Touch Targets Do Not Have Sufficient Size or Spacing: How to Fix This PageSpeed Insights Issue

If you run a mobile audit in PageSpeed Insights, one of the most common accessibility warnings you may see is:

Touch targets do not have sufficient size or spacing.

This issue often appears even on modern, responsive websites and can be frustrating because everything may look visually fine on desktop. However, from a mobile usability and accessibility perspective, this warning highlights a real problem that affects how users interact with your site.

This guide explains what the issue means, why it matters, and how to resolve it in a clean, standards-compliant way.

What Does “Touch Targets Do Not Have Sufficient Size or Spacing” Mean?

A touch target is any interactive element that a user taps on a touchscreen device, such as:

Links
Buttons
Icons
Form controls
Menu items

PageSpeed Insights flags this issue when touch targets are:

Too small to tap accurately, or
Placed too close to other touch targets

As a result, users may accidentally tap the wrong element—especially on smaller screens.

Why This Is an Accessibility and UX Problem

Touch interactions are fundamentally different from mouse clicks. Fingers are less precise than cursors, and poor spacing creates usability barriers.

This issue particularly affects:

Users with motor impairments
Users with larger fingers
Mobile users navigating quickly
Older users or users with tremors

From an accessibility standpoint, this rule is enforced by automated checks derived from Deque University and aligns with established mobile usability standards.

Minimum Touch Target Size Requirements

While PageSpeed Insights does not always show exact numbers, the generally accepted baseline is:

Minimum size: 44 × 44 CSS pixels
Minimum spacing: Enough space to prevent overlap with adjacent targets

If elements are smaller than this—or packed too closely together—the warning is triggered.

Common Causes of This Issue

This problem usually comes from design or CSS decisions such as:

Small text links in mobile layouts
Icon-only buttons without padding
Inline links placed too close together
Dense navigation menus
Pagination links with tight spacing
Social icons grouped without margins

The issue is especially common in footers, headers, and blog meta areas.

How PageSpeed Insights Detects the Problem

PageSpeed Insights analyzes the rendered mobile layout and checks whether interactive elements:

Meet minimum size thresholds
Have sufficient spacing from neighboring touch targets

Importantly, zooming does not count as a solution. Targets must be usable at the default mobile scale.

How to Fix “Touch Targets Do Not Have Sufficient Size or Spacing”

✅ Solution 1: Increase Padding on Interactive Elements

The most reliable fix is adding padding without changing visual size dramatically.

a,button { padding: 12px 16px; }

Padding increases the clickable area without affecting layout readability.

✅ Solution 2: Enforce a Minimum Height and Width

For buttons, icons, and navigation items:

button,.nav-link { min-width: 44px; min-height: 44px;}

This ensures compliance across all screen sizes.

✅ Solution 3: Add Spacing Between Adjacent Targets

If multiple links are close together, add margins:

.nav-link {margin-right: 8px;}

Or use gap utilities in flex layouts:

.menu { display: flex; gap: 12px;}

✅ Solution 4: Improve Icon Button Accessibility

Icon-only buttons are frequent offenders. Fix them with padding:

.icon-button { padding: 12px;}

Even if the icon is small, the touch area becomes usable.

What Does NOT Fix the Issue

Avoid these common misconceptions:

❌ Increasing font size only

❌ Relying on zoom

❌ Changing colors or contrast

❌ Adding hover-only spacing

The fix must apply to the default mobile state.

Does This Affect Desktop SEO?

Directly, no. This is a mobile accessibility issue.

Indirectly, yes—because:

Mobile usability impacts user behavior
Accessibility is part of overall page quality
Poor tap accuracy increases bounce rates on mobile

Fixing this issue improves real-world usability, not just audit scores.

How to Verify the Fix

After making changes:

Re-run PageSpeed Insights (mobile tab)
Check the Accessibility section
Confirm the warning is resolved
Test manually on a real mobile device

If touch targets are large enough and spaced properly, the issue will disappear.

Final Takeaway

The “Touch targets do not have sufficient size or spacing” warning is not about visual polish—it is about usability under real mobile conditions.

Key principle:

Every tappable element must be easy to tap without precision.

By increasing padding, enforcing minimum sizes, and spacing interactive elements correctly, you solve the issue permanently while improving mobile UX and accessibility.