Things To Consider When Designing Your Mobile Business Website

Mobile devices are becoming more and more popular among U.S. consumers and the rest of the world. It’s estimated that there will be over 100 million new smartphones and web-ready mobile devices in 2012 on top of the already hundreds of millions of mobile devices that are currently being used. More people are browsing the web from a mobile device, even before using their PC. In fact, in the US, it’s been shown that nearly 7% of all web traffic is from a mobile web-based device and that those numbers will only be increasing. That’s why as a business, it should be very clear that you do not be without some sort of mobile version of your website. What might be less clear for some is what should be included  when building their mobile website.

I’d like to outline several things you need to consider at the outset of your mobile site design project to ensure that your mobile website is a success.

1. Integrate social media. This is especially important as social media is a great way to allow mobile web users, who are probably the largest group of people using social media, to share it their contacts thereby promoting your business. A quick tap of the screen allows users to tweet your website or like your business.

Make sure to also link your mobile website from your Facebook page as well as Twitter where you can tweet promo codes and have SMS contests.

2. Keep the site search function. Have the search feature at the top of the page where it is visible for anyone visiting your mobile website. This can be a life saver for any of your visitors if there is a problem with your websites navigation or other site features.

3. Simplify when possible.  Generally, when your converting a desktop website design to a mobile website, you want to try and simplify things. Even though cellular bandwidth speeds are getting faster, they can still be relatively slow at times, especially in areas where 4G isn’t available. Therefore you should try and keep file size and your websites load time down.

Also, as there is less screen real estate for the majority of mobile users (only about 30% of mobile web users are tablet users), you’ll want to consider a simplified approach when it comes to design, layout, and navigation.

Now that doesn’t mean that you can create beautiful designs for your mobile users… you just want to make sure that they are optimized. CSS3 is great for creating gradients, rounded corners and shadows.

4. Use mobile friendly features. These features are part of what helps to differentiate mobile websites from their full fledged versions. You should link phone numbers so that it’s easier for a visitor to your website to call you via one click. Include a link to a store finder if you have multiple locations. Make sure to have a map & direction feature that interacts with your clients phone navigation ability. Include incentives and mobile coupons whenever possible.

5. E-commerce features.Why miss out on another avenue for generating profits? Early evidence is pointing to mobile e-commerce becoming a huge trend, so if your business already generates income from its current website, there’s no reason to miss out on using e-commerce on your mobile version.

Remember in the end to keep your website simple. It should be quick, to the point and easy to navigate. If you need help with your web strategy, then please feel free to call us today.