Top 10 Keys To A Great Mobile Landing Page

Online users are increasingly using their mobile devices as a gateway to virtual information. When they are out shopping, riding in cars, and generally away from home (which, for many, is more often than not) people turn to their smartphones and tablets to help them learn about businesses, make purchases, and compare prices.   

In a recent study, Google found that 79% of smartphone users rely on their phones when shopping or researching products, and 90% of mobile queries result in some type of action: making a purchase, physically going to the business, providing contact info, etc. What does all this mean for your company? If you don’t have a mobile landing page then you are not fully connecting with a huge segment of the consumer population. In other words, you’re missing out on sales.

Even so, just having a mobile page isn’t enough. Like anything on the web, if you want to provide a fantastic online experience, you need to optimize it properly. Here are ten tips for a mobile-friendly landing page.

1.  Simplicity is Key

Above all, ensure your mobile landing page is brief, quickly scannable, and viewable from arms length. Remember, mobile users are busy and won’t waste time trying to decipher a bunch of content crammed onto a small screen.

2. Do Not Include Anything Requiring Flash Player

Not all mobile devices (iPhones in particular) support Flash, and even on those that do, it doesn’t always work well. Frankly, consumers are sick of encountering Flash elements which are incompatible with their phones and simply abandon unworkable sites.

3. Place the Most Vital Content at the Top of the Page

This is practical advice for any type of website, but is especially important for mobile landing pages where users are trying to find information as quickly as possible. Streamline your navigation so people can find what they are looking for at a glance and remove any extraneous text or images.

4. Avoid the Scroll

Try to keep your landing page viewable in a single screen, but if you need more room, always give visitors the option to scroll down – never sideways.

5. Have a Clear Call to Action

Make your call to action clear, obvious, and positioned near the top of the page. You can lessen your guest’s frustration (bumbling fingers and small touchscreens aren’t always the best combination) by making your action button slightly larger and away from your other links.

6. Utilize the Technology

Mobile devices offer many more capabilities than desktop browsers, so try to incorporate this functionality into your landing page’s design. Many mobile devices respond to tilting, shaking, swiping, and other motions, so design ways you can creatively include those elements. Also, tools such as click-to-call, maps, and location targeted promotions are great marketing features.

7. Keep the Load Time Short

This is another useful tip for both static and mobile pages. By now, everyone should know that if your site is inconvenient or slow, most consumers simply won’t bother.

8. Have a Brief, Memorable URL

Even if you don’t get a conversion on a person’s first visit, they may decide to checkout your landing page in the future. However, a major hindrance would be if the individual needs to type in your URL but can’t remember it – keep it simple.

9. Have Short Titles

Generally, mobile browsers can only show about 40 characters (even less when bookmarked), so keeping your titles short will make it easier for guests to know the theme of your page.

10. Offer a Link to your Regular Webpage

Despite all these suggestions, there are still those who prefer to interact with the desktop version of your site (especially if they are very familiar with it), and providing a link to it will ensure you satisfy all your guests.

Gartner** expects that by 2012 mobile web browsers will become more popular than desktop browsers. This prediction suggests mobile consumers aren’t merely composed of the young and tech savvy – but people from all demographics. Having a well-optimized mobile landing page will keep your business on top of the current trends and at the fingertips of mobile users.