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With more and more people using mobile devices to engage and do business with brands today, it’s important that your WordPress website is fully mobile responsive.
Mobile responsive themes are great, but they’re not your only option!
There are also mobile plugins you can use to make your site more mobile friendly. I have listed 5 plugins that you can use to boost compatibility and mobile responsiveness.
5 Plugins to Make Your WordPress Website Fully Mobile Responsive
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I recommend you use one of these plugins to make your site responsive and cater to your mobile audience:
- JetPack
JetPack by Automatic is a plugin that I have personally used before. It allows you to create a unique mobile experience for your website visitors.
It comes with much more than just a mobile theme and includes features such as:
Lazy image loading: images load faster on smaller devices, like mobiles
Related posts: similar posts appear at the bottom of posts to give users some related reading suggestions
Sharing buttons: allows you to share your content with ease on various social media platforms
Infinite scroll: loads more content automatically so readers don’t get bored
Notifications: get updates from your favorite blogs, sites and more without even having to visit their site
Enhanced sharing on social media: provides “one click” access to all your favorite social media platforms
JetPack Details:
Jetpack was released in 2014 by Automattic with 5 stars rating . It was built using PHP/MySQL coding with SEO friendly structure for best search engine rankings.
- WordPress Mobile Pack
Another plugin that I have used before is the WordPress Mobile Pack by PRESS402 . This plugin comes highly rated (with 4.5 out of 5 stars), but does cost between $39-$299 depending on which version you choose.
WordPress Mobile Plugin Details:
WP Mobile Pack was released in 2008 by PRESS402 with 4.5 stars rating . It was built using HTML/CSS coding with SEO friendly structure for best search engine rankings. The plugin includes mobile theme, one click import, enhanced security and support 24/7.
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- WPtouch Pro
I have recently started to use the WPtouch Pro plugin by WPMU DEV Team , it is a great alternative to JetPack because of its many useful features that come at a fraction of the cost! Some key features include:
Unlimited color options
Logo uploader
Customizable admin menu
Responsive site
Smart image handling
Social media button management
Share post links
Google analytics integration
Comprehensive site speed stats
Deep linking
One click installation
Custom CSS
Styling for HTML5 elements
Basic support
Enhanced security
Spam filtering
Site-wide language translation
Optimized for search engines
Multisite compatible
WPtouch Pro Details:
WPTouch Pro was released in 2012 by WPMU DEV Team with 4.5 stars rating . It was built using PHP/MySQL coding with SEO friendly structure for best search engine rankings. The plugin includes Visual Style Editor, Translation Files, Developer API and much more.
- Jigoshop
Another option available for those who wish to add an eCommerce solution to their WordPress installation is the Jigoshop eCommerce plugin . It was built using HTML/CSS coding with SEO friendly structure for best search engine rankings. Some of its key features are:
Drag & Drop Editor
Unlimited color options
Logo uploader
Customizable admin menu
Social media button management
Share post links
Google analytics integration
Site-wide language translation
Optimized for search engines
Jigoshop Details:
This plugin was released in 2008 by JIGO with 4.5 out of 5 stars rating . It was built using PHP/MySQL coding with SEO friendly structure for best search engine rankings and includes and easy return and refund system, coupon codes, eCommerce tools and much more. Get Jigoshop here !
- Weglot
A plugin that I’ve recently discovered is the Weglot Language Plugin by Weglot . It allows you to easily translate your site into as many languages as you like. It’s key features include:
Translate entire pages
Translate menus
Automatic translations
One click installation
No file modifications
SEO friendly structure
Multi-site compatible
Weglot Details:
This plugin was released in 2013 by WEGLOT with 4.5 out of 5 stars rating . It was built using PHP/MySQL coding with SEO friendly structure for best search engine rankings. The plugin includes Translation Files, Developer API and much more. Get Weglot here !
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11 Tips to keep in mind while making your WordPress websites mobile friendly:
Make sure that your site loads quickly – You have just a few seconds before people are going to abandon your page so you need to make sure that it’s loading at a fast pace. If this is an issue, then it might be time to look into switching hosts or upgrading your current platform to something faster.
Embrace responsive design – Although many people still love having dedicated mobile sites, the truth is that there are plenty of great reasons for opting for responsive design instead. Not only will you save yourself a lot of money in the process but you’ll also benefit from having one URL which will help with campaign tracking & search engine optimization .
