as the browser needs to request the server for each one. To speed things up, cut down on redirects. Simplify by using URL shorteners or linking directly to the page you want.

• Check your web hosting plan: The quality of hosting and servers significantly impacts your website's performance. Opt for a fast and dependable hosting website to ensure your website runs at its best speed.  Wix offers secure, scalable web hosting built in when you create your website.

05. Use fonts that are easy to read

Choosing clear, simple fonts helps users on the go easily digest your content, boosting readability and engagement with your site. Plus, a good font selection enhances your site's appearance, making it more professional and trustworthy.

Check out these tips for choosing the best website font:

• Stick to standard fonts: Prevent delays caused by font downloads on visitors' browsers, which can slow down your website loading time, particularly on mobile.

• Adjust font size for mobile: The 16 pixel default that browsers use for body text is a safer floor than the 14 pixels some desktop guidelines still suggest. Test it on a mobile device to ensure legibility.

• Opt for black text over multiple colors: Ensure visibility, especially with varying backgrounds or outdoor light reflections.

• Utilize limited space effectively: On mobile, bold or capitalize text lines to prevent merging, as spacing out text and images like on desktops may not be feasible.

06. Optimize images for mobile viewing

Mobile devices have limited bandwidth compared to desktops, so large image files can slow down loading times. Additionally, many mobile users have data restrictions, making smaller image sizes beneficial in conserving data usage. When working with mobile sites, the aim is to keep image sizes as small as possible without compromising quality. Here are some tips to help:

• Size your images: High-resolution images take up a lot of space causing slow load times. Wix automatically converts uploaded images to AVIF, which is around 50% smaller than WebP. You can also use an image resizer to reduce the file size so they load faster without negatively affecting the quality of what people see on the site.

• Adopt lazy loading: Loading all images on a page at once can slow down the initial page load, especially on pages with numerous images. Wix sites use lazy loading to load images only when they're about to come into view. This means images aren't loaded until the user scrolls to the area where the image is located.

• Use percentages instead of pixels: Having images set in fixed-pixel margins can lead to issues on smaller screens with different mobile resolutions. When images don't scale down properly, visitors might have to scroll horizontally as images exceed the screen width.

07. Space out your links

When designing websites, think about how touch devices and mouse clicks work. Since fingers are thicker than desktop cursors, it's essential to space out links further apart on mobile sites to prevent misclicks. When you do link out to pages, try to only link to web pages that are also mobile-friendly for a seamless experience.

08. Implement the viewport meta tag

If your page appears at the same width on your phone's small screen as it does on your desktop, viewers will scroll awkwardly from side to side to read each line of text and view different parts of the page.

By using the viewport meta tag, you can manage the width and scaling of the viewport to ensure your website displays correctly on all devices. Wix sites ship with the standard responsive viewport tag, <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">. That tells the browser to match the page width to the device width instead of shrinking a desktop layout, which is what stops visitors from pinching and zooming to read.

09. Shorten forms and disable autocorrect

Typing on mobile devices can be a hassle, so it's best to keep forms on your site short and straightforward. Limit the number of fields required for form completion and utilize autofill options for common information like name and email address. If your website has forms requesting name or address details, a simple way to aid mobile users is by disabling autocorrect for each field. This avoids frustrating corrections that could slow down the form-filling process.

10. Avoid large chunks of text

Reading large blocks of text on a mobile device can be overwhelming, leading to user frustration or disinterest in the content. To make your site more mobile-friendly, break text into small, easy-to-read paragraphs and use bullet points or numbering for easy scanning. Add relevant headers that help readers quickly spot key points or sections. Use white spacing to highlight key points, avoid cluttering text and give enough space between words and succeeding lines.

11. Strategize CTA buttons

Buttons are essential website design elements, especially when prompting a call to action (CTA). Opting for larger buttons helps mobile users easily tap the screen and navigate between your site's pages. Since most mobile users navigate using their thumbs, buttons should be large enough to hit with a thumb.

Consider these guidelines when designing buttons for a mobile-friendly website:

• Apply contrast: To enhance button visibility, consider using contrasting website color schemes. For example, opt for a light color for the button text, a dark color for the button itself and a contrasting color for the surrounding area. Another effective method is to introduce a different color for the button’s border.

• Optimize the button size: Buttons that are too small can be hard to press, while overly large buttons might take up too much space on a small screen. Keeping buttons around 10mm by 10mm ensures they stay readable and optimized for mobile users and their varying fingertip sizes.

• Maximize button position: Most people typically use their dominant thumb for interactive tapping. To make it user-friendly, position buttons within easy thumb reach, usually in the lower right part of the screen.

12. Incorporate a search function

With limited screen space, it can be challenging to fit all your website's essential information on the mobile version. By including a search function, users can easily find what they're looking for without navigating through multiple pages. This also helps improve user experience and reduces frustration caused by endless scrolling or clicking numerous links.

13. Declutter your web design

When designing a mobile website, make sure to keep it simple. Complex sites with a lot of information can be confusing on any screen, but they're especially tough for visitors on small screens to navigate. Stick to minimal text and images and ensure easy navigation. Follow these recommendations to streamline your mobile design:

• Prioritize critical functions: Present only the essential functions upfront, since those are what users actively seek. Avoid overcrowding a website with numerous calls to action on one page. Stick to the vital functions users would actively search for, like the contact form.

• Optimize menu design: Avoid long lists of options and features in menus. Instead, consider using a hamburger menu, a button that opens a longer menu. This approach saves space and reduces clutter, especially on smaller screens.

Learn more: What is web design?

14. Make the website compatible with both orientations

One of the advantages of mobile devices is being able to switch between portrait and landscape orientation. Ensure your website is designed to function correctly in both orientations, so users can comfortably navigate through your site no matter how they hold their device.

15. Simplify navigation

When users grab their smartphones, they're usually after something specific, like a quick answer, a restaurant's address or a customer service number. In these cases, they want to find the information they need as fast and as easily as possible. Consider what your mobile visitors are hunting for and make sure it's easy to spot on your mobile homepage. Use analytics to know what mobile visitors seek. In Google Analytics, open Reports, then Tech, then Tech details, then switch the dimension to Device category to see how mobile visitors interact with your website. 

16. Eliminate text-blocking ads and pop-ups

Mobile users have limited screen space, so it becomes frustrating when ads block the webpage content they're trying to access. Text-blocking ads and pop-ups can also hinder navigation, making it difficult for users to find what they came for. Most visitors won't bother searching for the tiny X to close the pop-up. They’ll simply click away to another site. Instead, opt for minimal or no ads on your mobile website to provide a better user experience design.

If you must use them for promotional purposes, do so strategically. Make sure the pop-up only appears when users have scrolled to the bottom of the page, not immediately upon landing. Additionally, ensure the close button is prominent enough for users to easily locate and click. Alternatively, consider using other website elements like a less obtrusive top banner for promotions, coupled with a reasonably sized close button.

17. Provide an option to switch to desktop view

In some cases, mobile visitors may prefer to view your site in the traditional desktop layout. To accommodate these users, provide them with an option to switch to the standard view if needed. This can be achieved through a simple link at the bottom of the page or a toggle button on the menu.

18. Test the website on real mobile devices

Regular testing is the best way to catch small issues that create a worse experience for your visitors. Every so often, pull up your website on your phone and tablet and spend some time browsing to see if anything’s hard to see or difficult to do. Be sure to test using both Android and iOS devices. With a Wix site, use the Editor to preview mobile and desktop views. You can also run the site through Google Lighthouse, which is built into Chrome DevTools and free to use. Google retired its own mobile-friendly test and now points site owners to Lighthouse instead.

Is my website mobile friendly?

Is your website really mobile friendly? A mobile-friendly site should look great, load fast and be simple to navigate on any phone or tablet. The easiest way to check is to open your site on different devices. Can you read text without zooming? Are buttons easy to tap? Does the layout adapt nicely to smaller screens? If you’re constantly adjusting your screen, it’s time for a mobile upgrade.

You can also run your site through online tools that check loading speed and usability on phones and tablets. Testing across different browsers and devices can help uncover hidden issues affecting your visitors’ experience.

Mobile compatibility testing

Mobile compatibility means your website looks great and works seamlessly on any phone or tablet no matter the screen size or brand. It’s about making sure visitors don’t have to zoom in, squint or struggle to click around. Testing mobile compatibility helps you catch issues like messy layouts, tiny buttons or slow load times before your audience does. Here’s how to check if your site is mobile-friendly:

• Test it yourself: Grab a few phones and tablets to see how your site looks and feels firsthand.

• Use browser tools: Tools like Chrome DevTools let you preview your site on different screen sizes right from your computer.

• Try device testing services: Platforms like BrowserStack let you view your site on a huge range of real devices without needing to own them.

• Check loading speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to ensure your site loads quickly on mobile.

• Tap around: Test buttons, menus and forms on your phone to see if everything works smoothly with your fingers.

• Check different browsers: Make sure your site performs well on Safari, Chrome, Firefox and other mobile browsers.

How to make a website mobile-friendly FAQ