Every business now knows how important it is to have a mobile version of their website. Many more people are accessing the internet via mobile devices, whether these are smartphones or tablets, and the number is likely to continue to grow.
If your insurance website is not optimised for mobile, the browsing experience will suffer, visitors will become frustrated and the end result is that it could cost you business.
Your aim should be to provide the best browsing experience possible no matter what device the visitor is using to access the page. This means ensuring your website has fast page loading times, a simple and intuitive navigation, and content that is clear and simple to access.
A mobile optimised site is also more likely to show up in the search results pages for searches made from mobile devices, so optimising your site is also important for your SEO.
If your site is built on the WordPress platform, you can make use of a number of plugins to ensure the mobile experience is as good as it can be. Here are a few of the best.
This plugin detects which device is being used to access your website, and if this is a mobile device, it then loads a suitable theme.
It claims to be able to detect over 5,000 mobile phone devices, enabling you to always display the most suitable theme. This could therefore be particularly useful if many of your targets browse the web using feature phones rather than smartphones.
It comes with advanced analytics, so you can find out about unique visitors and other details. It also automatically reformats the content and resizes the images. It comes with seven pre-installed themes and collapsible menus, and the installer automatically configures everything to make it a piece of cake to use.
A premium version is also available: WP Mobile Detector PRO v2.6. This lets you build a custom theme using its inbuilt editor, and you can see the changes you make in real time.
WPTouch is one of the most popular plugins for optimising mobile websites, with over 5 million sites currently using it. It essentially enables you to provide your mobile visitors with a clear and elegant mobile version of your site.
It is very simple to set up, and all you have to do is activate it. It replaces the site with a theme unique to mobiles, and it displays your content clearly. It also focuses on providing fast page loading times, leading to a great user experience.
The free version is excellent and allows you to carry out customisations including using your own colours and typography.
However, a premium version is available (WPtouch Pro), and this provides a range of enhanced features including advertising options, advanced controls and professional support.
Jetpack is an excellent plugin that is not specifically used for its mobile features, but which does have a good optimisation option. In fact, it is considered an essential package of features by many WordPress users.
The Mobile Theme feature provides a responsive theme that is lightweight so you can optimise your site for mobile visitors. It may be fairly basic, but the fact that it comes with so many other features including site performance, customisation and security makes it well worth trying out.
This plugin enables you to convert your current website into a mobile version. It does not use responsive design, and instead creates a separate website that is optimised for mobile devices.
It works by detecting the device that is being used and displaying the appropriate site. Users can also choose between the mobile and desktop versions depending on what they want to view.
It will divide content up into multiple pages to make it easier to view, and it also rescales images and removes non-supported media. You can also choose from eight colour schemes.
It is quick and lightweight, and it also claims to automatically optimise your site for SEO. You can also add mobile ad scripts like AdSense for mobile.
This plugin is simple enough in that it enables you to display a mobile template when a mobile user visits your site. It is a good option if you do not want to display a responsive site, and you can also enable users to change to switch between the mobile and desktop versions of the site.
It is lightweight and easy to use, and a premium version is available that comes with additional features.
You can use this plugin to create a mobile version of your site with ease using the dedicated website builder. It is free to download and use the plugin, and you can then go to the website and use the drag-and-drop editor.
Use this to change the navigation of your site, add features like contact forms, and keeps the appearance of your theme. There is also a premium version which provides extra features and does not include ads.
This plugin is provided by Elegant Themes, and you can get access to it when you purchase one of their premium themes.
The plugin works alongside a standard theme to save an alternate layout and create an optimised mobile experience. It makes use of HTML5 coding and displays pages and posts very fast.
PluginBuddy Mobile from iThemes is a simple but powerful way to convert a website into a site that is optimised for mobile devices.
It comes with a number of themes that are mobile-ready, and you can change the colour and style for the mobile theme. You can use a style manager, and there is also a custom header uploader. You can also create your own theme if you don’t want to use the starter themes.
Mobile optimise your insurance website today
If you have not yet optimised your site for mobile, now is the time to get started. WordPress is a fantastic platform for any website, and the fact that it has so many useful plugins makes it ideal if you want to optimise your site for mobile devices.
Take a look at these plugins and experiment with them to find out which one works for you. Then set up your mobile site so that you can be sure anyone visiting your insurance site from any device will be able to enjoy a fulfilling experience.
