More Than Half Your Visitors Are on Phones
In Australia, over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. For some industries-restaurants, trades, local services-it's even higher.
If your website isn't built for mobile first, you're building for the minority.
What "Mobile-First" Actually Means
Mobile-first design starts with the mobile experience, then expands to tablets and desktops.
Old approach (desktop-first):
- Design for large screens
- Squeeze it down for mobile
- Hope nothing breaks
Modern approach (mobile-first):
- Design for small screens
- Expand features for larger screens
- Every screen size works beautifully
Why Mobile-First Beats Responsive
"Responsive" means a site adapts to screen size. "Mobile-first" means it was designed for mobile from the start.
The difference:
| Responsive (desktop-first) | Mobile-first |
|---|---|
| Mobile feels cramped | Mobile feels native |
| Loads desktop resources on phone | Loads only what's needed |
| Navigation often awkward | Thumb-friendly navigation |
| Performance suffers on mobile | Optimized for mobile networks |
Key Mobile-First Principles
Touch Targets
Buttons and links need to be at least 44x44 pixels. Human fingers aren't as precise as mouse cursors.
Simplified Navigation
Complex mega-menus don't work on mobile. Clear, simple navigation does.
Performance Priority
Mobile networks are slower. Every kilobyte counts. Images need to be optimized, scripts minimized.
Thumb Zones
The most important elements should be reachable with a thumb-bottom of the screen on phones.
Readable Text
16px minimum font size. No zooming required.
Common Mobile Problems
Problem: Tiny text requiring zoom Solution: 16px minimum, proper line height
Problem: Buttons too small or too close together Solution: 44px minimum touch targets, adequate spacing
Problem: Horizontal scrolling Solution: Proper viewport settings, responsive images
Problem: Slow loading Solution: Optimized images, deferred scripts, minimal CSS
Problem: Can't tap to call Solution: Clickable phone numbers with tel: links
Testing Mobile Experience
Quick self-test:
- Visit your site on your phone
- Try to navigate to key pages
- Fill out your contact form
- Check if phone numbers are tappable
- Note anything frustrating
Google's Mobile-First Index
Google now primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. If your mobile site is inferior, your rankings suffer-even for desktop searches.
The netbound Standard
Every website we build is mobile-first:
- Designed for thumbs
- Optimized for mobile networks
- Tested on real devices
- Fast on any connection