Go Mobile!

 

If you have a smart phone (and there’s a good chance you do), you know that some websites are just easier to navigate on your phone than others. On some websites the text is too small. On others, you need to click on links that are impossibly hard to click correctly when tapping with your fingers. This is frustrating! Consumers are easily annoyed when they need/want to look at your content from a mobile device and they just can’t get what they need.  This isn’t just a momentary problem for a business, but one that can have lasting effects. Almost half of audiences today use a mobile device as their primary tool for content consumption and consumers remember the websites that were difficult. I can think of at least five right now that I never plan to visit from my phone again. I probably won’t visit from my computer either. This means lost sales, all because their website was a nightmare to navigate from a mobile device.

Don’t be one of these businesses! If you already have a mobile plan in place for your website, that’s great. Make sure you maintain it and constantly check it from a mobile device to make sure it’s easy to use. If you don’t have a mobile plan in place for your website, you need to get one ASAP.  Your actual web design is going to require more research, but there are two main directions you can head in. 

First, you can create a mobile website with an m.sitename.com domain name.  The m indicates the mobile site and your website will automatically redirect to this site when accessed from a mobile device. Your mobile website should be set up in a user friendly way, with easy links to what your customers want most. Think about what your users are going to want to do from their phones. For example, Delta’s mobile website gives you easy to click on links for checking into a flight, booking a flight, and checking a flight status. It’s laid out differently than the standard Delta website and is visually appealing and user friendly for a mobile device. Imagine the annoyance customers would feel trying to zoom in and scroll over to press the check-in tab on Delta’s normal website. Having a mobile site makes things easier for consumers and therefore, better for Delta too.

 

 

m.delta.com

 

 

delta.com

Your second option is to create a website with responsive design. Responsive web design means designing a website that adapts to the user’s environment. This includes screen size, platform, and screen orientation.  By creating a website with responsive web design, it doesn’t matter what device your site gets viewed with, the website will adjust and not create excess difficulty for mobile devices.  The good news is that responsive web design is built into HTML5, so if you’re creating a new website, it shouldn’t be too expensive.

It’s up to you to decide what is right for you and your business. The important thing is that you have a mobile site so you can help your audience to help you!