Mobilegeddon had scared websites back in 2015. Google had been warning webmasters that optimizing for mobile devices would become important. With Mobilegeddon, the Google algorithm for searches on phones changed.
Sites that were mobile-optimized ranked higher in results than those that weren’t. Desktop searches weren’t impacted. Why were websites scared if desktop searches weren’t affected? It’s simple, in 2016, 62.9% of people globally had phones. By the end of 2019, that’s set to rise to 67% of the global population.
It gets better. Nearly 92% of adults owned a mobile phone in 2015. The number that owned laptops or desktops was only 73% at the time.
As mobile devices become more and more advanced, we can expect to see that gap widening even further. That’s why it makes sense to optimize your site for mobile if you haven’t done so already.
Why Optimize Emails?
What does optimizing for mobile on your site have to do with email marketing at all? At first glance, not all that much. Let’s think of it a little more carefully, though. You’re optimizing site because people are likely to use a mobile device to search for information.
If they’re using mobile to look up for information, they’re using it for reading emails and checking social media as well. Therefore, it makes sense to optimize emails for mobile as well.
How to Optimize Emails for Mobile
Fortunately, optimizing emails is pretty simple. It’s also a good idea to start with mobile-first design. What shows up well on a small screen should translate to a bigger one quite easily. The same cannot be said the other way around, though. Let’s go through the top tips for optimization.
Keep the Size as Small as Possible
The smaller the file size, the less time it will take for the email to load. Microseconds count here. Reduce file sizes by using images judiciously. Resize images, and save them at medium quality settings to decrease the size even more.
Aside from that, consider embedding clickable links that people who are interested in can go through to. Steer clear of gimmicks as far as possible here – keep the email as simple as possible.
Use a Single Column Format
Go for a longer length email rather than a wider one. Having two or more columns allows you to cram more info in, but it also means that the reader might have to scroll across. On a mobile, scrolling down is simple and so is scrolling across. Having to scroll both down and across, however, is extremely annoying.
Put Your Best Content Above the Fold
What’s the most important part of your message? What’s the point that you want to get across? Make sure that this appears close to the top of the email. It needs to be close enough to the top so that it can be read without having to scroll down.
This placement on the page is similar to above the fold placement in a newspaper. The section above the fold is the section that people glancing at the paper see. Get their attention here, and they’ll read more.
Choose Your Fonts Carefully
That beautiful handwritten script lends an air of sophistication to your email. It also makes it harder to read when the print is small. So, when drafting an email, stick to a simple, clear font like Arial or Times New Roman. They might not be the prettiest fonts out there, but they are easy to read.
The easier your email is to read, the more likely it is that people will read it right through.
Use Subheadings and Bullet-Points
You’ll no doubt have heard this tip before when it comes to content creation. They apply here as well because they make content easier to scan. Your reader can see at a glance what is covered. They can skip ahead to the sections that interest them the most.
Have an Overview of the Main Headings at the Start
If you have a longer email, it makes sense to let people know what sections are going to be covered up front. If possible, make the headings clickable to make it even easier for your readers.
Use Dynamic Content
This can take a few different forms. It could be something as simple as creating a link to extra content that shows up when a word or phrase is hovered over. The content only comes up if they get to a particular spot in the text.
Provide Value for Subscribers
According to Hubspot, your emails should be 80% valuable content and only 20% marketing. Work on creating content that your subscribers will value. This way, they’ll look forward to receiving your emails and be less likely to ignore them.
Final Notes
Overall, creating an email marketing campaign that’s optimized for mobile devices makes sense. It’s also relatively simple. Make sure that the emails are easy to read and access via mobile. Do a test run ahead of time and see how it displays across different devices.
Once you get this template right, you can expect better email open rates at the very least.
