Why Build a Mobile Website?
Ten years ago you were told if you didn’t have a website, you were missing a key opportunity to reach your clients. Today, a mobile web presence is equally as important. For purposes of this article, I will refer to a "mobile web presence" as a website designed specifically around smart phone technology and physical screen size.
The three major players in smart phones are iPhone, Android and Blackberry1. With millions of these phones being sold each year, they are quickly becoming an indispensable tool for people to remain informed, organized and connected. Because of this, it’s important for you to rethink the avenues in which you provide information online.
A mobile website is not a replication of your existing site; instead, it’s a streamlined version of it. You should place the most relevant and sought-after information on your mobile site. For example, if you own a restaurant you’ll want your mobile website to display your hours, menu and location. (Many smart phones will automatically provide navigation based on address making it much easier for customers to find you). While your full website may include pictures of your restaurant, a profile of the owner and other highlights, this content could distract or even frustrate your potential customer causing them to look elsewhere.
Before you get concerned over cost, this does not mean you automatically need to create two completely separate websites. If your existing website is built around a database structure (meaning the content of the site is saved in a database rather than hardcoded onto a page), then the mobile website can share that data. The key difference between a full site and a mobile site is the amount of content that a mobile site contains, which drives the end-user's navigation of the site.
The number of people using their phone to look up information such as directions, services provided and hours of operation are increasing at an exponential rate. Your mobile website can a vital resource to them and may become the determining factor when deciding between businesses.
At Visionary Services, we can review your current website and recommend which sections of your existing site should be included on a mobile site. Let us work with you to create a mobile website to connect you with your mobile customers.
Check out mobile websites we built over the last year:
- http://www.iowarealty.com redirects on a mobile phone to http://m.iowarealty.com
- http://www.bhmanagement.com redirects on a mobile phone to http://m.bhmanagement.com
- http://www.visionary.com redirects on a mobile phone to http://m.visionary.com
