Who this checklist is for
You own or run a small business, and you suspect your website is harder to use on a phone than it should be. Maybe a customer mentioned it, maybe you tried to book yourself and gave up, or maybe you have simply never looked at it on a small screen. This checklist walks through what to test, in plain words, without any technical tools.
It works for any kind of site, whatever it was built with. You do not need access to the back end. All you need is your own phone, ideally a second phone borrowed from a friend or family member, and about twenty minutes of attention.
Mobile website checklist
Work through the groups in order on your phone. Ticks are stored only in this browser, so you can stop and pick up later on the same device.
How to run the checks
Open your website on your phone the way a customer would: from a search, a link in a message or your business profile, not from a bookmark you saved years ago. Then go group by group. Tick an item only when you have tried it yourself, not because you think it probably works.
Run the speed checks with Wi-Fi switched off, because many visitors arrive on mobile data while out and about. For the booking and ordering checks, go as far as you safely can, and stop before paying or confirming anything real. If an item does not apply to your business, for example you do not take bookings, tick it and move on.
When you are done, "Copy what is left" gives you the open items as a short list you can paste into a message to whoever looks after your site. Print is there if you prefer paper. Ticks stay in this browser, so you can come back later on the same device.
What a pass looks like for the trickiest items
These are the checks people tick too quickly. Hold them to this standard.
- Big enough for a thumb. Ask someone with larger hands to tap through the menu and the main buttons. If they hit the wrong link even once, the targets are too small or too close together.
- Nothing scrolls sideways. Drag the page gently left and right on several pages, not just the home page. Wide tables, long web addresses and embedded maps are the usual culprits.
- The right keyboard appears. Tap into every field on your contact form. A field that asks for a number should bring up the number pad, and the email field should show the @ key without extra taps.
- The main action on the first screen. Load the home page and a service page and, without scrolling, find the button that starts business with you. If you have to hunt for it, a visitor in a hurry will not find it.
What this checklist cannot tell you
- It cannot measure exact loading times or technical scores; it shows what a visitor experiences, which is where problems start.
- It is not an accessibility audit and does not confirm that a site meets any standard or law.
- It reflects the phones you test with. Older or smaller phones, and different browsers, can behave differently.
Rather have it built right from the start?
Every website we build includes mobile-friendly design, and we review each page on a phone with you before launch. If your current site fails several of these checks, see what we do when a website is not mobile friendly or read about our redesigns.
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep going
Website not mobile friendly · Website grader · Website is slow · Website launch checklist
