> answers // seo
How do I make my website work properly on mobile?
Google indexes the mobile version of your site, not the desktop version. If your mobile site is broken or slow, your rankings reflect that, even on...
Google indexes the mobile version of your site, not the desktop version. If your mobile site is broken or slow, your rankings reflect that, even on desktop searches. 60-80% of traffic for most Australian businesses is now mobile.
Most “responsive” sites we audit fail at least one of these: tap targets too small, text too small without zoom, horizontal scroll on common phone widths, slow LCP on mobile networks. Each one loses customers.
The basics
Viewport meta tag
. Without this the page renders at desktop width and zooms to fit. Half the “mobile-broken” sites we see are missing this one tag.
Touch target sizes
Buttons and links need at least 44×44 pixels. Tap zones smaller than that get mis-clicked. Especially common in dense menu items and footer links.
Readable text without zoom
Body text minimum 16px. 14px headlines that look fine on desktop are a strain on mobile. Tested at arm’s length on a 5-inch phone.
No horizontal scroll
Test on iPhone SE width (375px). If you have to scroll sideways to see content, something’s broken: usually a too-wide image, too-wide table, or fixed-width container.
What’s different about mobile use
One-handed use. Important actions should be in the bottom half of the screen, where the thumb naturally lands. Top-of-screen CTAs get missed.
Thumb fatigue. Long forms get abandoned faster on mobile. Cut every non-essential field. Use input types (tel, email, number) so phones show the right keyboard.
Distraction. Mobile users are interrupted constantly. Save form progress. Don’t make people start over.
Network variability. 4G is fine in cities, slow in regional Australia. Test on simulated 3G as well.
Click-to-call & click-to-action
Phone numbers should be tel: links so they’re one-tap callable. Email addresses should be mailto: links.
Mobile-only sticky bottom bar with primary actions (call, location, message) is high-converting for service businesses. Doesn’t need to be on desktop.
Test on actual devices. Emulators miss things. Different iOS versions, different Android variants, different browsers all behave differently.
Test it yourself
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test (free): paste a URL, get a verdict. PageSpeed Insights shows mobile and desktop separately, and the mobile score is what Google ranks against.
Chrome DevTools → Device Toolbar (Cmd+Shift+M / Ctrl+Shift+M). Test at iPhone SE (375), iPhone 14 (390), Pixel 7 (412). Each one breaks something different on poorly-built sites.
Want this done, not just explained?
That's the same advice we give in a scoping call. When you want it executed, we run Local and Growth SEO programs for Australian businesses.