With Google bringing in yet another range of updates, now has never been a better time to make sure your website is compatible with mobile devices. Some people think that you need to be an expert in mobile web design in order to make this happen, but the truth is it can be done by a total novice if they have the right tools.
If you have a WordPress website, then the range of free plugins can make the whole process of designing a website for mobile devices easier than ever before. Here we will take a look at some of the very best WordPress plugins and how they can make the entire mobile web design process a whole lot easier.
Any Mobile Theme Switcher
One of the main problems some users have with WordPress sites is that the themes they use for the web version of their site does not appear properly on mobile devices. They can either cause the layout of the page to fracture slightly, or they can make the screen too big to fit on a mobile screen. Any Mobile Theme Switcher however is able to deal with that problem for you. By using this plugin, you can pick from a range of mobile-friendly themes that can be used whenever someone accesses your site on a mobile device.
Not only can it switch themes for you, but it can also change them based on which one you want for specific devices. For example, you can set a theme for IPad, Android, and Blackberry among other devices. You can also give users the option to switch to the desktop theme you have for your site if they should wish to do so.
WordPress Mobile Pack
Simply changing the theme however may not be enough to make the entire site appear displayed properly on a mobile device. For many sites, everything needs to be changed in order for it to be considered satisfactory under Google’s new rule changes. The WordPress Mobile Pack enables you to change every aspect of the site in one go, from the font size to the general layout of the site. It is a great way of taking care of the entire design aspect in one go.
As you would expect, however, with a free plugin, there is one notably downside. There is only one standard theme available for someone using the plugin for free. If you want to be able to change the theme, then you have to upgrade to a premium version of the plugin. If you like it a lot, then it may be worth the extra expense for you. If, on the other hand, you are looking for something that won’t cost you anything, it’s best to take a look at the basic theme to see if you like it.
Post Script Responsive Images
Images play a very big part in the process of transferring a website to a mobile device. In the majority of cases, the images that you are using on your website will be far too big to be displayed properly on a mobile device. Post Script Responsive Images allows you to modify the size of your images so they suit the bandwidth of the devices that are being used to view your site.
For the moment, this feature only really suits people who are accessing your site using one of the big-name devices. If they are using something that is a little less well known, then it may not have the desired effect. This is still a plugin that you should use, but as a long term solution it is something that should be kept in reserve for when updates to the plugin are made.
Easy Responsive Shortcodes
Now, you may have your mobile site all set and ready to go, but you might want to give it a little more style before you launch it. If this is the case when it comes to your written content, then the Easy Responsive Shortcodes plugin allows you to give your new posts a little more visual style and organisation through elements such as buttons, columns and alerts.
The great thing about this plugin is that it takes the worry of mobile compatibility out of your hands. All the different elements available as part of this plugin can be viewed on mobile devices without any problems at all, so it makes a very helpful plugin for any WordPress site.
