Why You Need a Mobile Website

If you have tried to view your regular website on a mobile phone browser you might have received a shock. A website that looks great on your desktop or laptop PC may load poorly or not at all on a mobile phone, costing your business many potential customers.

The mobile web browsing market is exploding and every single day, tens of millions of Americans search for local businesses with their mobile phones. Mobile phones are always nearby, always connected, and therefore more and more likely to be used by customers on the go.

Here are a few things to consider:

Google's CEO Says "Mobile First"

Google recently reported 500% growth in mobile searches between 2008 and 2010. And by 2013, Google expects that 50% of all internet traffic will be from mobile devices. On April 12, 2010, Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, said: "The answer should always be mobile first."

Google Treats Mobile Users Differently

Google serves different (and often fewer) results to people browsing on mobile phones depending on device type. Websites optimized for the widest cross-section of mobile devices will consistently rank higher in those results. And those not viewable on mobile devices will slowly become all but invisible in the mobile web search engine results. In mobile web search, a low rank can mean oblivion.

30% of Facebook Users are Using the Mobile Web

Facebook has over 500 million users. Every month, over 150 million users access Facebook using mobile devices. That's approximately 30% of the total. If a visitor came to your website from Facebook, what would they see? There's no point targeting social networks if 30% of their users cannot view your website. If a business website fails mobile users, they will simply go to a competing website that gives them what they want.

Mobile Web Interaction is Different

People browsing the web on handheld mobile phones have different requirements and behave differently than those on desktop PCs. Mobile phone users may be on slow internet connections with limited bandwidth and they interact with websites differently; they use fingers on touch screens, styli or tiny keyboards to navigate within limited mobile screen real estate often measuring less than three inches square. A website optimized for a PC mouse will frustrate mobile users. Frustrated users leave quickly.

Flash Kills the Mobile Experience for Most Users

Most mobile web users have limited or zero ability to view website content written in Adobe Flash. Flash is beautiful, Flash is great but not on the iPhone because the iPhone does not support Flash and Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, says it never will. Flash websites are invisible and useless to iPhone and iPad users. And most other mobile devices cannot handle Flash websites without problems.

Mobile is Local, Purposeful, and Immediate

Mobile web users are looking for immediate, specific solutions while on the go. The browsing experience on a mobile is more challenging than on a PC so mobile searchers tend to make a purchasing decision faster than PC Web users. They are also looking for local businesses like yours. If your customers cannot find your phone number or directions to your business quickly, they may become someone else's customers. While Amazon and others have proved that marketing online is highly profitable, there's much more money in meeting the local or impulse needs of mobile consumers.

Mobile is Getting Smarter But Not Smart Enough

Nielsen estimates that by 2011 smartphones will be over half of the mobile phone market. Increased smartphone adoption leads to improved ability to handle feature-rich mobile websites as well as increased mobile web usage. But even in 2011, half of all mobile devices will remain low capability mobile phone which will still need content-light, fast loading mobile websites. This means that mobile websites must be optimized for low end mobile phones as well high end smartphones and tablet devices. Unprepared websites will create even greater customer frustration as low capability phones choke on rich content and high capability mobile device users demand a richer browsing experience. With seamless, automatic switching from desktop websites to mobile sites optimized for low end and high end devices, our clients' website visitors enjoy a great mobile browsing experience targeted to their viewing device.

It's Not Too Late to Dominate your Competition

Most business websites are not ready for mobile; they load slowly, display poorly, and fail to provide on-the-go customers with the information they need in a timely manner. Savvy business owners adapt quickly and exploit changes before their competitors. The smart business owner is positioning for the future and preparing for the flood of mobile traffic before their competitors become aware that the game has changed permanently.

The Market Says: Get Mobile or Get Left Behind

The largest businesses are desperately scrambling to get mobile. You too can get mobile for much less than you think. If you would like to keep your existing customers happy, get more customer leads, and get ahead of your competitors, your website must become useful mobile web users. We can create a mobile version of your website without changing your existing desktop website.

Call (888) 477-4858 or complete the contact form on the right of this page to get started.