I was just looking over some Internet statistics and once again had to raise an eyebrow at the increase in users of mobile Internet. Not only has the number of users exceeded those with desktop Internet access, there are now more people surfing the web on a mobile device than the number of people driving automobiles.
If you haven't put any thought into adding a mobile friendly web site to your online presence, now would be a great time to consider it. After studying the development end and testing hundreds of websites from my Blackberry I've come up with a few recommendations.
1) Be clear about how you can benefit your audience
As I've mentioned in a previous blog post a restaurant having a mobile web site is a no brainer, and a great example of a business that needs a mobile web site these days. People on the go use their mobile devices to find everything from movie theaters to hot spots on the town. But what about other businesses?
Understanding your customers and target audience will guide you to creative ways of utilizing a mobile friendly web site. If your business sells products you could offer real time order status and package tracking from the moment an order is placed, through any production process and its availability for delivery or pick up. A business that operates by appointments could allow users to make and cancel appointments online. Any business could offer their current specials, sales promotions or incentives.
In short, consider how your customer base - and potential buyers - would enjoy the ease of use, communication and extra service that can make their life a little easier.
2) Be clear and simple
Considering the load time and the nature of small screens on mobile devices, your mobile web site should be simple and effective. The information you decide to offer should be first priority over excessive use of images and/or highly detailed graphic layouts. This is a win win situation for you and your audience, as they're enjoying a speedy visit and getting what they are looking for in a timely manner and on your end there is very little to be concerned with in terms of maintenance and development.
3) Consider purchasing a mobile domain
The .mobi domain is now standing with top level domains like .com and .net with the increase in mobile Internet users. The major difference is that the .mobi extension is exclusive to delivering web pages to mobile devices, although other popular extensions can still be viewed over a mobile device. You will find it beneficial as search engines listing mobile friendly web sites to devices will recognize the extension, and mobile users will recognize it in your marketing efforts.
4) Provide a call to action, but keep it simple
Your existing customers might enjoy the ability to send you a quick message online, while users just discovering your site may want to contact you for more information. Having said that, it would be advisable to include a contact form but a very bare-bones version. A form asking for their contact name, email address and comments is more than likely about all a mobile user will have the patience to fill in from their device.
5) Return on investment
On the development side of things I have discovered that creating a mobile web site is not a very tall mountain to climb at all. In fact, with some clever developing an existing site could easily handle traffic from desktop users as well as mobile devices by using a little browser recognition code in creative ways. Therefore, I expect the cost of having creating a mobile web site to be more than worth the effort.
Considering a Mobile Friendly Website
