Why you should have a mobile website
There isn't a sober person around who would argue that the way we use the internet is changing. Just 20 years ago, it was extremely unusual for a business to have a web presence and many businesses just didn't see the point. 10 years ago many businesses started to get on board but most didn't really know what they were doing. Now it's difficult to run a successful business without an online presence.
While we still ask our friends, family and colleagues where the best place is to buy product X, or to go if we want to get Y done, Google is playing a larger role in this now. A Google search can tell you what you need to know in seconds with many options your friends and family wouldn't have known about. Businesses and consumers both use the internet to search for products or suppliers, compare prices and check reviews. Without a website you might as well not exist, or at the very least you will be much harder to find.
A new development is occurring in the internet world. People are increasingly using their mobile devices to browse the web in favour of the convenience and portability of smart phones and tablets. No longer are people tied to a desktop computer or laptop. Instant connectivity is the name of the game and people now expect information at their fingertips 24x7. As the number of people using smart phones in Asia, Africa and South America increases, the amount of mobile traffic is only going to go up.
Do you have a mobile website? Are you taking advantage of this new development in technology and its extraordinary marketing potential?
Why You Should Have a Mobile Website
Put simply, mobile internet is the future. In 2010, sales of smartphones were up by 87% from the previous year beating sales of PC's for the first time ever. There are now an estimated 83 million regular mobile internet users waiting to find your mobile website. That's a figure much too large to ignore. Morgan Stanley's Internet Trends report suggested that people accessing the internet through their mobile device will overtake PC and laptop users by the end of 2014.
Now, you may be wondering why your existing website will not be sufficient for mobile use.?
Traditional websites are designed to be displayed on the relatively large monitors of PC's and laptops. Most websites become very hard to use when displayed on a mobile device and some even break completely and will not display properly. If a user visits your traditional website through their mobile device and it requires excessive scrolling or is difficult to navigate, they will simply leave your website and go somewhere else. With such an abundance of choice of where to get their information, if you make it difficult for this market, you will be ignored and overlooked.
Mobile websites are perfectly optimized to display correctly on all mobile devices. They can be designed to carry through the look and feel of your existing traditional website to ensure brand continuity and can be developed will simplified navigational features to ensure the optimal user experience. This is where responsive web design comes in.
Responsive Web Design
Think of responsive web design like a chameleon. It fits into whatever background you place it. With responsive web design, no matter if the user is looking at your website on their smart phone, tablet or laptop- the design will be the same.
Without responsive web design, web designers would have to create a different design for each type of device- a lot of work and a lot of money for your web designer. . . Since the number of devices is only going to go up, this is very important. And the benefits to responsive web design are more than just on mobile devices. Those viewing your web site will have a much easier time finding the information they want.
Mobile websites can be designed with a responsive template giving a slick mobile experience that any user would want. Thinking in terms of separate pages is a thing of the past with responsive mobile website design making the viewing of your website a fluid and immersive experience rather than something to be navigated around.
First it was crucial to have a web presence, then social media came along and that became the new marketing essential. No matter what changes take place mobile isn't going away and now that mobile websites are here, businesses are quickly starting to focus on mobile websites as one of their primary internet marketing strategies. The question is, Are you?
If your interested in getting a cost effective mobile optimised website up and running for your business then we can help, contact us today for a no obligation quote.