Top considerations when planning your mobile website

With the rise of the smartphone more and more people use their mobile device for browsing the internet. However the vast majority of web sites do not display well on a mobile screen and that could cost you traffic and business. Help is at hand via web sites which are specifically formatted for the needs of the mobile user but what do you need to consider when considering a mobile web site for your business?

You must think mobile as you want to serve the needs of the mobile device users and their needs are different that viewing a traditional web site from say their laptop. With a normal web site you can do all sorts of clever stuff though that is no good on a mobile device. There are entirely different aspects you must address to give the web surfer using a mobile device the best experience when visiting your site.

Mobile surfing speeds a much slower than the high speed connection you have at home. The mobile internet user does not enjoy the same luxury and also has a much smaller screen to look at. Your mobile web site should be as graphic free as possible for speed of loading. And keep the text based content short and to the point so it is easy for the mobile user to scroll through quickly.

It is very easy on a mobile site to make it very easy for the mobile user to call you simply with one tap on their device screen.  This functionality should be on every page and particularly on the front page. For example if you have a restaurant and somebody new in town is looking for a place to eat, finds your nice mobile optimized web site and can call you with one tap to make a booking they are more likely to do so than landing on a non-mobile optimized version which they have to scroll around and write down the number to call. Think about that in terms of your business. Your mobile site makes life much more convenient for the mobile surfer.

Another smartphone piece of technology you can harness for your mobile visitors is the GPS functionality so they can find you very easily and even get directions right to your door. Build this in to your mobile optimized site so that the mobile visitor can see your location on a map then is able to just as easily get directions from their mobile device GPS function and be lead to your premises.

Also a mobile web site is a great way to include special offers or coupons aimed at the mobile user as an incentive for them to visit your business and take advantage of that. It might be for example a reduction on their next bill or any offer you consider appropriate to your own line of business.  

Can you see how the above are specifically designed as part of a mobile web site with the needs of the mobile device user in mind. It’s about speed and convenience. You can still get over what your business is, what you do, where you are though do so in a way which meets the needs of the smartphone user.

Sources: http://www.articlesbase.com/