Gone are the days when websites were developed for large screens of desktop computers or laptops. Today, everything has to be scaled down to fit smaller screens of mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. With Google’s mobile-friendly update for websites as released on April 21, 2015, it has now become apparent for every webmaster or blogger to apply a mobile-first strategy for website development. Developers now focus on mobile-optimised websites that work great on mobile phones and tablets, and then scale up perfectly for larger computer or laptop screens. Let’s take a look at what mobile first web-design means, and its importance for websites, and how to start development of mobile-friendly websites. What Does Mobile-First Approach Mean? The ‘mobile first’ strategy for website development involves designing an online experience first for mobile devices and then optimizing it for scaling up to desktop and laptop computers. It does not mean designing a website that works well on desktop computers and then adjusting it to be compatible with mobile phones or tablets. The mobile-first process is to design online websites specifically for mobile customers, keeping their dynamic behaviour, context and needs in perspective. The user interface should suit mobile devices with easily readable text and easy navigation to the different sections of the site. Why Go Mobile-First? The number of mobile users has increased manifold and easily outnumbers the number of people that access websites on PCs or laptops. According to a ComScore report, mobile devices generate more than 60% of the online traffic to websites. This percentage keeps on increasing with every passing quarter, and that has fuelled the need for every business to have mobile-friendly websites. Source: ComScore So, if you haven’t optimised your website yet, you need...
