It's no secret that the eyes of computer users are moving away from desktop screens and toward mobile phones, tablets, iPad minis, and everything in between. Many businesses don't seem to realize that they have to adjust their web presence accordingly to accommodate this shift. With mobile website development you can capture all traffic directed towards your website regardless of which device is used.
As revealed in a Google study, polled smartphone users have a very clear idea of what they expect when on their mobile devices. 81% value browsing speed very highly, 74% of them want easily accessible store directions or operating hours, 64% of them seek contact or product information, and 50% need the ability to seamlessly place an order or perform an action.They also want to do this while having the most pleasant experience possible. By not having a mobile-friendly website waiting for visitors, you're virtually welcoming your guests with a swift slap in the face and making it clear to them that customer service is not your priority.
Clicking on a non-mobile site's links could not be a more painful ordeal. Additionally, due to the fact that websites are designed for large desktop screens, font sizes are tiny when viewed on a phone and content is almost impossible to read.Navigating a desktop page on your phone requires constantly zooming in and out to both find the sections you want and successfully click on your desired destination. It's maddening, and usually drives visitors away pretty quickly.
Some video content that works on computers doesn't work on phones. Why would you offer your users content that they can't enjoy?Flash, perhaps the most notable non-mobile-friendly video format, will not work on a smartphone. Worry not, however, as there are various options for showing video content on mobile sites. For example, HTML5 standard tags are Google's recommended choice and pretty easy to work with.Nothing is more frustrating than encountering unwatchable content while browsing, ensure that your users don't hit such a roadblock by guaranteeing your site can be fully enjoyed across any device.
To improve the search experience for smartphone users and address their pain points, Google recently rolled out several ranking changes that address sites that are misconfigured for smartphone users. What does this mean? Google is now punishing websites that are not mobile-friendly in searches taking place on mobile devices. In other words, your SEO rank will drop if your site is not mobile-friendly.
Although responsive design templates keep getting better there is no substitute for a true mobile website in addition to your traditional site. Fact is, no matter how well a mobile website renders on a smartphone, the content that a consumer wants on, and what specifically is prioritized on, a mobile website is not the same as what that same consumer wants on a desktop site.
The best solution is to have a separate mobile website that is built to work specifically on a smartphone. This separate site would be visited when your domain is accessed from a mobile device. Site visitors are routed to the desktop version of your site when they visit via a desktop computer. It will make sense to have both a mobile version and a desktop version of your website until desktops no longer exist (you never know!)
