Skip to main content
We’re here with practical IT information for your business.

Search

How to choose the right computer equipment for your business to increase your productivity and efficiency without it costing the earth.

Business software helps you complete a range of tasks. Choose the right software, provide support and train your staff with our introduction.

It is highly likely that you depend on the internet for some aspects of your business. Find out how you can use the internet more effectively.

Good communication with customers, partners and suppliers is vital for business success. This summary explores business communication methods.

How would you cope if your IT system failed or was breached? We cover the main IT security issues and how to protect against them.

Good IT management can help you choose, use and implement IT. Our overview helps you manage IT in a way that maximises the return on your investment.

IT support is vital if you rely on your IT system. But how can you set up an effective safety net in case things go wrong? We explore the options.

Getting the right IT is just the first step. Appropriate training, policies and working practices can help you maximise return on your IT investment.

Make your website smart phone friendly

There's no room for argument, the UK has more smartphones than people. Ofcom figures show that an average smartphone owner spends over 2.5 hours a day accessing the internet via a mobile device (75% of all time spent online is now via a mobile device). This means it's essential that your website works as well on a smartphone or tablet device as it does a computer

We look at how you can make sure your website works on smartphones and mobile devices.

Assess your existing website

Before you start creating a whole new website for smartphones, you should assess whether your existing website is suitable for a mobile screen.

"Look at what you already have before you rush out and adapt your site," recommends ecommerce expert Benjamin Dyer.

"Mobile screens are getting bigger, so most sites are already usable. It might just need a few tweaks."

If your website has a lot of graphics and detail, it may be unsuitable. "But if your site has a simple, clean and fresh-looking layout, with intelligent use of content, chances are it will look good on a mobile screen," says Dyer.

Google offers a free tool that will evaluate how mobile friendly your website is. If the search giant doesn't believe your website is suitable for smartphones, it may demote you in some search results, so it's wise to take this test and make improvements where necessary.

Who uses your website?

Although mobile internet use has rocketed, not all websites receive lots of visitors on mobile devices. For instance, websites selling business-to-business services may find most prospective customers still visit from company computers.

This doesn't mean you can be complacent. Mobile internet access has definitely reached a point where every website should work on mobile devices. But if a large proportion of your visitors come from mobile devices then you may wish to prioritise your mobile-friendly efforts.

Most web analytics tools - like Google Analytics or Clicky - can show you what devices your visitors are using. In Google Analytics, just choose Audience > Mobile > Overview.

If lots of people are already visiting your website using mobile devices (say, 30% or more) then you should certainly prioritise making it mobile friendly.

"In particular, if smartphone users are visiting your site and bouncing off immediately, you should make changes," elaborates Dyer.

How should you cater for smartphones?

Some companies offer mobile visitors an entirely different version of their websites. Typically, these mobile sites have slimmed down content and less-complex graphics.

However, this may mean you have to manage two separate sites - adding considerably to your workload.

A more popular way of catering for mobile visitors is to use a technique called responsive web design. This means you give your website a flexible layout. The elements on each page (images, content and so on) shift and change with the screen size.

For instance, you could show your content in three columns on a desktop computer. But on a smartphone's tiny screen, that content would be displayed in a single column, so visitors don't have to scroll sideways or zoom.

Another advantage of responsive design is that it allows you to cater for virtually any size of screen, from huge TVs to the smallest of smartphones. If a new breed of mobile devices becomes popular, you won't have to redesign your site all over again; your pages will adapt themselves automatically.

Making your website responsive

If you've created a website using a website builder package, there's a good chance it will already be responsive. Most good packages now allow you to select responsive templates that adapt to fit different screen sizes.

Responsive templates are also available for popular content management systems like WordPress. This makes it relatively easy to make your website smartphone friendly.

If your website is a custom design that was created by a web designer, adapting it for smartphones may be tricky (although not always impossible). Your designer should be able to advise on the best way to make your site mobile friendly.

Often, the only way to deliver a good experience for mobile visitors is to redesign a site from scratch. If that's not immediately feasible, consider a short-term compromise, such as recreating key pages in a mobile-friendly format.

Of course, if you're planning a new website, make sure you think about mobile users from the start. And check that your designer or web agency has a portfolio of sites that follow the principles of responsive web design.

Finally, remember that creating a mobile-friendly website isn't just a box-ticking exercise.

"If smartphone users can navigate easily, and find and buy products without facing barriers, they are more likely to come back to your site," concludes Dyer.

Stay up-to-date with business advice and news

Sign up to our lively and colourful newsletter for new and more established small businesses.