BONUS: To see how your church website looks on multiple devices, use this free handy tool to test your site.
This free online tool helps you see how your website looks on the latest computers and mobile devices.
Optimizing for mobile.
If your church needs a new mobile website, below are a few helpful guidelines to ensure it’s optimized for mobile users.
1. Ensure fast loading.
Focus on the information that someone on a mobile device will likely need to know. Use Google Analytics (talk to your web team/hosting provider) to see what mobile users are doing on your regular website now as consideration for what should go on your mobile site.
Consider using responsive design (code-speak here) for flexible layout depending on the size/resolution of the device. Limit images and pictures. Limited use of images is actually an acceptable option for mobile.
2. Simplify navigation.
Orient the site vertically for most uses (except possibly integrated maps/directions). Use a simplified hierarchy in menus. No roll-over menus!
Add obvious Back and Home buttons. If possible, limit navigation to top-level information only; this is not the place to learn about every opportunity with the church.
Add small icons with clickable links for your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
3. Be thumb-friendly.
Rewrite content to use short sentences and paragraphs. Limit scrolling of text so that as much fits on the screen per section as possible.
Keep links spread apart to reduce accidental clicks (a.k.a. fat fingers!).
If you use fields to capture information, require only essential information to limit typing (and errors). When in doubt, First Name, Last Name and Email are usually enough.
The future is not mobile for our culture; mobile is now.
Churches can easily respond to this reality with simplified, optimized mobile websites to meet people where they are—anytime, anywhere.
Have you tested your church website for mobile friendliness? How did your site do? Share your comment below or connect with me on Facebook or Twitter with your ideas or questions.
Note: Special thanks for my friends at ROAR.pro for their quick-and-easy mobile “before and after” screenshot tool for making a church mobile website. They’re good people to check out.
Footnotes
[1] Sources: comScore Mobile Future in Focus 2012
[2] Sources: Google: Mobile Search Moments Study 2013
[3] Sources: comScore: Mobile Future in Focus Report 2013
[4] Sources: comScore: U.S. Digital Future in Focus Report 2014
