The iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tablet and Kindle Fire entered the market a
few years ago and triggered off a craze in all parts of the world. Urban
consumers gave up their older phones for these 'smart' phones. Each new
version incorporates the latest technology and brings new features. Studies
have forecasted that 70% of Internet users will spend more time on their
mobile phones than their desktops and laptops. By 2014, they will access the
Internet using some sort of mobile device because this allows them to stay
connected wherever they may be.
Internet browsing is a totally different experience on a mobile device. If
the same website designed for a desktop or laptop is used for mobiles, it
doesn't mean that the user experience will be the same. Here are the top 4
reasons that make a Mobile Website necessary for companies and businesses:
Reason #1 - Screen Size
Smart phones have a much smaller screen size than computers, to allow for
portability. The typical resolution of 1280×1024 on a computer is brought
down to 480×320 on a mobile device. This often means difficulty in
navigating websites that are not compatible with mobile devices. Since
traditional desktop websites have a width of 960 pixels, the text in its
original format is not legible; zooming in and out, if at all permissible
for a particular website, as well as scrolling up and down and back and
forth sideways can be frustrating. Simply scaling down the web page content
does not always work, because the user's fingers remain the same size. How
often have you pressed the wrong link and had to struggle to navigate back
to the original page? A good mobile website will be thumb-friendly, which
means the buttons and links will be big enough for the human fingers to
navigate properly. A website specifically designed for mobile devices will
offer a better customer experience, thereby resulting in increased
conversion of sales leads and more revenue.
Reason #2 - Speed
Mobile devices cannot keep up with the processing and Internet data transfer
speeds and response times of most computers. Companies tend to overlook this
significant fact when they decide to maintain a single website common to
both groups of users. A separate website design is required to cater to
these lower technical specifications of Smart phones, with pictures and
video content optimized for these devices. Any webpage that takes more than
10 to 15 seconds to load will lose 95% of its viewers to a faster competitor
website. High browsing speeds make customers happy, which will increase the
chance of them returning to your website.
Reason #3 - Money
Back in 2009, a staggering total of $1.6 billion dollars was spent on
purchasing products over the Internet through mobile devices. Now that more
than 93% of adults in the United States own at least one cell phone enabled
with Internet access, the online spends from mobile devices have likely shot
up much higher. Just imagine the sales that a company can generate by
tapping into this large market segment. The main objective of a business is
to make money; this is done by having a broader customer base. A
mobile-enabled website is required to engage, convert and retain a large
number of potential customers in by providing them the information that they
need with an ease of
navigation. Hence, getting a mobile website is the way to success for any
company. The cost of designing a separate website is negligible compared to
the profits it can rake in. Yes, every new website needs to be hosted
individually, so a separate hosting fee will apply for the traditional
website targeted at computer users and the new-age website targeted at users
of mobile devices. But this still is a very small overhead cost. What's
more, no special knowledge is required to do so; web design companies can be
hired to get the new website up and running in the click of a finger.
Reason #4 - Location
For websites that offer some product or service, mobile users who access its
pages are ready to make the purchase or booking immediately in most cases.
They may be checking to confirm the exact address. In all probability, they
are somewhere close to the physical store or even inside it already! Local
searches are gaining popularity, and customers are coming to expect this
from companies.
Smart phones and tablets are equipped with built-in GPS systems that allow
the mobile device to track the user's exact location. This is used by search
engines to pick up companies that match the search criteria and are also
within the vicinity of the user at the time of the search. This information
is picked up from the company profile registered on a site like Google
Places.
To exploit this functionality, contact details and other location-specific
information is of utmost importance for a company's mobile website. The
physical address and telephone number need to be displayed on each and every
page, in a prominent location. While heavy images are not encouraged on
mobile websites to support faster speeds, maps are highly recommended
because they can bring customers directly to your premises.
Providing a feature to check the available stock at a particular branch of a
company is a way of telling the customer that this company means business
and is concerned about the customer's convenience as well. The potential
customer also needs to know your working hours. He or she doesn't want to
come all the way to your store to and it closed. Timing information is also
very much needed on a mobile website.
Despite all these wonderful reasons why a mobile website is the need of the
hour, a very small number of businesses and companies have actually invested
time and money into designing one. It is ironic that industry sectors that
could benefit the most from this shift of sales approach have the smallest
percentage of mobile-enabled websites. Sadly, they are still relying on
their websites made for computers, with the assumption that it suffices if
they can be accessed on a mobile device. As we have just seen, nothing could
be further from the truth. These are only a few of the reasons to have a
mobile website. With the way technology is moving you can't afford not to
have a website that is specifically designed for mobile devices.
So what do mobile users look for in a website that is different from desktop
users?
The percentage of web searches made from mobile devices is increasing
exponentially. Mobile users access the Internet on the go. They type in
search queries and expect real-time results based on their current location.
They use words like "nearest" in their search string instead of typing in
their actual geographical location. The device is expected to pick up that
information. These users expect a comfortable site navigation with a
user-friendly interface. If one website does not offer the expected speed
and convenience of visibility, there are other sites to move onto, which can
cause a potential loss of customers and cost business. This can impact the
way all businesses function, so you need to keep up with the changing trends
and get a mobile website. Quality of service has no meaning if the exposure
is not right.
The charm of fancy websites with a lot of Flash animation and creative
designs are lost on the small screens of hand-held gadgets; efficiency is
given priority over bells and whistles. Some Smart phones may not even
support Flash, while those that do will be slowed considerably. Time is
valuable to people on the go, and they're already onto the next website that
is compatible with their device and that quickly gives them the information
they are looking for.
Customer reviews are also important to mobile users. They like to know what
other people think of a product or service and their experience with a
particular company. Having a mobile website integrated with social
networking media serves as a great marketing tool and increases exposure to
target customers.
The current generation of customers has developed a culture of living for
now. Everything is preferred fast, and any business that cannot keep pace is
left behind. It is imperative you change your business strategy and become
mobile-ready before your competitors, or at least catch up with them.
If you are hesitant to adapt to the latest technologies, your business might
just have to shut down. Instead, get a mobile website today, which will be
highly beneficial to increasing your sales revenue. And, it doesn't have to
end there - with so many possibilities, you need to think out of the box.
For example, once you get a mobile-enabled website, how will your users know
about it? Advertise in all media, but also put a site redirect in place,
which will bring visitors from the desktop version of your site to the new
mobile-friendly version. Of course, they need the option of going back if
they wish.
So what are you waiting for? Get onto the mobile bandwagon today.
If you have any questions or comments please contact me.
Regards Gerald
Website: http://www.webcraft.ws
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
Twitter: WebcraftGuru
Facebook: Webcraft Guru
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