Don’t ignore media queries – Media queries give you the chance to customize your site based on what kind of device it’s being viewed on, making it easier than ever before to provide a great experience for everyone involved.
Don’t forget about mobile apps – You can still benefit greatly from building out an effective mobile app so try not to ignore this option throughout your entire process. This is especially true if you want more people visiting your website in general because users are much less likely to download these types of apps nowadays compared with just a few years ago.
Keep things simple – Simplicity has become one of the biggest selling points for any business that wants to remain successful over the long term so you should always keep this in mind while working on your company’s website. Although there are plenty of ways to get creative with things, especially when it comes to smaller business, don’t forget that simplicity is going to be one of the best ways to attract more visitors overall.
Be helpful – You need to remember that most people come to a website with a specific goal in mind and they’re not going to stick around if they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly enough. This means that having knowledgeable staff members who care about their customers will make all the difference when it comes to attracting new business from both existing and potential customers alike.
Keep track – If you want your online efforts to be as successful as possible, then you need to make sure that you’re tracking everything throughout the entire process. This will help a lot more than most people realize at first glance because it’s going to help you find new ways of tackling existing problems and it also helps keep stakeholders happy through insightful reports.
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Integrate social media – It may seem like a given but some people still don’t integrate social media as much as they should. If this is an area where you want to excel, then it’s worth looking into hiring professional social media experts who can take care of things for your business.
Don’t forget about mobile friendly emails – Although this might not come up very often everyday life, having email newsletters which are mobile friendly is definitely worth thinking about before launching your campaign to the masses.
Make sure you have a call-to-action – If there’s no specific goal in mind, then you’ll lose out on potential customers and this will hurt your bottom line moving forward. Try using clear calls to action whenever possible and remember that this should be one of the biggest goals throughout the entire process.
Mobile visitors need just as much attention as desktop ones – Just because people use their mobile devices more often than not doesn’t mean that they’re any less important when it comes to effective marketing strategies . Don’t ignore them or pay them less attention in general because they’re going to make your life difficult if you do so.
Mistakes to avoid while making your WordPress websites mobile friendly:
Don’t use unnecessary plugins: While it may be tempting for you to install a dozen different plugins, resist the urge to do this as this will slow down your site and hurt your search engine rankings.
Don’t use Flash: Your website must be coded using HTML5 and CSS3 specifications in order to rank well on mobile devices. Using flash is only going to keep people from visiting your website and seeing whatever great content that you have posted.
Don’t rely too much on JavaScript: This isn’t really something that’s going to affect you negatively right now, but if more and more sites begin moving away from JavaScript then it’s definitely something that you’re going want to consider as webmasters start looking towards other platforms to implement their websites.
Don’t use too many images: Not only can using too many images hurt your load times, but it can also be a real turn-off for people that are viewing your site on mobile devices. Make sure that you’re keeping the amount of images that you’re using to an absolute minimum so that people don’t get bogged down when visiting your site.
Don’t forget about Google’s new platform: While search engine rankings aren’t really going to affect you all that much right now, they certainly will in the future once Google starts rolling out its new platform, making this something that you’ll want to start paying attention to if you haven’t done so already.
Don’t fail to make a mobile UX: While having a great user experience on the desktop version of your site is important, you’ll also need to make sure that you’re giving mobile users an equally amazing one. Your goal needs to be focused on creating something that provides users with the information that they want in the easiest and quickest way possible
Don’t ignore iOS devices: If your website isn’t optimized for Apple’s iOS platform then it’s not going to rank very well in search results due to their filtering out all of those sites that aren’t compatible with their iPhones and iPads. Make sure that you test thoroughly using these devices prior to launching so you can avoid this issue.
Don’t forget about Android: Similar to what we outlined above, you must make sure that your website is coded for Google’s Android mobile platform. Just like with iOS devices , any site that isn’t compatible won’t show up on searches made using these devices.
Don’t use desktop ads on mobile sites: Not only are you going to be facing issues if you try to put banner ads on your mobile version, but pop-ups and other annoying advertisements are bound to cause problems as well. This type of advertising is typically what turns people away from websites so it’s best to avoid this at all costs.
Don’t forget about offline conversions: While it might seem easy right now to just focus on having a great online presence, there are still plenty of offline conversion opportunities available to you, whether it’s through print advertising or even SMS messaging. You shouldn’t ignore these opportunities because they can still prove to be very effective in the right circumstances.
