Mobile optimization best practices for E-commerce sites

Is your website’s mobile conversion rate lagging far behind that from the desktop top or tablet users? If it does, you need to implement mobile optimization practices on your site to help you increase revenue from mobile users.

This guide includes eight tried and tested practices for mobile optimization and a list of things to avoid making it easier for mobile users to navigate and shop from your E-commerce website.

Why is mobile optimization essential for E-commerce websites?

E-commerce analysts predict that by 2021, e-commerce sales through mobiles are going to count for about 54% of the total sales. Hence, it becomes essential to optimize your website for mobile e-commerce sales.

There are several tools that help to assess the mobile-friendliness of a website and look for flaws by considering the following:

• Easy navigation
• Page loading time
• Text visibility
• Clickability
• Checkout convenience
• Use of ads
• Use of pop-ups

Best practices for E-commerce website mobile optimization

●       Create a responsive and attractive website

First of all, you need to log into your website through a mobile device and check if the website design looks as pleasing as it looks on a desktop device.

If any part of the design seems to cut off or if the site is not as responsive as it should be, you need to opt for a more mobile-friendly design. 

●       Keep the navigation simple and user-friendly

Most of the time, a lot of navigation options that are available on desktop devices do not have room to be accommodated in a mobile design.

Therefore, make sure that the essential pages on your website like the main menu, pages, posts, and links are easy to find and access.

●       Make the checkout process as simple as possible

When the user is navigating your website with his/her fingers, it becomes essential to make the checkout process as flawless and intuitive as possible.

Follow these tips for the same:

• Put a “Buy Now” button just below the product image.
• Avoid any distractions at the time of the payment.
• Add multiple payment options.

●       Add mobile rich snippets on your website

Adding rich snippets is an excellent way to persuade the users to tap for your website in the search results.

A product snippet is one of the best of all. It can be used to display the color and the size of the product.

●       AMPlify your product page

Stats show that 40% of users will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. Therefore, slow loading times can severely affect your conversion rates.

Released by Google in recent years, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is a new solution for slow-loading pages.

You can use the following features of this service to make upgradations in your app design:

• AMP Carousel
• AMP Video
• AMP Accordion
• AMP Social Share

●       Use mobile analytical tools

Mobile analytical tools are used to collect users’ data from deriving actionable insights and consequently increase sales.

Here are the steps for the same:

• Log into Google Analytics and set up analytics tracking.
• Analyze shopping behavior for metrics like “no shopping activity,” “cart abandonment,” and “checkout abandonment.”

●       Create demo videos of your products

When shopping online, it can be confusing to understand exactly how the product will fit or look on you.

Therefore, demo videos or Gifs is a great idea to help the users understand the product better and make a quick decision.

●       Optimize for search engines

Search engine optimization makes it easier for the users to find you by making your content appear at the top of the search engines.

Google’s mobile testing tool is a good starting point to access your website and spot improvement points in the site’s content and design.

Things to avoid/reduce for mobile optimization

●       Invasive ads and pop-ups

Websites loaded with ads and pop-ups can be very annoying for the customers. Remember that pop-ups are more difficult to close on mobile devices.  Also, they can distract the customer from making a purchase.

While ads and pop-ups can be a great way to let the users know more about your latest deals, a lot of them can have a negative effect on your conversion rate.

●       Too heavy content

Although high-quality content is essential for SEO, too much of it can bog your website.

Analyze your website on a mobile device and access your reading experience. If there are too many blank spaces or weird spaces, you need to redesign your website.

●       Irrelevant words

Studies show that a mobile search is more specific in its queries. Therefore, the content on your websi6 should offer only the most relevant information to the users. Ensure that your headlines are short and punchy.

●       Abandonment

By reducing abandonment, you can significantly affect the mobile e-commerce conversion rate.

An excellent way to reduce abandonment is by putting a targeted offer on the screen just as the users are about to leave. This hack works for both desktop and mobile devices.

●       Small images

Although fancy and too large images are a big no for mobile e-commerce websites as they may not load at all, too small images can be difficult to click on.

Place clickable images in a size that is easy to be tapped by a thumb and in an area where it is easier for the thumb to reach.

So, here was the complete guide for mobile optimization practices for E-commerce websites. Implement these practices, and you are surely going to witness an instant boost in your mobile conversion rate.