Why and How to Make Your Website Mobile Friendly
Top Tips for Charities and Ethical Businesses
Confession: I am outrageously dependent on my smartphone.
We all are, aren’t we? We never leave the house without it. We get nervous if we don’t know where it is. Almost every morning we have a little panic, right after we’ve locked the front door, when we frantically check bags and pockets ‘til the reassuring feel of its smooth case quells our anxiety: phone in pocket. All is well.
I know you know what I’m saying.
But this is why I was so surprised to read Reading Room’s blog post about how charities are missing out on mobile donations.
Say what?!
Today we use our phones for everything, right? We use them for news, directions, email, photography, tweeting, facebooking, shopping… and, of course, the odd phone call or text message.
So, surely charities jumped on the mobile bandwagon years ago?
Well, apparently not. Reading Room published figures showing that even though 72% of people in the UK own a smartphone, only 37% of charities offer a mobile optimized website!
Clearly, charities need to get on this. Fast.
It’s so annoying when a website won’t load on your phone because it’s not adapted to the screen. None of us has the time or patience for that.
But never fear. Ample Earth is here to help with some tips for mobile friendly websites.
How can I make my website mobile friendly?
- Make a mobile version of your site
This is your cheapest option. You can make a separate version of your website that’s optimised for mobiles. You can use a tool like Mobify, MobiSiteGalore or Mofuse to do this.
2. Make a responsive website
This way, you won’t end up with two different sites. Instead, you’ll have one that loads according to where it’s being used (on a smartphone, desktop, or even tablet or TV). You can use tools like webflow or froont to do this.
3. Create a Mobile App
This could be a great way to boost your charity or ethical business (as we saw in our recent post about Feedie). You can be really creative with this, using the App to connect people, fundraise or raise awareness. You can build an app using sites like The App Builder, Conduit Mobile or appmakr.
4. Make it possible to donate through SMS (charities only!)
This is an obvious but weirdly neglected way of fundraising.
Use a company like instaGiv to get going with SMS donations. People will like that its quick and easy, and that they don’t have to fill out a heap of forms/ rummage through drawers for bank details.
You can watch a video interview with instaGiv’s Business Development Executive, Darron Mark, on Charity Digital News here and here. instaGiv is an organization dedicated to helping charities fundraise via text message, and 100% of donations go directly to the charities.
