Guide

Mobile first design for trade websites

Picture your actual customer. They are standing in a kitchen with a phone in one hand, looking at a problem with the other. That is the screen your website has to work on, and it is the one most sites are designed for last.

The top of the screen is everything

On a phone you get roughly the top third of the screen before anyone scrolls. It needs to say what you do, where you do it, and give a button that rings you.

A giant photo with a slogan across it wastes that space. Keep the photo, shrink it, and put the useful bit first.

Make everything thumb sized

Buttons need to be big enough to hit without care, with space around them. Links squeezed together in a list get mis tapped and people give up.

Text has to be readable without pinching. If you find yourself zooming on your own site, so is everyone else.

Cut the clever stuff

Sliders, pop ups, video backgrounds and animations that look smart on a big screen are usually a nuisance on a phone and slow the page down.

The best trade sites on mobile are close to boring. Clear heading, short paragraphs, obvious buttons.

Test it the honest way

Walk through this on your own phone, off wifi.

  • Can you see what the business does in two seconds
  • Can you ring with one tap without scrolling
  • Does any text need pinching to read
  • Does the form work with one hand
  • Did anything take longer than three seconds to appear

Common questions

What percentage of trade website visitors use a phone?

For most Irish trades it is the large majority, and it is higher again for emergency work and evening searches.

Does Google care about mobile?

Yes. Google judges your site primarily on the mobile version, so a site that only works well on desktop is at a disadvantage.

Where to go next

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