Is your site mobile-friendly? A 15-minute checklist

By Axyra Nova Editorial · 14 September 2026 · 5 min read · Website fixes

For most small businesses, the first time a customer sees the website is on a phone: from a search, a social post or a link a friend sent. If the site is awkward on a small screen, many visitors leave before reading a word.

A mobile-friendly website is not just one that shrinks to fit. It is one that is easy to read, tap and complete tasks on with a thumb. This checklist takes about fifteen minutes and needs nothing more than your own phone.

Before you start

Use a real phone, not just a narrow desktop browser window. Open your site in a private browsing tab so you see what a first-time visitor sees. Test at least three pages: the home page, your main service or product page, and your contact or booking page.

1. The viewport (1 minute)

Test: does the page fit the screen width, or do you have to scroll sideways or pinch to zoom?

Why it matters: a page without a proper viewport setting shows the desktop layout shrunk down, with tiny unreadable text.

Fix: make sure the page includes a responsive viewport meta tag and that no element is wider than the screen. Images, tables and embedded videos are common culprits.

2. Text size and contrast (2 minutes)

Test: can you read body text comfortably without zooming? Is grey text on a light background readable outdoors?

Fix: use a base font size that is comfortable on phones, generous line spacing, and enough contrast between text and background. MDN's accessibility guide explains contrast and readability basics.

3. Tap targets (2 minutes)

Test: can you tap every button and link accurately with your thumb, without hitting the wrong one?

Fix: make buttons large enough to tap easily and leave space between links, especially in menus and footers. Phone numbers should be tappable links that open the dialler.

4. Navigation (2 minutes)

Test: open the menu. Can you reach your main pages in one or two taps? Does the menu close properly? Can you get back to the home page easily?

Fix: keep the mobile menu short, with the most important pages first. Put the main call to action, such as "Book now" or "Get a quote", where it is always easy to reach.

5. Forms (3 minutes)

Test: fill in your contact or booking form completely on the phone.

• Does the right keyboard appear for email and phone fields?
• Are labels visible while typing?
• Are error messages clear and next to the field they refer to?
• Does the form confirm that it was sent?

Fix: use the correct input types, keep forms short, and test that submissions arrive. Our guide to contact forms that people actually fill in covers the details, and MDN's form element reference explains the underlying markup.

6. Speed on mobile data (2 minutes)

Test: turn off Wi-Fi and load the home page on mobile data. How long until you see the main content?

Fix: compress and resize images, remove heavy sliders at the top of pages, and limit third-party scripts. Google's Core Web Vitals overview explains the measurements to track.

7. Pop-ups and banners (1 minute)

Test: do pop-ups, chat widgets or cookie banners cover the content or the close button?

Fix: make pop-ups easy to dismiss, delay them until visitors have had time to read, and make sure chat bubbles do not hide buttons.

8. Layout details (2 minutes)

Test: scroll slowly through each page.

• Do images and text overlap anywhere?
• Do columns stack in a sensible order?
• Are tables readable, or do they overflow?
• Does anything jump around as the page loads?

Fix: adjust stacking order and spacing for small screens, wrap wide tables in scrollable containers, and reserve space for images so the layout does not shift.

Record what you find

Write down each problem with the page and a screenshot. A simple table helps:

Fix high-priority issues on money pages first: contact, booking and checkout.

Platform-specific notes

• Squarespace: many layout issues can be fixed with targeted CSS. See Squarespace custom code fixes.
• Shopify: check product grids and app widgets on phones. See common Shopify theme problems.
• Wix: use the mobile editor to adjust layouts separately. See making a Wix site faster.

Automate the routine

Manual checks catch what automated tools miss, but automated checks catch regressions you would not think to test. Our site audit checks for a missing viewport, slow pages and broken links every time it runs.

A worked example

A small bakery tested its site on a phone for the first time in a year and found several problems within minutes:

• The hero image was a large photo of a cake, so the page took a long time to show anything on mobile data.
• The menu was a PDF that opened at desktop size and required pinching and zooming.
• The phone number was plain text, so customers could not tap to call.
• The order form's date field showed a full keyboard instead of a date picker.
• A newsletter pop-up appeared after two seconds and its close button sat behind the browser's address bar.

The fixes were simple. The hero image was resized and compressed. The menu became a normal web page with prices in a readable list. The phone number became a tappable link. The date field used a proper date input. The pop-up was delayed and given a larger close button.

None of these changes required a redesign, and together they made the site much easier to use for the majority of visitors arriving on phones.

Building the habit

Mobile problems creep back in as pages are added and edited. Two small habits prevent that:

• Preview every change on a phone before publishing. Most site builders have a mobile preview; use it, then check on a real device.
• Run this checklist after any significant update, such as a new page template, a new app or plugin, or a new campaign landing page.

Over time, designing for small screens first becomes natural, and the desktop version takes care of itself.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if Google considers my site mobile-friendly?

Google uses mobile-first indexing, so it primarily looks at the mobile version of your pages. If the mobile version is complete, readable and fast, you are in good shape.

Is a separate mobile site a good idea?

Usually not. A single responsive site is easier to maintain and avoids duplicate content problems.

How often should I run this checklist?

After any redesign or major content change, and every few months as part of routine maintenance.

What is the most common mobile problem?

Oversized images and layouts that overlap or overflow on small screens. Both are usually quick to fix.