← All guides Design

Mobile Site Looks Broken? Fix This First

7 June 2026 · 2 min read · Part of: Site in Crisis · Step 3

Fine on desktop, broken on phone: usually CSS layout, not your whole brand.

Typical causes

  • Missing or wrong viewport meta tag
  • Fixed widths wider than the screen
  • Text and buttons too small to tap
  • Images not scaling
  • Tables or embeds overflowing

Design discipline fix

Test on a real phone, fix overflow and tap targets, then check key flows: menu, form, checkout. A landing page pass often beats a full redesign.

Common questions

Is responsive the same as mobile-friendly?

Responsive layout is the baseline. Mobile-friendly also means speed, readable type, and usable forms.

Interactive guide

1 / 5

step 1

What's broken on phone?

Tap all that apply.

step 2

Usually not "mobile plugin"

🖥️
Built on a wide monitor. Never tested on phone.
📐
Fixed widths and overflow break small screens.
👆
Tap targets too small or too close together.

step 3

Fixes to apply

step 4

Your takeaway

PLAN
Fine on desktop, broken on phone: usually CSS layout, not your whole brand.
Ship one improvement, then reassess with real data.

step 5

Next move

Website Takeover
AnalyticLancer
→
Next guide
Website Redesign vs Rebuild
→
Contact
Direct line
→
✓

Done

Website Takeover →

Path · Contact