The design of products and applications has been changing over the past few years, moving away from pure functionality to more user friendliness. This is due partially to the success of companies such as Apple who focus on simple and intuitive use in their products. This also applies to the design of web content, in particular in the mobile sector where small screens require clarity. However, the mobile optimisation of emails is only one step. An email which is appealing to a mobile user may lead to a click, the effectiveness however quickly fades when the downstream landing page doesn’t show user-friendliness, too. We have compiled 6 tips for you on what to bear in mind when designing mobile landing pages.
1. Prioritise Readability
The small screens of mobile terminal devices often make the reading of texts more difficult. The user-friendly, effortless readability of texts should therefore have the highest priority. When in doubt, a reduced design which facilitates the readability may be more suitable than complex graphic elements. Clear contrasts, sufficient line spacing and clearly structured paragraphs facilitate the understanding of texts on mobile terminal devices.
2. Pay Attention to the Maximum Width
Long scrolling is an obstacle in the use of mobile online content, not only mobile landing pages. In order to avoid in particular horizontal scrolling, mobile landing pages should not exceed a width of 320 pixels.
3. Reduce Conversion Steps
Accessing a landing page is usually not the end of a conversion process. Depending on the intended conversion, the customer needs to take further steps, e.g. navigate through the checkout process after a purchase or enter his data for a prize draw. With each additional step the risk of the customer abandoning the process increases. This applies especially to mobile customers as these are often less patient. Conversion processes should always be kept as short as possible. Even the requested data should be limited to the minimum as each additional field to complete can mean arduous typing on a small smartphone (touch-) keypad.
4. Pay Attention to Loading Times
Despite the increased band width, data transfer via the mobile internet is still significantly slower than via a stationary broadband connection. A landing page loading on a desktop PC in milliseconds, will most likely take longer on a smartphone. Long waiting times however result in high cancellation rates among customers. Mobile landing pages should therefore be designed as carefully as possible for the band width. Data intensive images or HTML elements should be avoided.
5. Place Only the Most Essential Information
In order to keep texts short and not require too much of your customer’s time, you should only integrate as much information on the landing page as is necessary to complete the conversion. Elaborate product descriptions should be shortened to the most essential facts, instead of comprehensive galleries, you should limit yourself to a convincing product image, etc. More detailed information can be linked so that the customer can access it if interested.
6. Optimise Navigation Elements for Touchscreens
Mobile terminal devices are usually operated via a touchscreen. The finger substitutes the mouse arrow. This may make clicking on the individual elements more difficult. Buttons or links should therefore always be large enough to also allow bigger fingers precise clicking.