Boost Mobile Usability and Site Speed

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to:

• Spot common mobile usability problems that hurt your SEO
• Test and improve your website's loading speed
• Use Wix's tools to create a better mobile experience
• Set up regular checks to keep your site performing well

Introduction

Mobile usability and site speed are two areas where things go wrong fast. Get them right, and users stay longer while search engines rank you higher. Get them wrong, and visitors bounce before your page even loads.

This is the bit most people miss: mobile and speed issues don't just annoy users. They directly impact your search rankings. Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it looks at your mobile site first when deciding where to rank you.

Here's the quick version: we'll show you how to spot problems, fix them using Wix's built-in tools, and keep your site running smoothly over time.

Lessons

Lesson 1: Testing Your Mobile Experience

Most users browse on mobile devices now, so your site needs to work perfectly on small screens. Here's how to check if yours does.

Step 1: Use Wix's Mobile Editor

• Log into your Wix account and open your site editor
• Click the mobile icon at the top to switch to mobile view
• Browse through each page as if you're a real visitor

Step 2: Check These Key Areas

• Text size: Can you read everything without squinting?
• Button size: Are buttons big enough to tap with your finger?
• Navigation: Can you easily find and use the menu?
• Images: Do they load properly and fit the screen?
• Forms: Are they easy to fill out on mobile?

Step 3: Test on Real Devices
Ask friends or family to visit your site on their phones. Watch how they use it and note where they struggle.

Lesson 2: Improving Your Site Speed

Slow sites lose visitors and hurt your SEO rankings. Here's how to speed things up.

Step 1: Optimise Your Images

• Compress images before uploading (use TinyPNG or similar free tools)
• Choose the right format: JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with few colours
• Resize images to the actual size they'll display on your site

Step 2: Reduce Heavy Elements

• Limit autoplay videos (they slow everything down)
• Use fewer animations and effects
• Remove apps and widgets you don't actually need

Step 3: Enable Wix's Speed Features

• Go to your site's dashboard
• Click on Marketing & SEO, then SEO Tools
• Enable site caching if it's available for your plan

Lesson 3: Setting Up Regular Site Audits

Your site's performance changes over time. New content, updates, and changes can slow things down or break mobile features.

Step 1: Schedule Monthly Checks

• Set a recurring calendar reminder
• Test your site on mobile devices
• Run speed tests using Google PageSpeed Insights

Step 2: Track Your Results

• Keep a simple spreadsheet with dates and scores
• Note what changes you made and how they affected performance
• Focus on the issues that impact users most

Step 3: Stay Current with Updates

• Check for Wix platform updates that might affect your site
• Review new mobile devices and screen sizes
• Update your testing routine as technology changes

Practice

Open your website on your phone right now. Spend five minutes using it as if you're a first-time visitor trying to find information or make a purchase.

Write down:

• Three things that work well on mobile
• Three things that need improvement
• One speed issue you noticed

Pick the most important problem from your list and fix it this week.

FAQs

How can I tell if my Wix site is mobile-friendly?
Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool (search for it in Google). Enter your website URL and it will tell you if there are any mobile usability issues.

What's a good loading speed for my website?
Aim for under 3 seconds on mobile. Anything over 5 seconds and you'll lose a lot of visitors. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check your current speed.

Does Wix automatically make my site mobile-responsive?
Wix templates are mobile-responsive, but you still need to check and adjust things like text size, button placement, and image sizing for the best mobile experience.

Can I use third-party speed tools on my Wix site?
You can test your site with external tools like GTmetrix or Pingdom, but you'll be limited to the optimisation options Wix provides within their platform.

Jargon Buster

Mobile-First Indexing: Google's method of using the mobile version of your website for ranking and indexing, rather than the desktop version.

Page Speed: How quickly your website loads and becomes interactive for users.

Responsive Design: A website design approach that makes pages work well on all devices by automatically adjusting layout and content.

Cache: Stored copies of your website files that help pages load faster for returning visitors.

Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page, often due to slow loading or poor mobile experience.

Wrap-up

Mobile usability and site speed aren't just nice-to-have features. They're essential for keeping visitors happy and ranking well in search results.

The main points to remember: test your site regularly on real mobile devices, optimise images before uploading them, and don't overload your pages with unnecessary elements.

Set up that monthly audit schedule and stick to it. Small improvements over time add up to big results for your SEO and user experience.

Ready to dive deeper into SEO? Check out our other courses at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership