Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

27January 23-28, 2012United Kingdom Edition Advertorial A recent study showed that 61 per cent of users are un- likely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing and navigating on their phone. Of these, more than half suggested that the experience had nega- tively shaped their opinion of the business / brand. Remember, just because you can see your website on a mobile phone doesn’t mean it’s mobile- friendly. Follow these best prac- tices to help your practice connect with patients and drive conver- sions: 1Keep it quick Mobile users are often short on time, squeezing in online tasks as they go about their day. They may also be low on data, depending on their data package. To help them, designyoursitetoloadquicklyand make copy easy to scan. Prioritise the content that mobile users need most - use your desktop site ana- lytics to see what mobile users are doing. Reduce large blocks of text andusebulletpointsforeasyread- ing and compress images to keep them small for faster loading. 2Simplify navigation No one likes to be confused. Clear navigation will help your custom- ers easily find what they need. Minimise scrolling and help us- ers navigate between pages with clear back and home buttons. Where possible, aim to use seven navigation links or fewer. 3Be thumb-friendly People use their fingers to oper- ate mobile devices - especially their thumbs. Use large buttons and give them breathing room to reduce accidental clicks, pad smaller buttons to increase the clickable area. 4Design for visibility A mobile-friendly site needs to get its message across without caus- ingeyestrain.Makeiteasyforyour customers to read - remember, they maybe be in a place with low light. Create contrast between backgroundandtextandmakesure content fits onscreen, and can be read without the need to zoom. 5Make it accessible Ideally, your mobile site should work across all mobile devices and all handset orientations. Find alternatives to Flash - it does not work on some devices eg iPads and iPhones. Adapt your site for both vertical and horizontal ori- entations - keeping users in the same place when they change ori- entation. 6Make it easy to convert No matter what your site’s objec- tive is, your customers need to be able to do it with a virtual key- board and no mouse. Make it easy to for someone to contact you! Keep forms short using the fewest number of fields possible and use click-to‐call functionality for all phone numbers. 7Make it local Consumers look for local info on their phones all the time, from finding the nearest cinema to lo- cating a dentist. Include function- ality that helps people find and get to you. Have your address on the landing page and include maps and directions. DT 7 mobile site best practices Give patients the best mobile browsing experience About the author Amy Rose-Jones is the Marketing Manager at Den- tal Design Ltd, the leading design and marketing agen- cy for the dental profession. With more than 9 years of dental market- ing experience, Amy has a passion for driving your business forward through a unique blend of creative and marketing skills. Like us on Facebook: www.facebook. com/dentaldesignltd Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter. com/dentaldesign Find me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin. com/in/amyrosejones Dental Design is leading the way in mobile marketing within the dental profession, call us today on 01202 238 479.