By If your website isn't optimized for the mobile experience, your business risks being left in the past.
In fact, there are now more Google searches performed on smartphones than there are on desktop computers. In other words, the most likely way for new customers to learn about your business is through their mobile devices.
That's why your web design has to exceed the expectations of today's average Internet user. Your website must be responsive to whatever device accesses it. Here are 4 aspects of web design your website should master for the mobile devices of 2017 and beyond.
1. Straightforward, Relevant Content
When you access a website on your mobile device, you probably don't plan on a leisurely stroll through dozens of pages of text and images to find what you were looking for. No, you want to find the information you need ASAP.
If your website is full of random, unrelated fluff, you'll frustrate your visitors and drive them away from your pages when you really want to engage them with relevant content. It's critical that you keep all clutter to a minimum, and give each page a central focus.
2. Keeping Layouts Simple
Make sure your design features are simple enough for everyone to understand. There are plenty of websites out there with complicated layouts that try for a more artistic approach, but sometimes less is truly more.
Mobile devices can't have the traditional menu bars and multi-level menus and sub-menus. Instead, you'll need something more intuitive that takes up less screen room while doing more for your visitors.
Also, keep in mind that most mobile devices are touch screens; that means you'll have to account for all the differently sized fingers applying pressure to their phones. Tiny buttons and links that require the precision of a mouse cursor simply won't cut it any longer.
3. Planning Ahead
Seven years ago, the first iPad was released. Today, we have smart watches and virtual reality helmets. At this point, you should always design with the expectation of big changes coming right around the corner.
While you might not always be able to predict exactly what the future holds, you can still build a website that can go through a few easy steps to meet expectations instead of a ground-up redesign. Figure out exactly what your website needs to do right now to accommodate mobile devices, and invest appropriately in flexibility and responsiveness for tomorrow.
4. Totally Responsive Design
At the end of the day, the safest bet is to implement a website design that is 100% responsive. What this means is that no matter what screen size, orientation, operating system, or specific user behavior your website encounters, it will function perfectly.
Typically, there are four screen sizes that responsive web design aims to work for: widescreen desktop monitors, laptop screens, tablets, and smartphones. The flexible grids, layouts, and media elements of your site should adapt to accommodate whatever device without the need for manual resizing.
With a responsive design, you'll also have a single code base that functions on all devices and improves your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. A website that exists in one central location won't have to worry about its numbers being spread out across different access points, and it'll reduce your maintenance costs because it belongs to a single link.
Think your website's current design has what it takes to meet the needs of all the mobile devices your potential customers are using? If not, you should consider updating it to make it as responsive as possible. GroupM7's expert web design team specializes in building responsive websites -- so reach out to us today!
Aaron Dunn
Aaron is a writer by trade with several years of professional experience under his belt. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Before joining the Group, he worked as a freelancer and tech reviewer in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Aaron currently lives in Pittsburg, TX. 
