25 Google Recommended Principles of Mobile Web Design

It is necessary to have a neat and effective responsive design for your website to convert visitors into customers. Google, partnering with AnswersLab have conducted research on a certain range of users with a diversified number of mobile sites and yielded 25 principles of mobile site design to help companies build sites that delight customers and drive conversions.

The increase in the rely on consumers on mobile web for research and discovery make it important to companies take it seriously about mobile design. So how to make a good mobile site that can convert visitors into customers?

Let’s take a look at the following 25 Google recommended principles of mobile site design and see how they are going to help our businesses in making conversions.

Regarding Homepage and Site Navigation

A home is what that attracts the visitor in its first load itself. A homepage on the desktop serves as a welcome page, message center, and all-in-one promotional space whereas the homepage on the mobile screen should display the content the visitor is looking for. Any extra elements on the page would not only take time to load but also looks clumsy.

Google recommends some principles to be kept in mind while designing a homepage for a mobile site. They are as follows:

1. Keep calls-to-action front in center.
2. Keep menus short and sweet.
3. Make it easy to get back to the homepage.
4. Don’t let promotions steal the show.

Regarding Site Search

An internal site search engine is necessary for a website either on mobile design. It helps visitors find content by simply entering a keyword in it.

Google offers some tips to make site search more valuable to your mobile site. They are as follows:

5. Make the site search visible.
6. Ensure site search results are relevant.
7. Implement filters to improve site search usability.
8. Guide users to better site search results.

Regarding Commerce & Conversions

The customer behavior on the site is still a mystery. Users are expecting to convert on their own terms. In this regard, Google provides 5 principles to let know of how to drive conversions by controlling your visitor on the site. Here they are:

9. Let users explore before they commit.
10. Let users purchase as a guest.
11. Use existing information to maximize convenience.
12. Use click-to-call buttons for complex tasks.
13. Make it easy to finish converting on another device.

Regarding Form Entry

Whether it may be a purchase, getting a quote or joining an email list, the conversion experience must be simple and as less complex as it can be.

Google makes some suggestions to reduce the fiction at the finish line through streamlined form entry. They are as follows:

14. Streamline information entry.
15. Choose a simplest input method for each task.
16. Provide a visual calendar while selecting dates.
17. Minimize form errors by labeling and real-time validation.
18. Design efficient forms.

Usability and Form Factor

Mobile users would feel it comfortable and delighted with things like friendly user interface and easy navigability of your website.

Google recommends some design form factors that make visitors happy while browsing the site on mobile. They are as follows:

19. Optimize your entire site for mobile.
20. Don’t make users pinch-to-zoom.
21. Make product images expandable.
22. Tell users which screen orientation works best.
23. Keep your browser in a single browser window.
24. Avoid “Full Site” labeling.
25. Be clear why you need a user’s location.

Thanks to +Google for providing such a wonderful checklist for designing a mobile site for companies.

Don’t you find it useful? Is it a fin checklist? what do you think? Share your thoughts in comments.