In a world where nearly everyone has a smartphone glued to their hand, it should come as no surprise that mobile traffic now accounts for more than half of all website visits. Yet, when it comes to websites packed with content, many businesses still design primarily with desktop users in mind. So, when building a website, mobile friendly website design is super important.
This raises a simple but crucial question: Should you hide some content on mobile to create a better user experience?
At Sites By Design, we’ve built hundreds of websites across countless industries, and we’ve seen what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to balancing content and usability across devices. This article will walk you through the current stats, real-world considerations, and design strategies to help you get it right.
Mobile vs Desktop: The Stats You Can’t Ignore
As of 2025, the global average for website traffic breaks down roughly like this:
- Mobile: 58–65%
- Desktop: 30–38%
- Tablet and other: 2–5%
In other words, if you’re only designing with desktop in mind, you’re potentially alienating the majority of your audience.
But there’s a nuance here. While mobile makes up most traffic, Think with Google insights show that desktop users tend to spend more time on-site and are more likely to complete complex tasks—like filling out detailed forms, making high-value purchases, or reading long articles.
So both platforms matter. But they demand different design approaches to ensure a responsive and effective experience across devices.
The Problem With Long Pages on Mobile
We all love a bit of storytelling or comprehensive detail on a service page. But throw that onto a mobile screen without structure and you’ve got a recipe for disaster:
- Users get overwhelmed
- Bounce rates shoot up
- Important content gets missed
Mobile users scroll, sure—but they also skim. They’re often on the go, working with smaller screens and shorter attention spans. That means you have to make their journey effortless.
What NOT to Do on Mobile
Here are a few common mistakes we see time and time again:
- Endless walls of text: Paragraph after paragraph with no visual break.
- Too many options at once: Buttons, forms, links, all crammed in together.
- No structure: Missing headings, subheadings or clear sections.
- Unnecessary content: Info that’s useful on desktop but a distraction on mobile (e.g. huge tables or side widgets).
Avoiding these mistakes is the first step to a more mobile friendly website design.
Should You Hide Content on Mobile?
In short: Not exactly.
Rather than hiding content outright, a smarter move is to use a technique called progressive disclosure. That’s a fancy term for letting users choose to reveal more information only when they want it.
Think of it like this:
- Show the essentials first
- Let people tap to expand the extras
This keeps the interface clean while still delivering value for those who want to dig deeper.
6 Smarter Ways to Handle Content-Heavy Pages on Mobile
1. Use Accordions (Expandable Sections)
If you’ve got FAQs, product specs, or detailed service descriptions, hide them behind a tap-to-expand section. This declutters the page while keeping the information accessible.
2. Sticky Navigation or Table of Contents
A floating menu or jump links can help users find what they’re looking for without scrolling forever. It’s a great solution for blog posts or service pages with lots of detail.
3. Summarise First, Detail Later
Put a quick summary or headline for each section up front. Then offer a “Read More” button if users want the full story.
4. Break Up Content Visually
Use cards, bold headings, icons, or alternating background colours to break long content into bite-sized chunks. Bonus points if your headings actually help users understand what’s in each section.
5. Reorder Your Content for Mobile
Don’t just shrink your desktop design. Often, you’ll want to change the order of content so the most important stuff hits first on mobile.
6. Hide Non-Essentials Only
It’s okay to hide content that’s not crucial for mobile users. Think decorative elements, secondary links, or sidebar widgets. Just make sure your core message and CTAs stay front and centre.
Real-World Example: Before vs After
We recently worked with a trades client whose homepage had a 10% bounce rate on desktop—but a 63% bounce rate on mobile. After restructuring the page with accordions, clearer calls to action, and a short summary at the top, the mobile bounce rate dropped to 32%.
We didn’t delete any content—we just repackaged it for the small screen.
Final Thoughts: Mobile Friendly Website Design Doesn’t Mean Less Content
You don’t need to dumb down your mobile site or strip it bare. What you do need is a layout that respects your user’s time, attention, and device.
If you’re working with long content, think about:
- What matters most?
- What can be summarised?
- What can be optionally expanded?
- What (if anything) can be left off mobile entirely?
Mobile Friendly Website Design isn’t just about making things pretty—it’s about solving problems. And a content-heavy mobile page is one of the most important problems to get right.
Need Help With Your Site?
At Sites By Design, we don’t just build websites—we build experiences that convert. Whether you’re starting fresh or need a mobile friendly website design makeover, we can help you get more from every visit, on every screen.
Let’s chat. No pressure. Just results.
