Choose a responsive theme.
The first step in making your WordPress site mobile-friendly is to choose a responsive theme. Responsive designs adapt to the screen size of the device, providing users with a streamlined browsing experience across devices. There are numerous free and premium responsive themes available in the WordPress theme repository, and many popular premium frameworks like StudioPress, Themify, and Elegant Themes offer responsive designs right out of the box.
Use mobile optimisation plugins.
There are several plugins available for WordPress that can optimise your site for mobile devices. For example, the WPtouch Mobile Plugin automatically adds a mobile-friendly theme to your website, catering to mobile visitors without affecting your desktop theme. Another plugin, the W3 Total Cache, helps improve your site's loading speed by caching your content, resulting in a better user experience for mobile visitors.
Optimise images.
High-resolution images can slow down your website's loading speed on mobile devices, leading to a poor user experience. By optimising your images and reducing their file sizes without compromising on quality, you can ensure that your website loads quickly on mobile devices. Plugins like WP Smush and EWWW Image Optimizer can help you automatically optimise your images as you upload them to your WordPress site.
Implement Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).
AMP is an open-source initiative designed to improve the loading speed of web pages on mobile devices. AMP-enabled pages load almost instantly, providing users with a seamless browsing experience. To integrate AMP into your WordPress site, you can use plugins like the official AMP plugin by Automattic or the AMP for WP plugin. Once installed, these plugins will automatically generate AMP-compatible versions of your existing content, making your website responsive to mobile devices.
Test your website on multiple devices and browsers.
To ensure that your website looks and functions correctly on various devices and browsers, you must test its performance regularly. You can use various testing tools like BrowserStack or the Chrome Developer Tools to ensure that your mobile visitors have a flawless experience, whether they are using an iPhone, an Android device, or a Windows phone.
Monitor and maintain your site's mobile performance.
Keeping track of your site's mobile performance and adjusting as needed is crucial in maintaining a mobile-friendly site. Regularly update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins to ensure compatibility with the latest mobile browsers and device updates. Additionally, keep an eye on the Google Search Console's mobile usability report as it can provide valuable insights into any potential issues that may be affecting your site's mobile performance.
Create Your Ideal Open Source Website
A mobile-friendly WordPress website is essential for providing a great user experience, regardless of the device your visitors are using. By selecting a responsive theme, using optimisation plugins like WPtouch Mobile Plugin, optimising your images, implementing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), and regularly testing and monitoring your website's performance, you can ensure that your WordPress site remains mobile-friendly for years to come. With website performance and user experience being major Google ranking factors, optimising your site for mobile devices will not only please your visitors but also increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. So, wait no longer – follow these six great ways and make your WordPress site mobile-friendly today!
If you need any additional advice on creating an open source website, why not get in touch with the open source experts here at Code Media? We are a vastly experienced web development agency that creates bespoke websites in open source code – our philosophy is simple; we code it, you own it. We work with clients to design and build their ideal website before handing it off – simple, quick and effective website design.
If you are indeed interested in learning more about building a website on WordPress, we would be delighted to hear from you. You can get in touch by calling us on 0118 380 1001, or by sending an e-mail to hi@code.media
