Tweet

5 Essential Features of Your Mobile Web Site

Guest post by: Donna Gunter

Article Overview: Fifty million people in the United States own a smartphone. Mobile devices are definitely changing the way we view and interact with information. What do you need to consider as you design your mobile site and your mobile experience for your site visitors? Here are the 5 essential features that every mobile web site needs:

5 Essential Features of Your Mobile Web Site

Trust me, it doesn't just seem like everyone you know has one of the following -- an iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android. They really do -- fifty million people in the United States, in fact, own a smartphone, according to comScore statistics. Mobile devices are definitely changing the way we view and interact with information. Since I purchased my iPhone, I've got access to information in ways I never dreamed of. And, if you don't think you have mobile visitors, check your Google Analytics results under Visitors -- you may be surprised to discover how many mobile visitors have checked out your site.

So, what does this mean if you're a business owner with a web site? Most people think that their mobile web site should be a carbon-copy of their regular site. Nothing could be further from the truth. While you can view almost any site from a smartphone, reading it and finding what you need is an entirely different story.

What do you need to consider as you design your mobile site and your mobile experience for your site visitors? Here are the 5 essential features that every mobile web site needs:

1.Determine your mobile magnets. Put yourself in the head of your visitor. What is the most critical information that a visitor might be seeking on her mobile device? Typically, a mobile user is seeking one (or more) of 7 things:

location-based information

time-based information

ability to save time or money

ability to simplify her life

entertainment

social interaction

recognition or VIP treatment or support

If you're a retail establishment, it might be your phone number, directions, or hours of operation. If you're a service provider, it might be a discount coupon or a short video describing your services or offering a free consultation. Determine what pieces of information from your site would best serve your mobile visitor.

2. Less is more. Don't try and cram all of your information into your mobile site. Many mobile phones can't see Javascript or Flash, and trying to enlarge a site's text-laden pages to be readable on a mobile phone is an exercise in frustration. Reduce your text to the bare minimum, and remove images for easier scanning.

3. Simple Navigation. Don't make your mobile user dig through layers and layers of navigation to find the info that she needs. Provide a simple navigational layout, making the most important info available at the top of the home page.

4. Detect mobile vs desktop. There is a simple piece of code that can be placed on your regular site to redirect a mobile user to the mobile version of your site. You will need to design (or have designed) a separate mobile web site to make this code work. In fact, you may want to purchase the .mobi version of your domain name now while it's still available.

5. Visibility on any smartphone. Test your mobile web site to ensure that it is clearly visible and everything works on as many mobile phones as possible. There are simulation sites for the major brands of smartphones on which you can test your mobile site to ensure that everything works as it should.

The day of mobile web sites has arrived -- don't make a trip to visit your site painful for your mobile visitors. Determine exactly what they might be seeking when landing on a site like yours, and design your mobile site accordingly to provide just the right information.

Related Articles
  Making your Existing Website Mobile-Friendly
  Mobile Software Development Benefits
  How to Create a Mobile Marketing Campaign
  Importance of mobile commerce site
  Mobile Software Development
  SEO Measures for Mobile Search
  Mobile Small Biz Opportunities
  Facts about HTML 5
  Increase Your Customer Base by Developing a Mobile Site
  Wallet in your phone – Unbelievable but true
  How to be An Effective Leader in a Virtual Team
  How mobile is your website
  Future Marketing kicks out the ancient marketing
  Significance of Mobile-Friendly Website Design
  Scope of Mobile Application Development
  Mobile Call Forwarding
  User interface, brand, content top considerations when choosing a new mobile phone
  Mobile Web Access
  Android Platform for Mobile Software Development
  Samsung Galaxy Fit – The Best Price Smartphone

Article Tags: Get More Clients Online, iphone, mobi, mobile marketing Donna Gunter, mobile web site, OnlineBizUcom, smartphone



Related Forum Posts
Re: The Mobile Marketing - Mobile Marketing involves communicating with the consumer via cellular (or mobile) device, either to send a simple marketing message, to introduce them to a new audience participation-based campaign or to allow them to visit a mobile website. Some of the tools of the trade and a few of the concepts that will be featured in this Mobile Marketing 101 series are: Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Bluetooth, Wireless and Infrared Mobile Internet and Social Media Mobile Applications Mobile connectivity not only enables people to connect to the Internet via a cellular telephone, PDA or other gadget, but also consolidates the different communication channels in a simple, yet effective, medium. Cheaper than traditional means for both the consumer and the marketer - and easy enough for almost any age group to understand and engage with - Mobile Marketing really is a streamlined version of traditional eMarketing.
Re: Mobile Marketing - Top 10 trends in the mobile application in 2012 What is most interesting to us mobile marketers is what lands at # 2 and # 3 spots on his list. "Mobile Search", "location-based services," and also, the place n. # 8 is our favorite of my "mobile advertising." last round after this morning's location based on 1020 funding Placecast poster supports the thesis that when it comes to phones, people expect to be able to discover things around them. That makes sense - after all, what good is a mobile device if you can not access the information you need right now? Gartner reports that location services will be "one of the most disturbing in the coming years." Gartner predicts that the LBS user base of 96 million global growth in 2009 to more than 526 million by 2012. "His value to the user high is the result of its ability to meet a variety of needs, ranging from productivity and fullfillment target social networking and entertainment." Mobile Search, which Gartner says is a fundamental purpose "to drive sales and marketing opportunities in the mobile phone," now just need the user experience. Once "the industry improves the user experience of mobile search to get people back again," Gartner predicts it will be the third most popular application in 2012. Getting to # 8, mobile advertising is no joke. Total spending on mobile advertising in 2008 was $ 530.2 million, which Gartner expects to grow to $ 7.5 billion in 2012. "Mobile advertising is an important way to monetize the mobile Internet content, applications and offering free services to end users. The mobile channel will be used as part of the largest advertising campaigns in various media, including television, radio, print and outdoor, "says Gartner. Here's the full top 10 types of future mobile applications, according to Gartner: 1. Money transfer 2. Location Based Services 3. Mobile Search 4. Mobile Browsing 5. Mobile health monitoring 6. Mobile Payment 7. Near field communication services 8. Mobile Advertising 9. Mobile Instant Messaging
Re: Mobile Marketing - No doubt on this.Mobile marketing seems to be a good business now although very few amount of people have knowledge about this.
Re: The Mobile Marketing - Mobile Marketing is on pace and it'll engage a reputed image soon. Online shopping is based on PCs and Laptops at the present time but soon it will also be popular for mobile phones.
Re: Making Money in 2010 - What's Next? - Mobile contents will sell more this year. Cell phones are now replacing our laptops and PC. You can do virtually all thing you do on your pc on your cell phone now or smart phone.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Get Your Business on Google Places

Sales is a Flawed Model

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.