There are some amazing movements going on with shop local. From chambers of commerce to local business associations, people are realizing the value of small entrepreneurs in the community’s economic landscape.
You can come up with the most inventive shop local campaign ever but if you’re not maximizing it for the mobile user, you’re missing an opportunity.
Mobile-friendly Design Tips
Buttons, not Links
How many of us have tried “clicking” on something on our phone only to have the wrong link come up? Fat finger syndrome doesn’t have to be a problem for your mobile audience if you design around it.
Use buttons, not in-text links. Buttons are easier to select and more visually appealing. They draw the eye in and give a clear call-to-action.
Don’t make the button too small. You want a tap size of 10mm (at least).
Test Your Speed
Slow loading will discourage most mobile users from spending any time on your site. Check your load speed from your phone, not your high-speed office connection. Most people don’t have that kind of power at home or on their smart phone. Make sure your pictures or videos load. Boxes with broken images detract from the user experience and they’ll be more likely to bounce without spending any time on your page. The same goes for “unplayable” content.
Make it Visible
11 point font might work on a desktop or a laptop but shrink it down to a mobile screen and people just won’t bother to read your ant-sized writing. 12 point is the minimum. 16 point is recommended.
With bigger font, you don’t want as much text or visitors will be scrolling forever. Get down to the most important things they want to know and offer it up to them from the home screen.
Google has been making suggestions on how to be more mobile-friendly for a while now but starting April 21st, they will begin penalizing sites that don’t offer a good mobile experience. If you are conducting a shop local campaign, it is essential you accommodate the smart phone user in your program.
Image credit: YashilG via Pixabay
