The internet was born on computers, but its day of dominance has long since passed. Today, the smartphone reigns supreme as the online device of choice for most users. Alongside this truth is the reality that it can be best to set your sights on these systems as the primary target for development. This can be a challenging approach that involves re-examining longstanding concepts, but when done right, it can have major positive implications for your online visibility and success.
Smartphones as online platforms
Despite only being popularised in 2007 with Apple’s iPhone, smartphones have since become ubiquitous systems necessary for the function of daily life. Their ability to connect to wireless internet plays a huge part in this functionality, as they’ve gone from clunky alternatives to the preferred access method for billions.
According to statistics taken in 2024, more than 60% of current website traffic comes from mobile devices. Additionally, 92% of internet users first turn to their smartphone rather than considering alternative devices. While this statistic will vary by region, this pattern of greater access from modern mobiles is consistent, and it’s an established part of the modern way of life and business.
Thiago Prudencio / Zuma Press / Avalon
Leveraging an effective setup
For an illustration of how adapting a website to smartphones can be done effectively, consider how the most mobile-friendly industries offer their services. A popular example is found in secure online casinos, which have found immense success in the mobile realm. With smartphones and tablets as the primary play platform, comparison websites like this need to ensure players on every possible mobile device find a streamlined experience. From collecting bonuses to reading reviews, there’s a lot to keep in mind, where taking a wrong turn on any one element can ruin the final result.
The best start is to remember that older website code doesn’t age well on mobile platforms, where more modern HTML 5 is king. The features start with dynamic resizing based on resolution and aspect ratio. This shifts and resizes elements as necessary into the right places, ensuring that, no matter the screen size, only vertical scrolling is required, and no elements overlap.
Effective modern mobile design also means enforcing a minimum size in text displays, so no resizing makes font or links unreadable. While it can be natural to scale text and images up to larger displays, going too far in the opposite direction can render a website unusable, frustrating, and turning away users.
Finally, testing also requires going outside of typical display sizes like slate-style smartphones and tablets. A truly forward-thinking mobile website understands that more esoteric displays like flip and folding phones can necessitate extra testing well outside of accepted smartphone screen norms. Even if the shape and size seem impossible, odds are somebody will be using it either on purpose or by accident.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for developing your online business presence for smartphone users. With the above ideas, however, you can leverage the most important features into an effective setup that works for your business. Remember to keep updated, and test after every significant change, and you’ll be better poised to take advantage of the mobile-centric present and future.
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