Don’t neglect your meta description: The content that you’re using for your meta description shouldn’t appear anywhere else on your website. This is something that users will see when searching online so make sure that it’s compelling enough to get them interested in checking out your website further.
Don’t forget about local search results: While Google isn’t really going to show any mobile friendly sites in their general search engine rankings , they are definitely going to make note of how well these websites do in terms of their localized searches. Make sure that you optimize this aspect of your online presence if you’re trying to get more traffic.
Don’t be afraid of app development: Apps aren’t just for large companies anymore so it’s definitely something that you should consider moving forward, especially if you already have a mobile version of your website in place. This provides users with instant access to whatever information they need and can work great in the event that you do decide to put up an advertisement later on down the road.
Don’t delete your mobile site: Although Google is going to slowly start showing desktop websites over their optimized counterparts, there are still plenty of users out there that still prefer using these sites instead. You shouldn’t automatically assume that because you have one then you no longer need the other; instead, think about how they could work together to better engage with your audience.
Conclusion
With all of this in mind, you should now have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to create an effective mobile friendly website. Your main goal should be to focus on the things that are most important and integrate them into your current site so that everything works well together. At the end of the day, making sure that you’re doing what’s best for both your visitors and for Google is going to help ensure that you get positive results moving forward.
FAQs About Mobile-Friendly Websites
Why does google favor mobile friendly websites?
Answer: Google found that 52% more people are searching online with their phones instead of on desktop computers.
Are my competitors making their websites mobile-friendly? How can I beat them?
[Answer: Yes, they are. Look at your competitors’ sites to see how their website is optimized for mobile device users and implement what you learn.]
What is a “mobile site”, and why do I need one?
OK , so maybe you already have a website — but there’s a good chance it’s not optimized for viewing on your smartphone or tablet’s screen. Think of it like this: Just as personal trainers take into account that everyone has different goals even if they’re working out (some people want bigger arms; others might be looking for better stamina), mobile sites (which often go by the name of “responsive” or “adaptive” sites) know that different visitors want different things.
What makes a good mobile site?
As you might expect, it’s all about knowing your audience and making sure they can easily access what they need when they land on a site, whether it’s video tutorials , a list of store locations , driving directions , contact information or an e-commerce shop . It doesn’t really matter how someone got to your site — as long as they have a great experience on it so you don’t lose them as a potential customer.
How do I make my site mobile friendly?
Good news: Most websites now offer some sort of mobile customization option. That doesn’t mean that you can just switch it on and call it a day, though. Customizing your site to be mobile-friendly is an ongoing process — especially if you’re using third party content like video or image ads . Your web developer will need to retool things like ad sizes , image resizing and download speeds in order to make sure that everything runs smoothly across different devices.
What happens when someone is using an older device?
While many of us have fast smartphones and tablets, there’s still a good chunk of the world that doesn’t. If someone with a 2G connection or on a really old mobile browser , they aren’t going to be able to see your best work — just like your TV isn’t going to look as good if it’s hooked up to a VHS player rather than an HD cable box. Make sure you’re testing out how your site looks on slower connections, because this could end up being another reason why some people are unable to access what you want them to see.
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Are mobile sites different from responsive sites?
For small businesses, yes. Responsive sites are just that — they resize themselves based on the person’s device and screen size. Bigger companies with a lot of money to spend can build a mobile site from scratch . All you need to know is that responsive sites use one URL, mobile sites have their own URLs and apps serve up content in a totally different way.
How do I make sure my site looks good on any device?
Glad you asked. This one is easy: It’s all about using what’s called “responsive design.” For example , if your website has been built out specifically for desktop, it might look great when you stretch out your laptop or monitor to fill every inch of the screen. But load the site onto an iPhone in portrait mode , and the site is going to look totally wonky. That’s because your desktop version of the website wasn’t designed with smaller screens in mind. On a responsive or mobile-friendly site, on the other hand, every element of the design will automatically adjust its size based on how much space it has available. So if you scroll down on your smartphone, you’ll quickly see more content instead of less as some elements simply re-size themselves to fill any screen.
What are my options for mobile apps?
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If there’s one thing that Apple really knows how to do well, it’s making people pay money for things they can get for free elsewhere . Google Play has plenty of great, open source apps that are free to download, but if you’re an iOS user, your choices are a little more limited. The advantage here is that you can brand your app however you like and add any functionality (or lack thereof) that suits your business — though we’d recommend sticking to making it free for anyone who uses it unless they’re really going to get some sort of special benefit.