Whether your poison is social media, news channel websites, checking your work email on the go or lifestyle apps to keep you accountable; it’s fair to say, many of us can’t live without our phone.
In fact, in October 2024, it was reported that 70.3% of the global population owned a phone. So, it’s safe to say that when it comes to marketing your brand, a mobile-first approach is probably the best – or is it?
We’ve been providing web design in Shropshire and beyond for 15 years now, so we know a thing or two when it comes to the best approach to developing a brand’s website. But although mobile is the go-to for many users, taking a mobile first approach to your web project is not always the best route.
When to choose mobile-first?
The first thing we do with any new client is look at their existing website data (if they have any to hand). This will tell us everything we need to know from a traffic point of view about your current audience. It could be that your traffic is 50/50 mobile to desktop, or it could be that mobile drives the majority of your traffic. We’ll also consider what browsers your users typically use, such as Google Chrome and Safari.
We’ll look at the purpose of your website. Consumer trends have changed drastically over the last few years – partly in the wake of COVID-19. Mobile shopping is at an all-time high, with 77% of smartphones globally leading the charge for online purchases in 2024 – driven by accessing mobile versions of websites and social media shopping experiences. If your customers are looking for an e-commerce experience, as a WordPress website developer, we’ll consider their buying journey and how this can be enhanced through a mobile-first approach.
Websites with heavy content are often best developed from a mobile-first perspective. Users tend to consume content like news articles or blogs on the go (we’ve all been there when we have time to kill on a train or waiting at an airport!), so high content sites like this need to be mobile responsive.
What’s the benefit of a mobile-first website?
- Building for your audience: Starting your web design process with a mobile-first approach will ensure content is easily accessible, designed and developed to suit your audience’s preferred browsing method.
- Boost SEO: Google loves a mobile website, and prioritises these in search results. So, if your site is well designed, developed for mobile and has some optimisation, you have a higher chance of reaching your intended audience.
- Improve your user experience: As a web design agency in Shropshire, we’ve worked with a wide range of clients, but some can find the process a bit overwhelming. There’s the worry that their site includes too much – or not enough – content, but mobile-responsive design forces you to focus on the most important content first, improving user experience. Your site will be cleaner, easier to navigate and will help users convert quicker if they can find exactly what they need easily.
- Faster load speeds: Designing for mobile means your content needs to be accessible and load wherever your users may be. To achieve this, all media files are optimised, making them smaller than you’d find on a desktop site. As part of our own website development process, our team makes sure that your files are suited for mobile browsing, without losing any of the important details that media provide to your brand experience. Same imagery, just faster!
Improve your online brand
Whether you’re looking to update your brand website, or you’re a start-up, a mobile-first approach to your bespoke website design is likely to be the best solution. And that’s where we come in. We’re a creative web design agency and have worked with clients from all sectors, using our knowledge to develop the best possible online experience for your audience. Need some inspiration? Take a look at some of our previous work or, if you’re ready to get the ball rolling, get in touch with the team.
