9.10 Mobile Optimization (Ensuring Responsive Design)

CRUCIAL for Real Estate: A huge percentage of potential buyers and sellers will browse your website on their smartphones or tablets. If your site looks bad or is difficult to use on mobile, you WILL lose leads. Responsive design (automatically adapting to different screen sizes) is non-negotiable.

Tools & Techniques in the Builder:

  1. Use the Mobile View Toggle (CONSTANTLY): Regularly switch between the Desktop and Mobile view icons in the builder's Top Bar as you design. Don't wait until the end! Check how your layout reflows and content appears on the smaller screen simulator.
  2. Adjust Mobile-Specific Styles: Most styling options in the Settings Sidebar (especially for Font Size, Padding, Margin) have device icons (Desktop, Tablet, Mobile) next to them. This allows you to set different values specifically for mobile.
    • Common Adjustments: Reduce font sizes for headlines and text on mobile for better readability. Adjust padding and margins to optimize spacing on smaller screens (often reducing vertical spacing). Center-align text or elements that look awkward left-aligned on narrow screens.
  3. Check Column Stacking: On mobile, columns within a row typically stack vertically (one below the other). Review the stacking order in the mobile preview to ensure it makes logical sense. You can sometimes reverse the stacking order for specific rows if needed (Row Settings > Advanced).
  4. Use Visibility Settings (Hide/Show Elements): If an element is too complex, large, or unnecessary on mobile (e.g., a wide background image with text that becomes unreadable, a complex desktop-only graphic), you can hide it specifically on mobile and potentially create a simpler alternative visible only on mobile.
    • Select the element/row/section.
    • Go to the Advanced tab in the Settings Sidebar.
    • Find the Visibility section.
    • Choose to hide on Mobile, Tablet, or Desktop.
    • Example: Hide a complex multi-column section on mobile (Visibility > Hide on Mobile). Then, create a new, simpler single-column section with the essential info below it, and set *its* visibility to Hide on Desktop.
  5. Test on Real Devices: While the builder's mobile preview is helpful, always test your published pages on actual smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android) to catch any rendering issues or usability problems not apparent in the simulator.

Prioritize a clean, fast-loading, and easy-to-navigate mobile experience.