Problem · 5-min read

Your website is not mobile-friendly

More than 60% of local searches happen on phones. If your site is not mobile-friendly, most of your potential customers see a broken layout and leave.

Run a free audit

60%+

Searches on mobile

88%

Won't return after bad mobile UX

2021

Google switched to mobile-first indexing

Free

Mobile-friendliness audit

Signs your site is not mobile-friendly

If visitors have to do any of these things on their phone, your site needs work.

Pinch-zooming to read text

If the text is too small to read without zooming, the viewport meta tag is missing or the layout is not responsive.

Horizontal scrolling

Content wider than the screen forces side-scrolling. Usually caused by fixed-width elements or images that do not scale.

Tiny tap targets

Buttons and links too small or too close together. Fingers are not mouse pointers. Touch targets need at least 48x48 pixels.

Content hidden behind desktop-only features

Hover-only menus, tooltips, and flyouts do not work on touch screens. Mobile visitors miss critical navigation.

Slow mobile load time

Mobile connections are slower than desktop. A site that loads in 2 seconds on desktop might take 6 on a phone.

Flash or outdated technology

Rare in 2026 but still exists. Flash does not work on any modern phone. Some older JavaScript libraries break on mobile browsers.

Why it matters

Google uses mobile-first indexing

Since 2021, Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. If your mobile version is broken, missing content, or slow, that is what Google sees. Your desktop version is secondary. A site that looks great on desktop but breaks on mobile ranks as if it is broken everywhere.

How to make your site mobile-friendly

1

Run a mobile audit

Our free audit tests the mobile version of your site by default. The Mobile category shows whether your viewport tag, tap targets, and responsive layout are working.

2

Add the viewport meta tag

If missing, add this to your HTML head: meta name=viewport content=width=device-width, initial-scale=1. This single tag fixes most zoom and scaling issues.

3

Switch to a responsive theme or framework

If your site uses a fixed-width layout, switch to a responsive one. Most modern CMS themes are responsive by default.

4

Test on a real phone

Open your site on your own phone. Try to complete the main action (call, book, enquire). If you struggle, your customers struggle more.

5

Monitor with re-audits

New content or plugins can break mobile layouts. Set up weekly re-audits to catch regressions before your customers do.

Mobile-friendliness questions

What is the viewport meta tag?+

A one-line HTML tag that tells mobile browsers how to scale the page. Without it, phones display a miniature version of your desktop layout.

Is responsive design the same as mobile-friendly?+

Mostly yes. Responsive design means the layout adapts to any screen size. Mobile-friendly means the site works well on phones. Responsive design is the most common way to achieve mobile-friendliness.

Does mobile-friendliness affect SEO?+

Yes. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning the mobile version of your site is what gets ranked. A non-mobile-friendly site ranks lower.

Can I have a separate mobile site?+

You can, but responsive design is better. Separate mobile sites (m.example.com) split your SEO authority between two URLs and are harder to maintain.

Check your mobile score

Run a free audit. We test the mobile version by default and show you exactly what is working and what is not.