In Australia, over 90% of internet users access the web via their smartphones. If your business website isn't easy to navigate on a mobile device, you aren't just frustrating potential customers—you are actively losing them to competitors who have prioritised a seamless mobile experience.
Google now uses 'mobile-first indexing,' meaning it primarily looks at the mobile version of your site to determine your rankings in search results. If your site is clunky on a phone, your SEO will suffer. This guide will walk you through the practical steps to ensure your Brisbane business is ready for the mobile-first world.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, ensure you have the following:- Administrative access to your website CMS (e.g., WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace).
- Access to Google Search Console.
- A smartphone (iOS or Android) for manual testing.
- Approximately 60-90 minutes of focused time.
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Step 1: Run the Mobile-Friendly Test
Before making changes, you need a baseline. Use Google’s Search Console 'Mobile Usability' report or a tool like PageSpeed Insights. What you should see: A report showing a screenshot of how Google sees your page on a mobile device, along with a list of specific errors like "Text too small to read" or "Clickable elements too close together."Step 2: Implement a Responsive Design
There are three ways to handle mobile (Responsive, Dynamic Serving, or Separate URLs). For 99% of Australian small businesses, Responsive Design is the gold standard. This means your website uses the same URL and the same code, but the layout 'responds' and changes based on the screen size.- If you use WordPress, ensure your theme is labelled as "Responsive."
- If you are building from scratch, use a CSS framework like Bootstrap that is mobile-first by default.
Step 3: Optimise Your Viewport Meta Tag
The viewport meta tag tells the browser how to adjust the dimensions and scaling of the page to fit the device width. Without this, a mobile phone will try to render your site as if it were a desktop, resulting in tiny text. The Code: Ensure this line is in theStep 4: Prioritise Page Speed
Mobile users are often on the go, using 4G or 5G networks which can be less stable than home Wi-Fi. A slow site is a mobile killer.- Compress Images: Use tools like TinyPNG to reduce file sizes without losing quality.
- Minify Code: Strip out unnecessary characters from your CSS and JavaScript.
- Use a CDN: A Content Delivery Network helps serve your site faster to users across Australia.
Step 5: Adjust Button Sizes and Spacing
Ever tried to click a link on your phone only to accidentally click the one next to it? This is a 'touch target' issue.- Rule of thumb: Buttons should be at least 44x44 pixels.
- Spacing: Ensure there is enough 'white space' around links so users don't mis-click.
Step 6: Choose Legible Fonts and Sizes
Text that looks great on a 27-inch monitor can be unreadable on a 6-inch iPhone screen.- Size: Aim for a minimum base font size of 16px.
- Line Height: Use a line height of about 1.5 to prevent lines of text from crowding each other.
- Contrast: Ensure your text colour stands out sharply against the background (e.g., dark grey text on a white background).
Step 7: Eliminate Intrusive Pop-ups
Google penalises sites that use 'intrusive interstitials'—those giant pop-ups that cover the entire screen the moment a user lands on a page. On a mobile, these are incredibly difficult to close.- Tip: If you must use a pop-up (for a discount code or newsletter), ensure it only covers a small portion of the screen and has a very clear 'X' to close it.
Step 8: Simplify Your Navigation Menu
Desktop 'mega-menus' don't work on mobile. Implement a 'Hamburger Menu' (the three horizontal lines) to keep your header clean.- What you should see: When you click the three lines, a vertical menu should slide out with large, easy-to-tap links.
Step 9: Optimise Forms for Mobile
Filling out a contact form on a phone can be a nightmare.- Reduce Fields: Only ask for what you absolutely need (Name, Email, Message).
- Input Types: Use the correct HTML5 input types. For example, using
will trigger the numeric keypad on a user’s phone, making it easier to enter a phone number.
Step 10: Disable Flash and Heavy Animations
Adobe Flash is obsolete and doesn't work on mobile devices. Similarly, heavy background videos or complex animations can crash mobile browsers or drain data. Use modern HTML5 and CSS3 for animations instead.Step 11: Real-World Testing on Multiple Devices
Emulators are great, but nothing beats the real thing.- Borrow an iPhone and an Android phone.
- Test your site on different browsers (Safari, Chrome, Samsung Internet).
- Try to complete a 'conversion'—like filling out your contact form or buying a product—to see where the friction points are.
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Pro Tip: Keep your "Call to Action" (CTA) buttons within the 'Thumb Zone.' This is the area of the screen most easily reached when a person is holding their phone with one hand.
Common Mistake: Forgetting to update your phone number links. Ensure your phone number is 'Click-to-Call' by using the link format: tel:0712345678.
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Troubleshooting Common Issues
- "Content wider than screen": This usually happens because an image or a div has a fixed width (e.g.,
width: 800px). Change these to percentages (e.g.,width: 100%) ormax-width: 100%. - "Text too small to read": Check if you have the viewport meta tag (Step 3). If you do, you likely need to increase your CSS font-size values for mobile media queries.
- Images are blurry: On high-resolution 'Retina' screens, standard images can look fuzzy. Use high-resolution images but ensure they are properly compressed so they don't slow down the site.
Next Steps
Now that your site is mobile-friendly, it’s time to look at your overall local presence. A mobile-optimised site works hand-in-hand with a strong Google Business Profile to drive local Brisbane traffic.If you've followed these steps and your site still feels clunky, or if the technical side is becoming overwhelming, we can help. The team at Local Marketing Group specialises in building high-performance, mobile-first websites for Australian businesses.
Contact us today at https://lmgroup.au/contact to book a mobile usability audit.